Ya Sure…George S. Patton Was a Make-You-Happy Leader

by Keith Lee

Managers in the Make-You-Happy Management System are coaches, cheerleaders, facilitators, and nurturers of champions, rather than cops, referees, and nay-sayers.

This leadership principle is from the magazine “Armchair General” available from Armchair General, LLC 386-246-3456.  Let’s learn about management from Old Blood & Guts, George S. Patton, America’s greatest World War II battle commander.

General George S. Patton Jr. studied – and practiced – leadership all his life.  What “Old Blood & Guts” left behind is a priceless leadership legacy containing a wealth of material for today’s military and business executives.

Providing “Mission-Type” Orders

An organization benefits from both the individual and collective intelligence and experience of its members.  Too often, leaders attempt to provide a solution without tapping into the wisdom and abilities of those in the command structure.  Patton’s rapid, slashing, war of maneuver campaigns in World War II were propelled by issuing “mission-type” orders – assigning broad objectives and letting subordinates work out the details.

He advised, “Never tell people how to do things.  Tell them what to do and they will astonish you with their ingenuity.”

The Make-You-Happy Management System was created out of my frustration in having no time for myself, no time to work on the important things in my business because I was babysitting employees and making every King Solomon decision in the company.

In order to alleviate this you need to issue “mission-type” orders:  Assign broad objectives and let subordinates work out the details.  You’ll be amazed at the results and the freedom you achieve.

Demand Discipline

Discipline is the bedrock characteristic of any successful military unit or corporation.  Commanders and executives who want to win must teach it to subordinates and then demand that they act accordingly.  The fiery and headstrong Patton may have suffered lapses in regulating his own behavior from time to time, but he always understood that the controlled actions of his units remained the key to battlefield success.  “You cannot be disciplined in great things and undisciplined in small things,” said Patton.  “There is only one sort of discipline – perfect discipline.”

As this article suggests Patton may have suffered lapses in his own behavior in this regard, but we can still learn from this principle.

While I’m not suggesting peeling potatoes or forcing your Team to run miles when they don’t perform, I think that it is absolutely imperative that your Team understands your core beliefs and they understand that those core beliefs are unwavering.

Here’s an example.  Everyone in our company understands that the minimum level of Customer Service that is acceptable is “truly appreciative service.”  And while we may fail at this at times in the eyes of our Client, everyone understands that indifferent, or heaven forbid anything approaching rude service means immediate termination of employment.

Another example is seen in our company values.  Again, everyone understands that one of our values is, “We will do nothing illegal or unethical.”  If someone decides to consciously do something illegal or unethical they will be dismissed.

Take Timely Action

Perhaps because they fear failure, commanders and business leaders often become timid in their decision making, delaying final orders until the plan in “perfect.”  Patton, however, recognized that seizing the unforgiving moment is vastly more important to success than postponing an action until the ideal plan is devised – too late to produce positive results.  Remember Patton’s admonition, “A good plan executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

One of the basic tenants of Make-You-Happy Management is empowering your Team to make decisions.  You’ll obviously want to give some guidelines concerning those decisions, but as you and your Team understands the system and each other, those guidelines can be very broad.

For instance, while using our L.E.A.R system to take care of upset Customers, after finding out what the Customer wants to make them happy, the guideline for our front line Team member is unless it’s NUTS, do it!”

Instill Self-Confidence

Self-confidence on the battlefield of in the boardroom is crucial for success.  Patton created within his Third US Army a tradition of winning and a corresponding leadership climate that let his Soldiers know they were second to none.  The proudly exclaimed, oft-heard cry of the Third Army Vets, “I fought with Patton!” testifies to his ability to encourage and instill faith in oneself.  Patton wrote, “The most vital quality a Soldier can possess is self-confidence; utter complete and bumptious.”

When you empower your Team to make decisions and take care of Customers, they will have the confidence they need to create Happy Customers.

But what happens when your Team Member makes a bad decision?  In the Make-You-Happy Management System the first thing to do is look at your systems to make sure they are not getting in the way of making a better decision.

Once you find the system is OK, then you need to RETRAIN and not beat up the Team Member.  The first thing you need to do is thank the Team Member for making a decision.  Then and only then, discuss how a better decision might have been achieved.

Motivate Subordinates to Excel

The notion that Patton merely drove his men to excel through fear and intimidation is a gross misinterpretation of both his motives and his methods.  Few contemporaries understood as well as Patton how to motivate and get the most out of the American Soldiers.  His leadership philosophy regarding this point is best summed up in his characteristically blunt saying, “We herd sheep, we drive cattle, we lead people.  Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.”

Remember, managers in the Make-You-Happy Management System are coaches, facilitators, cheerleaders, and nurturers of Champions; not cops, referees or nay-sayers.

L’audace, L’audace, Toujours L’audace!

Finding and adhering to a core belief, as Patton certainly did, will help guide leaders both professionally and personally.  One of Patton’s favorite French sayings, ” L’audace, l’audace, toujours l’audace!” translates to “audacity, audacity, always – audacity!”  Both military and business leaders would be well-advised to follow Patton’s guidance and never fear to act promptly and decisively on reasoned, calculated risks.

The Make-You-Happy Management System starts with your Company Vision which is the combination of your values and Beliefs.  Whatever those Values and Beliefs are it is critical that they are strong enough to carry you through tough decisions.  Often, when I have a hard time with a decision that answer is clear when I review our Company Vision.