Leadership Case Analysis - Essay Example

General Cummings is no ordinary general, his composure alone and flexibility in dealing with all types of soldiers indicates that he has high emotional intelligence. This has been observed by Hearns many times when he uses a certain tone when meeting different groups. Although at times, one may question his integrity since he has to carry operations that may be unethical at all, still, he is credible. His ability to focus on crucial matters such as firing orders by just hearing reports is an indication of concentration.. His courage is compelling since he didn’t falter a bit when he told the men that the Japanese would attack the front lines and that it is going to be a long night.

His effectiveness lies in his immediate action over a problem.When it comes to organizational Leadership, General Cummings is a seasoned person and it seems that no amount o f pressure would ruffle his feathers. He was only quite a bit peeved when found his coat dirty with mud after the storm which is an indication of his humanity. When it comes to developing people, he knows very well how to sharpen them by experience. He doesn’t spoon feed , mentor, or pat your back. On the contrary, he antagonizes and throws Hearns into situations that will challenge his weakness- emotions.

This reflects that attitude not intelligence is valued in the battlefield. When it comes to delegation , it is very apparent that he delegates well since he can bark orders to any one with precision. Aside from this, In fact, he is very keen on details because he even knows almost all the equipment in the camp as well as the personlaities of people around him. One can see his planning skills when he sent the tanks to beef up the forces ahead of time since he always consider the worst to happen (n whether man-made or act of God).

Communication skills is also a strength of the General. He manages by walking around and talking to people concerned. His hands-on leadership style with a charismatic tinge elicits respect , awe, and fear from among his men. General Cummings strength was his brilliance, courage , and experience that almost makes him complete. However, the end of the case ( or the story ) reveals that he has a weakness which was very crucial since it indirectly cost him Hearn’s life. He overlooked the verification of facts and reports that reached him.

Since he is a man of action, his quick decision based on the immediate facts provided to him made him create the scenario he wants to believe in: that island is a stronghold of Japanese army. His premise was false on the first place which was a costly mistake.Lt. Hearns on the other hand had issues with his being an intelligent guy. He does not respect position especially when he learns about a person’s weakness. Being emotional, he could get into any trouble even petty arguments.Hearns personal trait of being highly-opinionated could make him unaware of circumstances around him which hindered his effectiveness.

One of his weakness is that he lacked vision since he only looks at the current situation and fails to verify the reliability of information. It is necessary to take risks when managing people but it is preferable to take calculated risks. At the time that he already doubted the safety of the pass, he abandoned rationality and only considerd his feelings. This is ironic since he even contests some of the decisions made by Cummings .His strength is that he has integrity and capacity for self-improvement is huge.

However, due to his young age, he lacks the maturity in making decisions.He also learned the hard way of experiencing prejudice against him so he tried to recompensate by being friendly. Unfortunately, this dulled his senses and let his guard down. He wanted to show the men that he cared about them and intend to improve his communication with them. The biggest mistake was that he chose the wrong time to do this task. All along Cummings knew the weakness of Hearns, but since he was very much engaged in a preparation for a war that is nearly over, the General overlooked a small detail that was fatal to a man close to him.

WORK CITED:Excerpt from the Naked and the Dead.Norman Mailer.1948.Wylie,Aitken, and Stone.