Dwight Eisenhower was a mediocre student at West Point. During World War I, he missed seeing any action, although many of his classmates were in the thick of the fighting. After the war Eisenhower was transferred to Panama, where he wanted to work under Gen. Fox Connor, whom he admired. General Connor was a father figure and mentor to Eisenhower, and the relationship was a turning point in Eisenhowers life. He later reflected, Life with General Connor was a sort of graduate school in military affairs and the humanities, leavened by a man who was experienced in his knowledge of men and their conduct. I can never adequately express my gratitude to this one gentleman.... In a lifetime of association with great and good men, he is the one more or less invisible figure to whom I owe an incalculable debt. Unlike his previous lackluster performance at West Point, Eisenhower became a different kind of student when he was selected to take training at the General Staff School. The confidence he gained as a student of a great man made a huge difference in his self-confidence and determination to succeed. As a result, Eisenhower ranked first in his class in a tough, competitive school. The rest is history, as Eisenhower became one of the most important leaders of the twentieth century. Without his experience of learning from a mentor, one cannot speculate if Eisenhower ever would have found that capability within himself. Who is it around you that you can learn from? Have you submitted yourself to a mentor? Are you being a mentor to someone else? (Steve Sabol)
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 10:56:05 +0000
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