George Washington, Essay Example

George Washington’s leadership qualities are admirable, as he was able to successfully lead the colonial troops against the British in the battles of Saratoga and Yorktown. He was able to accomplish these feats and become the first president of the United States as a direct consequence of his ability to motivate the American people. Furthermore, Washington’s leadership molded the United States into the country that it is today; one that promotes liberty and justice for all citizens. Because Washington recognized the importance of freedom, he ensured that the actions he took during his presidency mirrored this belief. As such, he enacted a transformational leadership style because he recognized that he would not be able to run this new country on his own (Eagly et al., 2003). Rather, he relied on the unique skills of other officials in addition to the American people as a whole to shape the law and governance of his new nation.

It is apparent that George Washington was an exemplary implementer of transformational leadership based on the qualities that he demonstrated both prior to and during his presidency (Friedman et al., 2000). Ultimately, it was clear that Washington was an expert in strategy, a skill that helped the colonists win the revolution. He used this ability to contribute to the development of the country as well, carefully considering how different actions taken by him and the American people would impact the country overall. While other government officials were able to contribute to Washington’s ideas, it appeared that Washington had ultimate responsibility over the decision. In a sense, some of his actions were characteristic of democratic leadership because he wanted the American people to have voice over some decisions. However, Washington needed to retain final authority to ensure that the developing country would remain strong.

Washington’s leadership is also highly exemplary of servant leadership because the actions he took as president did not serve to benefit him, but the American people as a whole (Bernard, 2000). Even when he made decisions as the final authority, he was sure to consult other professionals and determine how each action would impact the people in the country as a whole. Ultimately, since the United States was meant to be a democracy to serve the American people as a whole. Therefore, the role of the president is one of servitude, as the leader of the country is meant to reflect the wishes of the people. Washington worked hard to ensure that precedent would be set to ensure that future presidents would serve the country in the same manner. Specifically, he did so by promoting the individual rights held by the states so that citizens of the nation would have more local representation.

A combination of Washington’s transformational and servant leadership contributed to his ability to lead the country effectively during the first few years of his presidency. Washington’s knowledge of the Constitution came in part from the involvement he had in drafting the laws of the new nation in addition to his close relationship to the other founding fathers. As a consequence, he was able to have a constructive relationship with other members of the nation. As president of the United States, Washington focused on a policy of neutrality that would allow the nation to grow. Primary focus was on establishing treaties between Britain and the United States in order to prevent further conflict. However, this was not done alone. While Washington made the primary decision to establish a treaty with the British government, he did so as a consequence of the contributions of the other founding fathers and national officers. By doing so, he allowed the knowledge and experience of these individuals to grow in a manner that contributed these individuals efficacy in other realms of their government work.

By many, George Washington is considered to be one of the greatest leaders of all time. As such, he was a political phenomenon. While modern leadership is difficult in the government due to a division of opinions between party members, Washington showed that political opinion is not an important aspect of leadership. Rather, it is important to gain the respect of followers to ensure that all operations could be carried out smoothly. As such, Washington’s decisions were supported by a majority of American individuals, which allowed the country to establish itself. A first president that would have been unable to gain the respect of their people would have been ultimately ineffective for establishing a country. Therefore, Washington was adequately selected as a leader due to his ability to bring the American people together and support the leadership development of the other individuals in the nation. Despite his political ideals, he was able to bring the country together and support the implementation of the Constitution that is still used today. This demonstrates that the impacts of Washington’s leadership were long-lasting and one of the few reasons that the United States is a world power today. Ultimately, transformational and servant leadership lead contribute to efficacy of practice in the national government.

References

Bernard M. (2000). The Future of Leadership in Learning Organizations. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 7(3): 19-31.

Eagly, Alice H., Mary C. Johannesen-Schmidt, and Marloes L. Van Engen. (2003). Transformational, Transactional, and Laissez-Faire Leadership Styles: A Meta-Analysis Comparing Women and Men. Psychological Bulletin, 129(4): 569-91.

Friedman, Hershey H., Langbert,M. (2000). Abraham as a Transformational Leader. Journal of Leadership Studies7(2): 88-95.