Leadership
As I contemplated the subject for my paper I knew I wanted to discuss my definition of the word “leader” as well as my thoughts on what makes him/her successful. Here goes. There are as many definitions of the word leader as the number of people you ask. “A person who directs the movements of others.” “Somebody who challenges the status quo.” “Somebody who creates change.” I will borrow from the definition of Military Leadership as I discuss what leadership means to me. That definition reads something like this… “Accomplish the mission and take care of those personnel in your charge.” Not in every case can both parts of the equation be satisfied. An example from history where a leader chose to “take care of his people” but was unable to accomplish his mission brings to mind the siege of Vicksburg during the American Civil War. Confederate General John C. Pemberton’s mission to maintain control of the city of Vicksburg (and the nearby Mississippi River) proved to be impossible as Union General U. S. Grant’s forces laid siege to the city. Rather than continuing to watch his troops starve to death, General Pemberton opted to surrender his forces. Gen. Pemberton was unable to accomplish his mission of controlling Vicksburg but able to save a good number of his troops.