A Good Plan Violently Executed Now Is Better Than A Perfect Plan Executed

Robert E. Lee once said of leadership, “I cannot trust a man to control others who cannot control himself” (Jones, 1875). This is an instance where I believe that even though this idea or thought was mentioned many years ago, it still has relevance today. I do not have an exact date of that quote, but with General Lee fighting in the Civil War, I would imagine it came somewhere in the mid-1800’s (The book it is found in was published after his death). Our current military leaders need to listen to advice like this quote, get out and know the people they put in charge so they are better able to make decisions on who should and should not actually be leading.

“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on”.

“The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on.” -Ulysses S. Grant

“A good plan violently executed right now is far better than a perfect plan executed next week,” George Smith Patton, Jr.(Google, Patton)

Military generals know this as they stress morale in their soldiers. Generals know that if they don’t encourage their soldiers they will lose hope in their cause and lose hope in battle.

The Battle of Chancellorsville is an illustration that the perfect battle plan with a superior number of forces will not always prevail. General Lee’s forces were out numbered and initially out maneuvered, but because of General Lee’s quick decision-making and leadership, he was able to take advantage of General Hooker’s hesitation. Also helping General Lee get his perfect victory was the fact that his forces were fighting to protect their homes and their family from an invading force. I think that this should be in any leader’s mind when they plan to go to battle. What are they going to battle for and what are their enemies fight for? I believe that this is one reason why the people of Afghanistan have never been conquered and why the

On March 7, 2014, I was assigned to Housing Unit #1 as an A/B Escort Officer. At approximately 4:02 p.m., Officer Jeremy Crites requested that Sergeant Justin Gordon report to cell 1-B21, which housed Inmate Cohen, because he heard a loud banging noise coming from the cell. Sergeant Gordon ordered Officer Durst and I to accompany him to the cell. After reaching the cell, Sergeant Gordon gave Inmate Cohen direct orders to uncover the window. Inmate Cohen failed to comply and the banging noise inside of the cell continued. Sergeant Gordon then radioed the control center and requested that the cell door be opened.

Patton knew in 1939 that the war in Europe was his destiny. The General understood what he faced in leaving for war. This is stressed in a entry of his journal which reads, “This is my last night in America. It may be for years and it may be forever.”6

As a primary tenet of Mission Command, understanding allows the field commander to assess what is happening on the battlefield and make rapid decisions on the best way to carry out the commander’s intent. Without clear and concise guidance on objectives, opportunities to exploit advantages as they arose were lost and significant time was wasted reorienting forces to adhere to guidance that was not current based on conditions. Both General’s Eisenhower and Alexander failed to identify the objectives and

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results - by George S. Patton

I believe that being technically and tactically proficient is the best leadership principle against irregular threats because the experience within your job, your experience within the military, and the extreme training cycle for any threat.

Military leaders often study their enemies’ past or the location in which they operate to better understand what they are up against and what will make them successful. LTC Hal Moore studied his enemy extensively before taking part in the Battle of Ia Drang in Viet Nam, 1965. This was the “first major engagement of the war between regular U.S. and North Vietnamese forces.” Had he not known his enemy’s tactics, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 7th Cavalry would’ve been crushed by the North Vietnamese troops. Today, events called staff rides have become commonplace in the United States military. Officers study different aspects of a particular battle and visit the site, each taking turns briefing their part so all may visualize and fully understand the entire

"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity" General George Patton once stated. Reading over this quote, my mind pounders on what this man meant by this. What was he trying to convey to the world? From my view I believe Mr. Patton is insinuating that the human mind can surprise you with its creativity and insight, but it can only be ignited by involving people in decision making. Having people participate instead of being ordered can change someone’s whole outlook on the subject at hand and open them up to infinite possibilities.

Military leaders make decisions and solve problems every day. Some need a decision quickly while others can take time. The US Army has several decision-making methods to assist leaders. The Army Problem Solving Model (Process) is a systematic approach to identifying the best possible solution to an issue or problem and a deliberate method of decision-making. (FM 6-0, 2009) Leaders use it to solve a problem when time is not critical and they can put some thought into different solutions. The solution must be objective and based on facts in order for the decision to be relevant and practical. The Rapid Decision Making and Synchronization Process is a decision-making and synchronization technique typically used during the execution

The definition of sound judgment is the capacity to assess situations or circumstances shrewdly and to draw sound conclusions (Definitions.net). Sound judgment enables the best decision for the situation at hand. It is a key attribute of the transformation of knowledge into understanding and quality execution (ADP 6-22, August 2012). For me having sound judgment is been able to sort the important thing from the trivial ones. Been a leader put you in the position of making judgment calls that affects others for example, the time you want the Soldiers to form up to the recommendation of a possible career ending Article 15. I try all the time to be fair and impartial when analyzing a situation and make a judgment call that will lead to the decisions that affect my troops and myself. Leaders are remember for their judgment calls, the best ones or bad ones. For example everybody remembers President Truman for his decision of dropping the atomic bombs or President Clinton for the Monica Lewinsky fiasco, these leaders made judgment calls bad or good ones and they are remember for them. I have make good judgment calls and bad ones too. A good leader recovers quickly after learning a decision was incorrect. Good judgment on a consistent basis is important for successful Army leaders and much of it comes from