[CHAPTER III]
The Principles of Leadership
Our object in this chapter is to get at the practical elements of leadership; to find out what leadership requires in one's own personal qualities and in the methods of dealing with men. In doing this the first consideration is to understand the object of leadership. To get a clear conception of the object of an undertaking should always be the first step in its execution, for men work to better advantage and leaders lead to better advantage, when the object of their efforts is clearly defined in their minds. One would think that the Allies had been fighting the war to the best of their ability; yet recall the tremendous impetus given their efforts, when, in answer to the President's question, they had clearly defined their object in fighting.
The Object of Leadership then is so to handle one's men as to build up and maintain a high spirit of discipline and morale, of individual initiative, of loyalty and of teamwork; and so to direct this spirit as to win the highest efficiency for the accomplishment of the purpose in view. In short its object is to develop the psychological elements of the machine of organization, and thus increase its efficiency by doubling its manpower. So the object of every step in this discussion, the psychologic object of every step in leadership, is to secure better discipline and morale, more intelligent initiative, keener loyalty and better teamwork. The student must keep these objects ever in mind in both study and practice, as furnishing a purpose or guide in all that is said or done. The accomplishment of these objects is a constant inspiration to a good leader; by his comments and criticisms during the progress of the work, by his every act in administration, he seeks to build up morale and initiative and all these essential qualities in the characters of his men.
As to the Personal Qualities required in the leader, we only ask that each man use intelligently the ones that he has. It is not intended to enumerate all the high qualities of the great leaders of history, and then expect the reader to adopt them as his own. None of us begin to have all of these qualities, or any of them in perfection. But all of us do have some sense of justice and fairness, are possessed of a degree of manliness and self-control, and can use our judgment and will power. The point is to learn the value of our various qualities, and to cultivate them by intelligent use. We are all human—let us admit it and act accordingly. And that would be a very good first step toward success in leadership, for there is no other one thing so often heard of a good leader from the sincere lips of his admiring men as that "he is a real human being." An appreciation of the meaning of that fact alone should serve as an inspiration and an excellent guide.
Many men of but mediocre ability have successfully carried through one big job after another simply because they had the faculty for inspiring the loyalty, initiative and best endeavors of their subordinates. Many others of stronger character and higher mental attainments have failed to do so because they failed to inspire, and even antagonized, their subordinates. And while this seeming lack of tact may have been due to natural deficiency, in nine cases out of ten it was due to the fact that they had accepted as their guide some old-time rule about how to enforce discipline, or else that they had never given thought to the subject of handling men and realized its importance. It is not difficult to learn how to avoid their mistakes, and to acquire the art of those who know how to inspire the enthusiastic efforts of others.
It is understood then that we are not discussing the high qualities of the superman, or striving to attain to the leadership of a Lincoln. It must also be understood that not all these points will apply to any one case of leadership, in which many of them might be unreasonable. But all are based on the same philosophy of human control, and are consistent with the modern spirit of individualism which has become a prime consideration. So as you read something that may strike you as unreasonable in the case you have in mind, give it fair consideration as applicable to certain cases, and weigh it as a means of adding to your comprehension of the true spirit of leadership. You cannot know too much about this in the general case. The broader your knowledge and the better defined your individual opinions, the better judgment you will be able to bring to your particular problems. You are the big factor. In the end it is going to be what you believe and think and feel that is going to make you successful or not. You will never win by following any abstract rules you do not yourself feel and live by.
Qualifying for Leadership.—Any man of native character may fit himself to lead successfully. Hundreds of thousands of young Americans thus fitted themselves in the late war to lead their fellows as officers, commissioned and non-commissioned. Many had had no previous experience of command to guide them, had never given a direction even to a servant. Yet by application they rapidly learned how to handle themselves more or less successfully as leaders and their men as loyal followers. No one expects perfection. All history records but one Leader without fault. It is impracticable to follow rules or to assume qualities that are not natural. The thing to do is to realize that leadership may be developed, to absorb its ordinary fundamentals into your system, and to study yourself as applying them to the problems of your position.