Visionary/ethical leader General Norman Schwarzkopf - Essay Example

By 1956, he had already been commissioned as a second lieutenant. Such kind of rise in the military is only possible upon display of leadership abilities. These abilities can enable one to lead an army into success during warfare. His leadership skills were first tested when he first served as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army. His role in the Vietnam war was quite clear with him being able to make the army understand that doing whatever was right at any given moment would aid in winning the battle.

When he served as a battalion commander, Schwarzkopf’s battalion was clearly effective with him creating a name from the war. He was highly decorated in Vietnam with Silver Star medals, Purple Hearts and the Legion of Merit. He was said to make his troops believe that whatever they were doing was right. He made them understand that going to war at that point was the right since it would lead to the much needed peace. He did this by telling them that he would not have gone into the war himself if he had thought it was not the right thing to do.

He is known to value ethics more that unethical success. He believed that succeed could, otherwise, be obtained through the maintenance of all ethics. He related success to behavior. He usually asked his juniors to do what is right, not what they thought was wanted by the high quarters or what they thought would make them look good. According to Schwarzkopf, “leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.” He is said to have been a great believer of character (Maxcy 101).

He ensured that his soldiers understood that they were fighting for a course. As such, his soldiers had to understand that war meant killing people, maiming them, leaving families without parents. He made them understand that the enemy would do just the same. His soldiers field the reality of his philosophy whenever they help dying colleagues in their arms. It is