General H. Norman Schwarzkopf died yesterday. He was perhaps best known for commanding the coalition of troops from some 30 countries in Desert Storm that successfully drove the Iraqis from Kuwait.
I went to the pentagon while selling our software to the military and met this huge bear of a man along with another General by the name of General Ross who was perhaps 5’ 8” tall and wiry.
General Schwarzkopf’s nickname was “Stormin’ Norman” and he earned a reputation for having a legendary temper and a no-nonsense approach to subordinates. His and General Ross’s approach to commanding troops was as opposite as their appearance. Stormin’ Norman was… well… stormy… and in fact one could hear this big bull screaming and cursing at subordinates all of the way down the hall. General Ross on the other hand was a quiet, dignified man, and I was told by one of his long time aides that they’d never heard him so much as raise his voice and he never cursed.
General Schwarzkopf could strike fear into the hearts of brave men by just looking at them and he ruled with an iron fist. General Ross was just as effective in his approach. I spent significant time with him and can tell you that when he spoke I listened and so did everyone else in the room. I’m an alpha dog and generally am not intimidated by anyone, but I was in awe of this man and I never said “Yes sir” and “No sir” so much since I was a child as when I was with him.
In the military they call what General Ross has “Command Presence”. Everyone innately knows he is in charge and they are ready and willing to do his bidding and take a bullet for him if necessary. General Ross was a four star general and that is an extremely powerful position that can make or break military careers, but that is not why folks tried so hard to follow his orders. “Command presence” is not driven by “Fear”, rather by “Respect”.
General Ross had the respect of his subordinates and they wanted to do his bidding. General Schwarzkopf scared the crap out of everyone to the point that they knew they BETTER do his bidding…gulp…or else!
They were both greatly effective at what they did. General Ross was in charge of the extremely complex logistics of getting all of the hundreds of millions of tons of supplies to the battle zone on time and he told me he had over 1000 ships going and coming at any given time. He did not grab the headlines but he was brilliant and performed an extraordinary feat that was greatly admired throughout the military. General Schwarzkopf was the battlefield guy and was leading the charge on the front lines and did the same. He was legendary.
So which approach was best? They both were extremely effective, but totally opposite.
I suppose I followed the Schwarzkopf model more often than not during my career; however through the years I’ve mellowed and moved toward the Ross standard. I much prefer the Ross approach, but that old “dark side” still resides inside me and sometimes rears its ugly head and displays an ugly temper. I wish I could be just like General Ross in my approach to management.
Someone wisely observed that you can make someone do something or you can make them want to do it; both get the job done. I much prefer the latter. No stress, no hard feelings, no breaking the spirits of good men and women…
The Bible states that “The fear of the LORD is beginning of wisdom”. I believe that fear in this proverb refers to “Command presence” or respect, awe, and reverence of almighty God who has the power over life, death, and eternity.
I hope you fear the Lord; I know I do. He came to save sinners and I’m one of them. I appreciate what He did for me and WANT to follow Him. He will not MAKE me follow Him and He didn’t create robots to do His bidding. God is fearsome, but He is also love. Use your free will wisely to choose to follow Jesus and not the world. – Selah – Think about it…
Have a great weekend and go to church this Sunday!
Rev. 19:12
His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.