Inspiration: The 10 Leadership principles from Dick Winters
From BEYOND BAND OF BROTHERS: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters (commander and leader of WWII 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division)
By: Major Richard “Dick” Winters with Colonel Cole Kingseed
Berkley Caliber Publishing Group, New York
Leadership at the Point of the Bayonet
Ten Principles for Success
1. Strive to be a leader of character, competence, and courage.
2. Lead from the front. Say, “Follow me!” and then lead the way.
3. Stay in top physical shape--physical stamina is the root of mental toughness.
4. Develop your team. If you know your people, are fair in setting realistic goals and
expectations, and lead by example, you will develop teamwork.
5. Delegate responsibility to your subordinates and let them do their job. You can’t do a good
job if you don’t have a chance to use your imagination and creativity.
6. Anticipate problems and prepare to overcome obstacles. Don’t wait until you get to the top of
the ridge and then make up your mind.
7. Remain humble. Don’t worry about who receives the credit. Never let power or authority go
to your head.
8. Take a moment of self-reflection. Look at yourself in the mirror every night and ask yourself
if you did your best.
9. True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. They key to a successful leader is to earn
respect--not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character.
10. Hang Tough!--Never, ever, give up.
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Thank you
Thanks for this, Jan.Â
I'm curious to know when the commander wrote this?
General Colin Powell, with his Leadership Primer, complements this piece, wonderfully. And if Major Winters wrote this around WWII, then it's quite fascinating that the premise of leading and managing really hasn't changed in 60 odd years!
Luanne
I'm a first generation Aussie; out of WWII
My mum was born in Riga, Latvia in an undersground bomb shelter in the midst of Nazi air strikes...Some things are worth fighting to uphold...Freedom is so sorely taken for granted in the West....My mum's dad (nick named: 'Sandrit') was a brilliant man, he was one of 6 children to a Latvian peasant couple...He was the only one to survive to adulthood, losing his siblings for the simple sake of lack of basic medical attention...As a childe, Sandrit once saw a piano in a shop window. Sandrit memorised the arrangement of the keys and later copied what he recalled onto a length of cardboard and taught himself over the pursuing years to 'play' it...Once arriving to adulthood and reaching Australia, one of his first major purchases was an upright piano...He (having never laid hands on a real one in his life beforehand, sat down and played as though he had played all his life)...Moral of the story: The mind cannot distinguish between the 'REAL', nor the 'UNREAL'...Sandrit is to me an earthen hero...I am honoured to be his heritege...
1Cor1:7 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty...
The cardboard piano player
What an inspiring story. My dad's a pianist - it's what he does for a living and has done for over fifty years. I'll tell him your grandfather's story of learning piano on cardboard. That's astonishing. Thank you. Phil
"Moral of the story: The
"Moral of the story: The mind cannot distinguish between the 'REAL', nor the 'UNREAL"Â
Very true. Â If we "believe" something to be real, it can have an immense effect on us. Â If we can see how so much of what we believe is fictional, it is like opening the cage and letting the bird out. Â There is great possibility (but also a loss of that sense of security).Â
Â
"People hardly ever make use of the freedom the have. For example, the freedom of thought. Instead they demand freedom of speech as a compensation." Soren Kierkegaard
Written
It was complied and lived (prooved by live and situation) during WWII and is summarized in his later book (which foolowed Stephen E. Ambrose' s Band Of Brothers and the HBO series of the same name).
I do quite often recommend the "Beyond band of brothers" book from Mjr. Winters, as it is in my opinion essential examples of leadership in quite complicated situations. Mainly then the summary chapter.
Being a musician myself I love the stroy about Sandrit' s grand dad and piano. It shows that if one really wants, just the sky is the limit.That is how amazing human mind is.Â
Jan
REPLIED
Comment and biblical quotes "sourced and written" by Stephanie ('Sandrit')
"Thank you :)...Although this isn't the 'book club', the final part of your last statement brought to mind two excellent volumes: 'Storms of Perfection' and 'Storms of Perfection Volume II', by Andy Andrews...
Ecclesiast. 1:9 That which has been [is] what will be, That which [is] done is what will be done, And [there is] nothing new under the sun.
1Cor1:7 But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty...
Cheers :)"
"::ESOTERIC DIAMONDS::",Designed&writtenbyStephanie('Sandrit')
http://sandrit69.blogspot.com/2008/07/what-purpose-is-there-to-struggles.html
i.e. Why do bad things happen to good people? Take a peek ;)