General James Mattis Leadership

General James Mattis is one of the prominent military leaders and highly successful in his 40 years of service. This paper examines how General Mattis’ utilized strategies, styles, behaviors, and qualities that are comparable to those of past Maverick leaders. The analysis also demonstrates how General James Mattis adapted these strategies, styles, behaviors, and qualities to work in the contemporary operating environment. As part of this analysis, a discussion of the moral and ethical compass of General James Mattis is also included. As shown in the paper, the strategies utilized by Mattis include intellectual risk-taking and people-centered approach in commanding troops whereas the styles include combative approach and strategic thinking. On the other hand, General Mattis’ behaviors include extreme aggressiveness and interaction with subordinates while his qualities include intellectualism, positive attitude, and courage.

General James Mattis is recognized as one of the accomplished generals and military leaders because of his achievements. The height of General James Mattis accomplishments in the military was when he was named the 11th Commander of the U.S. Central Command. This was a significant achievement since individuals selected to serve in this role must exhibit exemplary leadership abilities and years of experience in service. While he has since retired and become the new U.S. Secretary of Defense, General James Mattis’ success in the military is attributable to the various strategies, qualities, styles, and behaviors he employed. General Mattis employed the strategies, behaviors, styles and qualities of past Maverick Leaders to become a risk taker and extremely aggressive commander. The purpose of this paper is to compare how Mattis’ employed and utilized qualities, strategies, qualities, and behaviors to Maverick leaders of the past.

General James Mattis’ became a risk taker and extremely aggressive commander following the strategies he employed on an off the battlefield. The strategies he utilized, which are comparable to those utilized by Mavericks of the past include…
Intellectual risk-taking

One of the key strategies utilized by General Mattis is intellectual risk-taking, which was crucial for navigate the operational environment. General James Mattis would consistently challenge his troops to take risks through careful and intellectual analysis of the operational environment. His use of intellectual risk-taking is evident in how he led his troops in Afghanistan and Iraq (Szoldra, 2016). For instance, in the war in Iraq, Mattis insisted on the importance of the U.S troops in these expanses using less force unless necessary even though the United States invaded Iraq to deal with insurgents and terrorists. This was based on the understanding that not all individuals in this country were terrorists and it was imperative for troops to comprehend that. As a result, he managed to suppress a key al-Qaida strategy of sowing seeds of disaffection amongst the population against the invading forces.

Secondly, Mattis also pointed out the significance of the troops being susceptible temporarily in order to develop connections with the local people so as to be able to promote security for the long haul both in Afghanistan and Iraq (Szoldra, 2016). In this regard, General James Mattis adapted the David Petraeus strategy of seeking the support and backing of civilians to promote long-term security. David Petraeus is a renowned general and former director of the CIA who employed an adaptive and affirmative leadership style that was civilian-focused.

The use of a civilian-focused approach also demonstrated General Mattis’ ethical and moral compass in the battlefield. For example, Mattis’ ethical and moral compass can be gleaned from the infamous letter that he penned for American troops under his command as they were entering Iraq. In the inspirational piece, Mattis denounces Saddam’s oppressive tendencies against his own people. He tells his men not to hurt the innocent and strongly advises that apart from those who resist, all others ought to be treated with decency. Mattis also comes across as compassionate – he once assumed a Major’s duty during the Christmas festive season so as to enable the major to go have time with his family.

The second strategy utilized by General Mattis is taking a people-centered approach whilst commanding a troop that involved motivating his troops and regular visits and support of troops when they make mistakes. As part of his people-centered approach, Mattis would constantly motivate his subordinates and battalion while in the battlefield and would constantly coach them to work harder. In this regard, General Mattis adapted the participative leadership style of George S. Patton, a World War II general, to fit contemporary wartime scenarios, where the morale of serving soldiers is of significant relevance.

Secondly, General Mattis would conduct regular visitation of troops and backing them up and supporting them when they make mistakes. General Mattis constantly stressed the mistakes made by his subordinates as learning opportunities. This not only led to him gaining their trust, but at the same time enabled them to learn from their mistakes rather than incessantly punishing them. Mattis told his subordinates that what they needed was to concentrate on their job and not let mistakes wear them down (Szoldra, 2014). Through this process, General Mattis adapted the aggressive and swift decision making mode of Robert E. Lee (Bonekemper, 1999). For instance, in 2004, during the Iraqi war, Mattis is said to have taken only 30 seconds to decide on whether or not to shell a suspected enemy structure.

