Analysis of Ike: Countdown to D-day - Movie Review Example

Ike: Countdown to D-day movie The 2004 movie, Ike: Countdown to D-day portrays a dramatic representation of the events leading up to the D-day, the Allied invasion of Normandy. The Operation Overlord was the most important event of the World War II that turned the tide towards the allied powers, ending the dominance of the Nazi rule in Europe. The film depicts a sense of stakes as well as tension that surrounded General Dwight Eisenhower, the Supreme Allied Commander, commonly known as the Ike. The movie revolves around the events, and the precarious dynamics that existed between the commanders, involved in the three months planning mission leading up to the invasion. It shows how Ike, as a commanding leader brilliantly orchestrated the D-day invasion, against all odds. His undertaking of the Operation Overlord and his effective leadership traits marked the success for D-day, the most crucial military maneuver in the world history. We shall analyze the movie and its main characters on the leadership perspective, basing the analysis on Kouzes & Posners practices of exemplary leadership, as well as six leadership principles of Sanborn. Kouzes & Posners practices of exemplary leadership According to the Kouzes & Posners practices of exemplary leadership, a leader has to model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart. “Leaders encourage others to continue the quest and inspire others through courage and hope. Leaders give heart by visibly recognizing others contributions to the common vision.” (Kouzes & Posner, 2004, p.272). Model the way Dwight D. Eisenhower was given the mission of directing the Allied forces, comprising of over 1 million troopers, towards liberating Europe from the Nazi’s control. Due to that responsibility, Eisenhower or Ike modeled the way, by aptly planning and executing all the D-day landings. He directed the Allied invasion forces in North Africa and Italy into the coast of France, which was the target area for the invasion. Getting ready millions of troops, thousands of ships and aircrafts to lead an invasion, is not a simple task. It definitely required an excellent planning and setting protocols or models. Ike was able to successfully assemble the needed force at the French coast by aptly dealing with diverse commanders, taking tough decisions, and importantly by formulating an effective model. Inspire a shared vision His distinct leadership characteristics, goal-focused decision-making and importantly his inspiring words allowed him to inspire all the soldiers and thereby made the vision of successful capture of Normandy a shared vision. That is, his inspiring words of encouragement were a boost to his subordinates, as he was keen in delivering the message to the subordinates and gaining their trust and confidence. Importantly, it also motivated them to achieve effective results. Challenge the process As a leader, Ike was left with various challenges, both internal and external, during the course of the invasion. He had to efficiently solve the internally arising conflicts between Generals, take advantage of the persistent opportunities and make decisions as quick as possible, because even a little delay might cause great loss of lives. It is not the uncommon leadership that sets Ike apart, but a valorous quality which was necessary in a situation like D-day. Enable others to act By assembling effective teams and also by motivating them, Ike enabled soldiers including non-combative soldiers to act in an efficient manner. For instance, during the D-day invasion, he had an excellent team of decipherers who delivered the Germans message to Eisenhower within two and a half hours, letting him take shrewd decisions in time. This dedicated collaboration, on the part of the subordinates, could not be possible without the right kind of enabling and encouragement from the leader. Encourage the heart This attitude of Ike is right in various aspects as it helped in bringing better coordination to the mission as well as collaboration among the team members., and the successful operations can be totally attributed to the extraordinary abilities of Ike, as a leader His motivational methods were beneficial in turning the troopers into effective performers. Six leadership principles of Sanborn People Although Ike had minimal battlefield command experience than the other generals, he had a strong ability of leadership particularly regarding people management, thereby fostering collaboration and holding the team together. This made a remarkable difference to the operation. The excellent people management skill of Eisenhower helped him tackle the prima donnas like George Patton, and Bernard Montgomery, who were difficult and controversial commanders to be handled. Ike managed both of them in his unique leadership style, balancing them with patience, support and even at times threat. Even though his relationship with Monty was hard, as a leader, he recognized his value to the mission and utilized them, putting aside his own feelings. Self-Mastery: Right from the time of his appointment to the establishment of forces at the beachhead in Normandy, he has to take the hardest task of organizing the forces to the invasion coast. He was able to accomplish that task due to self-mastery of the situation in hand, and by aptly coordinating with other commanders. Focus: Ike was keen in focusing on the challenges of the situation, analyzing it and then took decisions accordingly. Thus, his strong focus on the problems before or during the invasion aided him to take valuable decisions. For instance, his decision to choose Utah as the port for supplies, despite its opposition due to contours of the beach, was backed up with the airborne forces that secured Utah. This entire chain of decisions was focused on the mission’s challenges and prioritizing the needs. Giving: In the movie, it could be evident that the situation of D-day was a complex one and was needed to be dealt with extreme caution and hard decisions. For the purpose of accomplishing the mission, it required a flexible leadership that would be task-oriented, and on those lines, Ike gave strong inputs as well as physical efforts for the successful completion of tasks. Physical efforts in the sense, apart from traveling extensive distances for the mission, he also gave up his sleep, by sleeping for just few hours. Implementation: His planning and implementation of the mission had a task-oriented approach, as he keenly assembled the troops under multiple disciplines, dividing them across five beaches, appropriate choice of locations and organizing the landing invasion with cautious consideration of weather and other aspects. As a skilled leader, Ike handled the problem and implemented shrewd decisions in time, despite several disappointments and drawbacks. Communication: Despite all the hassles as well as the clashing egos of the Allied generals behind the planning of the D-day, Ike managed to lead the invasion to the successful end state due to strong communication skills. He effectively coordinated with his parallel officials and balanced the temperamental nature of the British, American and the French Generals accompanying him. As he mentions in the movie, to his Chief of Staff, “we are surrounded by some of the biggest swelled heads in the history, and my job is to keep them pulling together.” (Harmon & Chetwynd, 2004). What makes his abilities to stand above all, is his tactfulness and diplomacy in bringing all sides together to accomplish the greatest ever amphibious assault in the history. It is possible to get some keen insights into the leadership lessons that can be drawn from the battlefield incidents and Ike’s response to it. From the Ike’s style of leadership, one could learn that dealing with problems in a flexible situational leadership style would benefit in many ways for a successful endeavor. Also, one could get an idea of how hard decisions are taken by Ike with his choices always deeply contemplated and executed. In addition, his team effort, coordination and delegation of authorities make his leadership style to be a perfect example for dealing with diverse situations. References: Harmon, R & Chetwynd, L. (2004). “Ike: Countdown to D-Day” A&E Television Networks Columbia TriStar. Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Sanborn, M. (2006). You dont need a title to be a leader. Colorado Springs, CO: Water Book Press. Read More