William Mitchell William Over the Years, Different

William Mitchell

William

Over the years, different types of leadership styles have been continually examined to determine the best approaches for working with others and motivating everyone to do more. For future generations, these attributes help them to decide how and when to reach out to stakeholders. In the case William (Billy) Mitchell, he is the classic example of embracing these attributes. To fully understand which characteristics he exhibited requires examining his leadership style and how this can be utilized in contemporary society. Together, these elements will illustrate the best approach for motivating others and building a sense of vision / loyalty within the group. (Cooke, 2002) (Mastromichalis, 1986)

Billy Mitchell's Leadership Style

Billy Mitchell was known as a competent leader who was able to incorporate attributes which helped him to work with his supervisors and subordinates. These areas enabled him to transform the mindset of the army at the beginning of the 20th century. This was time when the U.S. military was shifting to mechanized warfare utilizing various technological advancements. The leadership that he provided offered a sense of direction and encouraged others to follow him. (Cooke, 2002) (Mastromichalis, 1986)

A few of them most notable improvements Mitchell was responsible for include: building telegraph lines in Alaska and implementing the air power doctrine. Aviation was the area where he had his biggest impact. Early on, he realized the importance of aircraft in improving the army's ability to observe troop movements and attack enemy formations. During World War I, he was responsible for taking these concepts to another level by learning technical skills from the British and French. Then, he improved upon them to enhance American military strategy. The result was a complete transformation with the army implementing these ideas as part of their Air Corps doctrine. (Cooke, 2002) (Mastromichalis, 1986)

After the war, he expanded upon these concepts and began to demonstrate how airpower could be used to attack naval vessels and to launch operations from sea against land targets. However, he enraged the general staff who felt that his tactics were unorthodox and they refused to follow his ideas. This occurred with him calling for a separate branch of the military called the air force. They would have the responsibility for conducting operations in the sky. The basic idea is that anyone who controlled the air was able to influence the outcome of events on the ground. After years of frustration and facing the possibility of censure / suspension for his opinions (via a court martial) he resigned. Until his death in 1936, Mitchell continued to argue how air power was the most important aspect in deciding future wars. (Cooke, 2002) (Mastromichalis, 1986)

In this case, Mitchell demonstrated classic leadership techniques through his understanding and application of technical ideas. This occurred with him seeing how new technology changed the nature of warfare and the lasting effects it had on everyone. At the same time, he motivated superiors to embrace his ideas by never wavering from his position. While his subordinates, were influenced to follow these examples and continued to build off the foundation he established. (Cooke, 2002) (Mastromichalis, 1986)

During World War II, Mitchell was vindicated with the Germans and the Japanese using airpower to dominate their enemies on the ground. During the war, the U.S. military utilized his ideas to effectively engage the enemy and has embraced his philosophy ever since. As a result, America has continued to maintain significant amounts of air and space power to ensure its superiority over other nations. (Cooke, 2002) (Mastromichalis, 1986)

In this case, I am incorporating many of the same leadership styles as Mitchell. The most notable include: technical expertise, vision, discipline and loyalty to my supervisors / subordinates. The combination of these factors helped me to work with others and understand how to evolve with various challenges I face. The result is I have become someone who is good at setting the example for others to follow and can effectively embrace those ideals which enable me to be seen as a valuable member of any team. This has allowed me to maintain strong relationships with those I interact with regularly.

To improve my effectiveness, I plan on implementing transformational ideas as part of my style. This is when I will listen to what others have to say and implement them into the basic strategy for team. During this process, I will help them to feel as if their ideas matter and will welcome their input in decision making strategies. This will encourage others to effectively communicate with me and identify areas the organization could be overlooking. Over the course of time, this will enhance my relationship with other stakeholders and build an effective approach for addressing them in the longer term. (Bass, 2006)