Crisis Leadership: Using Military Lessons, Organizational Experiences, and the Power of Influence to Lessen the Impact of Chaos on the People You Lead

EPILOGUE

(From the Prologue)

… Patton’s Third Army did exactly as its leader had promised. His forces were primarily responsible for halting the German attack and also for relieving the encircled American forces at the strategically critical town of Bastogne. Patton achieved this difficult leadership feat (some of his peers had called it impossible) and successfully met this crisis because of carefully honed leadership skills in three areas: communication, clarity of vision and values, and caring.

Patton had few peers as a communicator. During the initial stages of his maneuvers he met face to face with his staff and his subordinate commanders and personally explained the situation and what he expected of them. Patton then visited his units both ...