General Dwight D. Eisenhower's Leadership Analysis

General Dwight D. Eisenhower improved his performance as a strategic leader from early command challenges in the Mediterranean to coalition command success in Europe. Eisenhower realized success by developing the ability to effectively interpret and manage the strategic environment. He struggled to manage competing command cultures within his headquarters from the onset of his command in the Mediterranean. He countered those challenges by successfully implementing change, after learning valuable lessons from his early days as the coalition commander.
Eisenhower developed the ability to effectively interpret and manage the strategic environment. He demonstrated an understanding of how to affect the internal command environment through …show more content…
Eisenhower initially struggled to implement change in order to unify the command. Leaders that can anticipate change and be proactive in implementing change will control competitive advantage. He did not create unity of effort amongst his air staff and commanders. Eisenhower held informal meetings with his commanders and staff and requested they improve their performance but provided no directed adjustments. Furthermore, he did not provide a vision to guide his staff. A vision provides purpose and direction for internal members and influences external stakeholders by building consensus. A lack of vision established the conditions for the command to be disjointed. Eisenhower spent valuable time dealing with personality conflicts and bitterness rather than focusing on building a cohesive command. He learned from those experiences and implemented change while planning the air campaign for Operation Overlord by removing organizational obstacles. Leaders who refuse to change and adopt transformation create obstacles. Eisenhower reduced the air chief obstacles by taking control over air forces. Eisenhower demanded that he be given operational control over strategic and tactical air forces to remove inefficient staff bureaucracies. As a result, he was able to apply command and control over all facets of planning. He focused on building consensus amongst internal and external stakeholders. He understood how to adjust organizational effectiveness by reducing obstacles. Eisenhower effectively implemented change by learning from previous experiences by building consensus and removing