It Doesn't Take a Hero
It Doesn’t Take a Hero
Senior Seminar in Management
Professor Jeffrey Cothman
February 21, 2008
It Doesn’t Take a Hero
In this book titled “It Doesn’t Take a Hero” (H. Norman Schwarzkopf), General H. Norman Schwarzkopf reveals his remarkable life and career. He begins his autobiography by describing his childhood and how he eventually became a leader in the U.S. Army. This type of autobiography demonstrates how a leader is developed and what is needed in order to succeed in a career as well as how to lead a life by following a motto instated by his past leaders and followers. The autobiography goes through some background and detailed first hand experiences that makes a leader think twice of why he in the situation he is in. With the prestige of having good traits, comes triumph and success. There are sacrifices that come with the leading role and one must improvise, adapt, and overcome these situations. Situations that only come with the experience of becoming a well founded leader. “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”(Schwarzkopf, 1992)
At a very early age his father was a well known and respected leader of the armed forces and the New Jersey police department. His father taught him values and how to conduct himself while growing up, and made him aware that in his absence he was the man of the house. He knew that if he made the wrong move or did a mistake, he would have to answer to his father. He handed him responsibility and he knew that it was a big obligation to fulfill. He was very honored and overwhelmed, but he knew that his father was counting on him to hold down the fort. There were times when curiosity got the best of him and just like any young boy he tried new things to see what would occur. He would receive old medals from his father if he were to behave, and many times he knew that his mother would be very forgiving and not turn him in when things went wrong. There
Senior Seminar in Management
Professor Jeffrey Cothman
February 21, 2008
It Doesn’t Take a Hero
In this book titled “It Doesn’t Take a Hero” (H. Norman Schwarzkopf), General H. Norman Schwarzkopf reveals his remarkable life and career. He begins his autobiography by describing his childhood and how he eventually became a leader in the U.S. Army. This type of autobiography demonstrates how a leader is developed and what is needed in order to succeed in a career as well as how to lead a life by following a motto instated by his past leaders and followers. The autobiography goes through some background and detailed first hand experiences that makes a leader think twice of why he in the situation he is in. With the prestige of having good traits, comes triumph and success. There are sacrifices that come with the leading role and one must improvise, adapt, and overcome these situations. Situations that only come with the experience of becoming a well founded leader. “It doesn’t take a hero to order men into battle. It takes a hero to be one of those men who goes into battle.”(Schwarzkopf, 1992)
At a very early age his father was a well known and respected leader of the armed forces and the New Jersey police department. His father taught him values and how to conduct himself while growing up, and made him aware that in his absence he was the man of the house. He knew that if he made the wrong move or did a mistake, he would have to answer to his father. He handed him responsibility and he knew that it was a big obligation to fulfill. He was very honored and overwhelmed, but he knew that his father was counting on him to hold down the fort. There were times when curiosity got the best of him and just like any young boy he tried new things to see what would occur. He would receive old medals from his father if he were to behave, and many times he knew that his mother would be very forgiving and not turn him in when things went wrong. There