I recently visited the World War II Museum in New Orleans, and it immediately ascended to the top of my museum rankings for most impactful, education, and emotionally moving. I could spend three full days soaking up the exhibits featuring videos, artifacts, audio, and text spanning the full breadth of the global conflict.
I only had four hours so I had to pick and choose my spots and spent a good amount of time in "The D-Day Invasion of Normandy" exhibit. Here are some learnings, reflections, and applications below.
Operation Overlord required an immense scope of secrecy/misdirection, planning, courage, and execution. Beyond the somewhat controllable factors that could be influenced, the Allied forces faced Hitler's vaunted Atlantic wall, and they faced tough weather decisions regarding when to launch the attack. Visibility concerns, avoiding choppy seas, and tide predictions were critical for success.
Winston Churchill called Overlord "the most difficult and complicated operation that has ever taken place." Just imagine trying to coordinate 11,000 aircraft, 6,000 naval vessels, and 2 million soldiers, sailors, and airmen from 15 countries. That was the task thrust upon General Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Here's a quote from Eisenhower (showcased in the exhibit):
"When pressure mounts and strain increases everyone begins to show the weaknesses in his makeup. It is up to the Commander to conceal his: above all to conceal doubt, fear, and distrust."
A few minutes later in the exhibit, I ran across the following quote from Sgt. John Ellery, 16th Infantry Regiment, U.S. 1st Division:
"When you talk about combat leadership under fire on the beach at Normandy, I don't see how the credit can go to anyone other than the company-grade officers and senior NCOs who led the way. It's good to be reminded that there are such men, that there always have been, and always will be. We sometimes forget, I think, that you can manufacture weapons, and you can purchase ammunition, but you can't buy valor and you can't pull heroes off an assembly line."
When put together, the two quotes smacked me in the face with a leadership lesson. General Eisenhower exhibited calm under extreme duress. He worked with his subordinates to assemble, organize, and execute an unfathomable attack. He led the way and modeled proper leadership behaviors for his team and sub-teams. Those leaders under his umbrella, in turn, modeled the behaviors, and down the chain of command it went.
99.99999% of us will never have to lead something as complex and historically impactful as Operation Overlord, and almost all of us will never be called upon to exhibit the bravery of those that stepped off Higgins boats onto the shore of Omaha Beach to face near certain death. That said, we all have a sphere of leadership influence: family/children, colleagues, youth sports teams, non-profits, political organizations, churches, social justice causes, and other such noble pursuits. If we model positive mental attitudes, belief in the mission, and trusting our teammates, we invariably launch towards good outcomes. True self-belief and authentic belief in overall organizational and team objectives is a must in today's competitive landscape. If you can't find that in your current situation, earnestly seek it out within and seek resources to get there mentally, spiritually, and physically. Don't be afraid to ask for help. Last, we can't be afraid of change and taking bold steps towards healthier and better suited organizational settings for ourselves and those we influence and lead.
We can all learn a thing or two from General Eisenhower and the senior NCOs who led the way in Normandy. If you haven't visited the World War II Museum, put it on your bucket list! I'd like to thank my leadership team that made my visit a reality.
No comments:
Post a Comment