| Back to Home Page | Back to
Book Index |
Models
of Leaders
Leadership by Example
Shepherds of God’s flock
are not to lord it over the flock
but to prove to be examples. They are to
lead by their example. This is graphically illustrated in the U.S. Army. The
symbol of the infantry (footsoldiers who do most of the front-line fighting) is
a soldier with a rifle in one hand
helmet cocked
and head looking back behind
him. The rifle is pointing forward
the other arm is giving a “Come on ahead”
motion
and the leader is shouting back
“Follow me!” This symbol illustrates
leadership-by-example
as this soldier calls his men to follow him into the
heart of the battle. ── Michael P. Green《Illustrations for Biblical
Preaching》
Few of our nations' chief
executives could match Herbert Hoover's executive competence
intellect or
energy. With a handful of assistants
he put together a series of relief
operations that saved millions of lives during and after World War I. He was
familiar with Latin and proficient in the principles of mining and metallurgy.
Yet his Presidency was a failure. Poor judgment (high tariffs and taxes) did
him in.
Franklin Roosevelt's
managerial style was the antithesis of Hoover's. He often put off making
decisions. He didn't respect lines of authority. He would deliberately give
different aides similar assignments. He incessantly played members of his
official family against one another. Internal battles were constant and bitter.
FDR was devious. He was never confrontational
using indirect methods to get
this way. You rarely learned where you stood by having a face-to-face meeting;
the President was usually congenial and unspecific.
Many thought FDR's methods
were inefficient and chaotic
but most political scientists have concluded
there was method in his seeming madness. The chaos enable him to prevent anyone
from accumulating too much power or blocking him from information. He was
incontestably the master of his government and the dominant figure of 20th-century
American politics.── Forbes.