Leadership Near a French Town
July 16, 2009One of my particular fascinations is organizational dynamics and how the leadership of different individuals impacts those dynamics. A large part of my fascination derives from seeing how my own attitudes have changed over the time. I find that my ideas have changed since I have been ultimately responsible for an organization and the well being of its people, rather than an ambitious engineer trying to make a mark. Or maybe I just got old. But I prefer to think of it as a more nuanced view of organizations and individual ambition and behavior.
A case in point is one of the stories that have been iconic to me over the years. The story takes place near a French town (Sedan) in May, 1940. It is the ninth month into WWII. A belligerent Germany faces the Allies in what appears to be a replay of the stalemate of WWI. In one of the great surprises of that war, the German army crosses the Ardennes Forest and appears outside of Sedan, France. In a brief but violent action, the German army crosses the Meuse River there and stands ready to break out across the flat plains of the French countryside.
The field commander of the German force is a charismatic individual by the name of Heinz Guderian. Having led his army through an impenetrable forest and then crossed a major river against heavy odds under fire, he has achieved victory. Though his men, and more importantly his armor and aircraft, need both reinforcement and rest, he is insistent that he continue his advance to the French coast at once.
His superior, Paul von Kleist, does not agree and orders him to halt so he can be reinforced and the gains consolidated. Guderian refuses to do as von Kleist commands and in a stunning move, resigns his command. The German high command now has a serious problem. The newspapers will create a sensation if the hero of the Sedan breakthrough resigns because of what will be seen as the excessive caution of the bureaucrats back at corporate headquarters. Adolf Hitler, himself, intervenes and mediates between Kleist and Guderian. Kleist has no ability to match the force of Guderian’s personality, and so Guderian gets his way and leads his army in a brilliant dash across the plains of France. Some 10 days later, he is on the English Channel. France is effectively split in half with her army immobilized. The English army is running for the beach at Dunkirk and virtually assured of destruction. Guderian has accomplished in a month what the entire German army had failed to do some 25 years earlier, despite spending 4 years and millions of lives in the attempt.
Having come up from the ranks and carrying the spirit of an entrepreneur, I admire the man on the spot who is willing to make decisions and stand behind them. Guderian risked his life on his decision. There is no question that he was committed. I suspect that the firing squad or a garrote would have been his fate had he resigned and not won his confrontation with his superiors. But he did prevail, as well as was proven right.
Yet, he did take a breathtaking risk for his country as well. The British and French armies outnumbered his force. They had more and better tanks. They had more and better aircraft. His force had been pushed hard in crossing forests, river and battle. They were at their logistical limits, while the Allies were fresh and had the advantage of shorter supply lines. It could have easily gone the other way with the German force cut off and destroyed.
Instead Guderian achieved success. His example has been followed since that time by the armies of the West. From Patton to Scwartzkopf to Franks, mechanized Western armies have followed the Blitzkrieg model pioneered by Guderian. But Guderian’s success in France did not lead to great fortune for him.
Guderian can be a cautionary tale indeed. Success by the bold believer comes at a price. Talent and the single-minded pursuit of personal validation that lead to success at one level can be fatal at a higher level within the organization. Guderian was on the fast track to the top, but he was heavily invested in being right. He won all of his battles, on the field and at the conference table, but lost his wars. His talent was lost to the organization and his potential was lost because it could not be tamed.
But do you want your organization to be committed to a risky course of action by your equivalent of Heinz Guderian? Let me tell you, that can be a scary thought when you wake up in the middle of the night. We need our people on the spot to take the initiative, to make the decisions that need to be made. But what about when they make a mistake or overstep their bounds and lead us over the edge?
Blog Archives
December 2009
My Gosh, I Agree with Ted Turner - 12/22/2009November 2009
Natural Gas Prices - 11/16/2009July 2009
Leadership Near a French Town - 07/16/2009Perversity Strikes Again - 07/10/2009
Of Mice and Windy Men - 07/10/2009
June 2009
Dead Cat Bounce - 06/15/2009Notes From Dubai - 06/15/2009
Value - 06/15/2009
Buffoons or High Priests - 06/15/2009
April 2009
Cold Harbor - 04/10/2009An Arrogant Crow - 04/07/2009