Apart from employing some key strategies on and off the battlefield, General James Mattis’ rise to become a prominent military leader through a four-decade long career was also influenced by the leadership style/approach he utilized as follows…
Combative Approach On and Off the Battlefield

As a general of the army, Mattis would seriously frighten and worry US enemies. He was an opinionated leader who was not afraid to say it like it is (Szoldra, 2016). As an opinionated leader who was not afraid to say like it is, General Mattis utilized a similar style to George S. Patton who was known to be blunt. As outlined by Thompson (2016), during the course of his career part of Mattis’ appeal was his inclination to offer is straightforward, and at times, imprudent, opinions. Since his days in the U.S Marines up until the present day, James Mattis is loved and revered by his subordinates in the marines, who hold in the highest regard not only for his preparedness to bear hardship but also his sharp sense of humor: “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to ill everybody you meet” (Thompson, 2016).

Moreover, Mattis states that he enjoyed brawling and considered shooting people to be a lot of fun. General Mattis was renowned as the “Mad Dog” because of his combative approach on and off the battlefield. He is compared to General George S. Patton who is a military general renowned for his tactical brilliance, profane language, and merciless style in the battlefield (Filkins, 2017). For example, when General Mattis met with local leaders early in the Iraq War, he told them, “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: if you fuck with me, I will kill you all” (Filkins, 2017).

General James Mattis would constantly engage in deep thinking on and off the battlefield. One of the key aspects encompasses his ability to comprehend the significance of perceiving the contemporary through the lens of the past. In addition, Mattis insists on the importance of reading, which enables one to learn or see things through the experiences of others (Carl, 2016). Mattis points out that owing to his avid level of reading; he has been able to avoid being caught flat-footed by any circumstances he faced. Despite the fact that reading does not have all the answers, it provides light in a dark path (Russell, 2013).

Through deep thinking, Mattis emulated the style of Sun Tzu who is one of the renowned military generals in China and a philosopher. As an outstanding military strategist, Sun Tzu is recognized for writing the Art of War. One of the key strategic lessons and tactics outlined by Sun Tzu was that the general who is successful in the battles makes numerous calculations in his temple prior to the battle whereas the one who is unsuccessful undertakes minimal calculations. Sun Tzu was well known for preparing in advance through the generation of well-established plans and the consideration of a range of tactical combinations that facilitated his success (Brim, 2013). Through adopting Sun Tzu strategy of deep calculations, General Mattis was quick and composed regardless of task at hand because he would develop well-established plans prior to the task or battle.

One of the most critical components towards the success of a military leader in providing leadership and direction to his troops is use of suitable behaviors. Without demonstrating appropriate behaviors in the battlefield, it is relatively difficult for a military leader to become successful when navigating the strategic and operational environment. In this regard, General James Mattis displayed some behaviors that contributed to successfully navigation of the various operational environments he was placed in. Some of these behaviors that are comparable to those of Maverick leaders of the past include…

Throughout his four-decade long career, General Mattis is known to behave in an extremely aggressive manner. Not only would he be a source of inspiration to his troops, but at the same time intimidated them. Mattis extremely aggressive behavior was similar to that of Stanley McChrystal through the later had egoistic tendencies. General McChrystal was a revered combat leader who led troops in Afghanistan, which was one of the longest and most complex political-military conflicts in the history of the United States. He was a brilliant combat leader who would inspire his troops, but also a fiercely dedicated general who would be demanding of his troops (Reilly, 2017).

Mattis utilized such strategies though he did not have egoistic tendencies like McChrystal. For instance, in one instance, while being the commanding general of the 1st Marine Division in preparation of invading Iraq, Mattis offered inspiration to every individual by handing them a famous letter as a form of motivation. However, at the same time, Mattis never hesitated to point out to them that their consequences while in battle could be their final one. He also always points out the significance of their line of work.

Moreover, Mattis inspired and intimated his troops just like General George S. Patton who is considered as one of the inspirational military leaders. Like Patton, Mattis pulled his troops towards the same direction using a cooperative manner that was based on inspiration and intimidation. Patton would intimidate his troops by telling them “Get up front” (Power, 2014). Patton also followed several principles of decision-making including talking with the troops. General James Mattis is renowned for talking with his troops and using extremely aggressive approaches in the battlefield.
Secondly, Mattis utilized combative approach while in the battlefield. For instance, with respect to war in terrorism, Mattis outlined the significance of fighting the terrorists and insurgents in Iraq, but at the same time shed light on how imperative it is to battle terrorism back at home in America through education and limiting the aspect of recruitment into terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al-Qaeda (Idriss, 2017).

Another notable and remarkable individuality of General Mattis is his interaction with subordinates. According to Szoldra (2016), his interrelations with junior troops and combatants over the years have gotten him renowned status amongst veterans and those presently active in duty. Mattis is known for disregarding his high position within the ranks and checking on the junior Marines while on duty. General James Mattis was described as a player coach who was constantly interacting with his juniors. For example, as previously mentioned, General Mattis constantly stressed the mistakes made by his subordinates as learning opportunities. He told his subordinates that what they needed was to concentrate on their job and not let mistakes wear them down (Szoldra, 2014).

