In the movie Patton, a 1970s film about World War II, we are able to see different methods of leadership and how one’s personality influences the way they command others. Two characters that have opposite views when it comes to leadership would be General Patton and Omar Bradley. Patton is a very unique character who is very passionate, loyal, and determined. In the beginning speech we get a good insight into how Patton views war. We learn that Patton’s motives are not entirely patriotic, instead it is Patton’s love of violence that fuels his love of war. Also, we can see that he is a no-nonsense man and that if the soldiers are not there to win, then they may as well not be there at all. From this it is easy to see that his leadership methods are very structured and that he expects each and every one of his men to give one hundred and ten percent. He is the one to push the men to their limits, not support them emotionally. Another example of this would be Patton’s treatment of men who begin to buckle under the mental pressures of war. Patton finds it very difficult to understand these man and therefore is ruthless to them and shows very little mercy. During these times Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) was not seen as an actual condition, but instead simply a sign of the weak hearted. Those like Patton who thrived during wartimes were not able to understand men who suffered with the war and therefore did not respect them. Bradley, on the other hand, provides the men with a courageous father figure. The combination of the two men is what makes their leadership so successful. In almost a “good cop, bad cop” fashion, Patton motivates the men and drills them in training while Bradley provides the softer side of leadership; someone that these men would walk through fire for. In my opinion, I think that I would rather be more like Bradley due to the fact that my personality matches up more with his. Instead of his life revolving around war Bradley seems more humane and determined in a different way. While both men are seen as great leaders in war they both have very different methods of how they lead their troops. If I were to chose, I would stand with Bradley’s methods not because I think they are more effective, but because I would not be able to lead the ruthless way that Patton does.

“Patton (film).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patton_(film)>.

“Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 9 Mar. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder>.