Leadership lessons: Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower

American Presidents have a second job title – leader of the free world. In fact, it’s a twentieth century concept, arising after the Second World War, when the authoritarian hand of the Soviet Union started reaching around the globe.

The first person to fulfil this role of leading the free world was Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower, a figure now often overlooked yet one who brought special qualities of leadership to the role which are worth reflecting on today.

Ike was an exceptional military leader, a man who oversaw the D Day landings, who became NATO’s first Supreme Allied Commander in Europe, all before entering the White House in 1952. Yet his origins were humble and there were times in the military that he found himself overlooked for promotion and contemplating his future. So, the assumption that he was always destined for great office is false.

So, what made him such a successful leader? I would highlight several aspects, from which we can all learn.

First, mentors played an important part throughout his career. Brigadier General Fox Connor was perhaps the most significant as he helped a young Eisenhower gain the confidence and focus needed to rise through the ranks of a large army establishment.

Eisenhower had been making the wrong kind of name for himself with some senior officers but found in Connor a leader who shared ideas and was willing to be challenged. In a rigidly hierarchical organisation like the US Army this is rare. Other better-known names – Generals Marshall and MacArthur – were later to be major influences, but it was Connor who proved the effective mentor.

The second aspect of success was Eisenhower’s ability to manage very strong-minded individuals who could easily have undermined him. He had to manage both General Patton and General Montgomery, two successful but headstrong commanders who, had to be reined in repeatedly if the overall strategy was to be achieved. He also had to handle Charles de Gaulle, the future French President, who was a constant thorn in his side in the preparations for, and the aftermath of, the Normandy landings.

A leader who could ‘manage’ both General Patton & ‘Monty’

His approach had several strands – stressing unity in a common cause; always keeping the long-term view firmly in his sights; and giving his opponents a way out without losing face. This last approach is much underrated today, in business and politics, yet it can deliver a leader’s goals, without creating unnecessary division.

This subtle approach maybe surprising in a military leader, but in truth senior military leaders often need to be good political tacticians.

The third aspect of Eisenhower’s leadership showed especially when preparing to enter the White House. He knew his shortcomings, in particular his lack of economic knowledge or experience. Before the Presidential campaign even got underway, he sought to educate himself in part at Columbia University, and to then build a team who could help him forge his economic policies.

Once elected, he then appointed both advisers and Cabinet members who he trusted and who were then given considerable freedom to devise and implement his administration’s domestic policies. He didn’t constantly interfere or change course when under pressure and this in turn gave his team the confidence to think longer term.

Lastly, behind the solid, conservative persona lay someone who was able to adapt to different circumstances and roles. At each stage – professional soldier, then military commander, then US President – he had to adapt to changing conditions and to the needs of each role.

Eisenhower, not Kennedy, first understood the power of the media

It was, after all, Eisenhower – not his telegenic successor John Kennedy – who first understood the power of television and the wider media. He was the President who brought them into the regular White House briefings in 1953, and the first to provide photo-opportunities. He realised what most other politicians took a decade to understand - that political communication was now about personality not simply policy. This openness to change and to what each role requires is a key part of any successful leader.

These qualities – a willingness to learn and adapt to his circumstances; an ability to manage his team, no matter how headstrong; and self-awareness in knowing his limitations and how to delegate – served Eisenhower well. For despite facing huge problems and many setbacks he was able to retain the confidence of both his team and his peers. Just the sort of person we might all want as ‘leader of the free world’.