(Pictured Above: General George C. Marshall)
"There are few men whose qualities of mind and character have impressed me so deeply as those of General Marshall."- Winston Churchill
There are times in life when you have to make tough decisions. It may be that you know something is wrong, but you decide to not speak up because you are afraid of what may happen to you if you do. This happens a lot in the workplace. For example, your boss is making a mistake or doing very bad things, yet you don't speak up because you're afraid of losing your job. Which kind of person are you? The one who speaks up, or the one who looks the other way? Well, do not feel bad if you are the 2nd kind of person. Most people prefer to look away than to do the right thing.
It's tough being the kind of person who speaks up or stands up for what is right. However, when have good things ever came as result of taking the easy route? Doing the right thing is hard, but beneficial. There was one man who was never afraid to speak his mind. He would not shy away from giving his honest opinion to his superiors. As a result, this man would become one of the world's most respected leaders. You may not know of him because he never sought out recognition or fame, but his legacy lives on from the great acts of justice he committed. This man is none other than General George C. Marshall.
(Pictured Above Winston Churchill [Left] and General Marshall [Right])
For instance, Corey Wayne describes on his website how General Marshall was not afraid to stand up to his superiors: "as 1st Division's Assistant Chief of Staff of the Army during World War 1, General Marshall was put in charge of training and preparing U.S. troops in France for battle. Once he arrived to begin training, he was shocked at how severely unprepared the U.S. troops were. He felt the command back at headquarters was making it difficult to properly train his troops.
General John J. Pershing, who was the leader of the American Expeditionary Force, was under enormous pressure from the French to get American troops into battle and support them. When he came to inspect 1st Division's troops, he was frustrated at the slow progress and let his officers know of his frustration. However, General Marshall pushed back and told General Pershing that their progress had been inhibited by General Pershing's own command staff.
(Pictured above: General John J. Pershing [Left] and General Marshall [Right])
Everyone was surprised that an officer would speak out like that against General Pershing. Many believed General Marshall's career was over after that. To their surprise, General Pershing appreciated the feedback. He was impressed with General Marshall's ability to be open and honest with him. Not much later, he would promote General Marshall to headquarters as an aid. Eventually, in 1919, General Pershing would become U.S. Army Chief of Staff and guess who he would make his chief aid? You guessed correctly.
General Pershing wouldn't be the only superior that General Marshall would stand up to. During World War 2, General Marshall became an indispensable leader under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. President Roosevelt also praised General Marshall for his ability to speak his mind in a honest way serving as U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Later serving under President Harry S. Truman, he would also receive the same praise serving as Secretary of State.
(Pictured Above: President Harry S. Truman [Left] with General Marshall [Right])
So what's the lesson in leadership? Well, what we can learn from General Marshall is to simply not be afraid to stand up to your superiors. Just because a person is in a higher position than you, does not mean that they are incapable of making bad decisions. They are still human. They are not perfect because no one is. They may not even be aware of their mistakes. If you see something going on that is wrong, do something about it. Bring it up! Speak up! If you are acting with good intentions, than regardless of what happens you know you did the right thing. Nothing bad ever came from acting in an open and honest way. You may have heard the saying: "The truth will set you free," well that is because it is true!
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