Leadership Lessons from Great Commanders – Week 8 Assignment
“What can past military leaders show us about leadership—in any field or profession—in the 21st century?”
Leadership Lessons from Great Commanders – Week 8 Assignment
Reflection Paper
Clausewitz’s On War remains one of the most important military writings of all time. Published by his wife after his death in 1831, it represents Clausewitz’s survey of historical figures, campaigns, and battles that capture the nature of warfare and the essence of command leadership, to include Clausewitz’s personal observation of Napoleon Bonaparte, the subject of his Book I, Chapter III “Genius.”.
But Clausewitz wrote On War before the Industrial Revolution; before the advent of Battleship and Carrier Navies; before the advent of sophisticated aircraft and drones. He had no inkling of the Nuclear or Information Age.
Your task is to reflect on the course and continue Clausewitz’s studies by asking:
“What can past military leaders show us about leadership—in any field or profession—in the 21st century?”
While Clausewitz can help with the “Why study military leadership” portion, he is going to need your help regarding the 21st century!
In your reflection, you will need a Thesis statement that answers the course question.
When arguing your thesis, you should consider the following:
· Common attributes across the survey of great commanders (Week 2 analysis)
· Common pitfalls to commanders, in any era (Week 5 analysis)
· Ethical issues that impact leadership (Week 7 analysis)
· The need for new attributes for the 21st Century Leader? (Week 8 – open question)
This is your reflection: there is not a single “right” answer. Instead, your reflection paper will be assessed on how well you demonstrate critical thinking about the great commanders and how well you can logically argue a Thesis based on sound premises and scholarly research.
Answer preview “what can past military leaders show us about leadership—in any field or profession—in the 21st century?”
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