Secondly, the General is also delineated as a fighter leader. He is not only the coach and teacher to the troops but at the same time operates as a player and works alongside them. He is incessantly out there working with his troops. This not only inspires the young Marines but at the same time teaches them the kind of leaders they are supposed to be (Szoldra, 2016). Such a behavior can be linked back to Bernard Montgomery and his approach of knowing the troops within the command and comprehending their names and their problems. Bernard Montgomery is one of the most decorated and one of a kind leader of the World War II. Montgomery used to undertake tours within the Army and taking about 10 minutes for every individual where he got to know them by name, their families, their state at the present moment, and also the aspects that bothered them (Weir, 2013).

Similar to other kinds of leadership, military leadership requires the individual to possess certain qualities or characteristics that are crucial for effective leadership. The difference between successful and unsuccessful leaders is partly attributable to the variations in qualities. General Mattis’ recognition as one of the prominent military leaders is attributable to his individual qualities that helped to inspire his troops as follows…

General James Mattis is renowned for his major accomplishments in the battlefield, his strategic way of thinking as well as his connection with both rank soldiers and file soldiers. A key quality of General James Mattis is his level of intelligence and intellectualism. In particular, Mattis is known to be an avid reader suffused in history, especially world history and military history. He is deemed to be a student of history at large and also a straightforward strategic thinker. He loved to read and had a personal library with more than 7,000 volumes. Mattis is acknowledged as those individuals that incessantly stretch their minds to gain more knowledge and understanding. For instance, prior to being deployed to Iraq, General Mattis created a list of readings for his combatants and insisted for them to read. He insists that through reading, it became possible for him to learn through the experiences of others that went into battle before him, which is imperative especially in their line of work where mistakes made owing to incompetence are severe and can be their end (McGregor, 2016).

Additionally, General James Mattis had an interest in the study of world history and military history. Mattis intelligence and intellectual quality is comparable to George Washington who was also well read. Washington, who at some point served as the Continental Army’s commander in chief, was well-read and gained most of his insights from history, as gathered from his reading. Like Washington, General Mattis’ reading culture played a crucial role in his development as a strategic thinker. The reading culture and habit also influenced the tactics and approaches General Mattis utilized to navigate the contemporary strategic and operational environment.

Gen. Mattis also has the key quality of positive attitude. This could be perceived in his incessant preparedness and readiness to inspire and lead his troops before, during and after war. For instance, before the war, he would point out the importance of understanding the preceding experiences and their impact. During the war, he would offer his troops letters from famous individuals to serve as a form of inspiration to them. In addition, during the war, Mattis would fight right beside the troops and this gave them even more confidence. After the war, in the event of any mistakes made, Mattis insisted on using such instances as opportunities for learning rather than opting for punishing and scolding them. This is indicative of his positive attitude, which translated to the positivity of the troop (Szoldra, 2016).

Secondly, General James Mattis had undeniable charisma. Like Robert E. Lee, Mattis was also a charismatic leader, and during his time in active duty, he relied on not only his charm but also ability to relate with the fears and desires of his juniors to drive and shape their commitment and conviction – as can be gleaned from a letter he handed to each soldier in the 1st Marine Division at the beginning of the Iraq invasion. Robert E. Lee is renowned as a commander of the Confederate States of America and is regarded as the most iconic and respected generals (Bonekemper, 1999). One of the qualities that contributed to Lee’s success and achievements is his positive attitude. Lee was not only humble and selfless but also possessed an uncanny ability to boost the morale of his men – both in defeat and victory. General Mattis had similar qualities to Robert E. Lee, which influenced his success and achievements in a four-decade long career in the military.

Napoleon Bonaparte is without a doubt one of the maverick leaders to have graced the world and is deemed to be a born leader. A key strategy and tactic that was properly exemplified by Napoleon was his capability to lead from the front. He was renowned for being the first to take part in something. Even when he became a distinguished and notable general, he had no qualms regarding getting gown from his horse and getting his hand dirty. He took part in the work of the troops that he led by being on the front and also made certain he was informed of what the lower rank individuals thought of (Jones and Gosling, 2015).
Courage is another key quality of General James Mattis. To begin with, he inspired a great deal of confidence amongst his troops. He constantly showed them the significance of reading and learning from experiences of others, learning from their own mistakes rather than through punishments and also the importance of their line of work. General James Mattis’ courage was also similar to General Patton’s confidence and courage. Like Patton, Mattis leads from the front. He inspired confidence among his troops. His style of leadership, like that of Patton could be seen as participative. Patton is quoted as once having said; “do everything you ask of those you command.”

General James Mattis’ level of courage could also be seen both on and off the battlefield. Throughout his career, Mattis showed his courage by leading his troops into battle and being right there with them. This level of courage could be perceived even outside the battlefield, while working with other troops and ranking officers (Szoldra, 2016).