Image of Military Leadership: To Be or Not To Be a Hero

摘要

This monograph examines the advisability of purposefully cultivating a leadershipimage. Five historical case studies, Colonel Thomas E. Lawrence, General Douglas MacArthur, General George S. Patton, Jr., Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr., and General Curtis E. LeMay, are evaluated with respect to criteria denoting effective use of leadership images. These criteria are based on the heroic image of military leadership. This heroic image is divided into five constituent criteria labelled kinship, prescription, sanction, action, and example. The case studies are also evaluated based on relevant behavioral science theory and social science research. Based upon the analysis of the case studies, the monograph concludes that a cultivated image is not necessary to effective leadership, but can be a key element. This conclusion is drawn provisionally. Definitive answers await further research.