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What Are George Washington's Leadership Qualities

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Leadership Qualities and Styles of Leadership One of the greatest leaders of our time has been underestimated simply because he lost so many battles. However, he was very instrumental in turning battle losses into overall gains. With each battle he gained knowledge of his opponent. Washington constantly strived and found new ways to fight another day during countless setbacks during the American Revolution. Most of the qualities if not all described by Harvey (2008) could be used to define Washington. Three of the qualities George Washington displayed during a speech he addressed before the attack on Germantown was an "intense interest in raising morale", along with a "fatherly devotion to his men and the ability to improvise and siege unexpected tactical advantages" (Harvey, 2008 p xlvi). He knew the importance in getting his soldiers to fully understand the significance of what they were fighting for while simultaneously not losing sight of the strategic advantage that was before him. Washington was utilizing a transformational style of leadership: “acknowledging a necessary change, …show more content…

By reflecting on leadership techniques and methods exhibited throughout history, a more "situational" soldier can emerge, ideally being able to: analyze a given situation, potentially compare it to any knowledge of prior situations that might be parallel in nature, and respond to it appropriately and concisely with a vast arsenal of leadership experience. In this way, qualities of character and competence become reinforced over a large spectrum of individuals within the military. The many leadership traits that George Washington has since been renowned and celebrated for are becoming standardly indoctrinated in our current generation of servicemen and women (ADRP 6-22, 2012; Harvey,

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