Sweat saves blood. - Erwin Rommel

I've been a leader of people for many years across various roles; I believe some are built for it, have natural attributes that lean them towards leadership, and others are followers. All good leaders will be able to learn from others, evaluate good and bad examples, and apply that knowledge to becoming a better leader. This new series is designed to expose great quotes by various leaders and to investigate how they may relate or apply to myself or others. _{original im src}

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This week's leadership quote

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Sweat saves blood.

_{- Erwin Rommel -}

Field Marshal Johannes Erwin Eugen Rommel had great cause to say these words. He was a highly decorated officer from the First World War and went on to command many thousands of men in the 7th Panzer Division and Afrika Corps, among other units, in the Second World War.

He served with great distinction, was brutally efficient, a brilliant tactician, especially in mobile warfare, and was single-mindedly focused on victory...but he also held his men as the most valuable asset he had at his disposal. That wasn't just because he needed them to win battles though, he truly cared for them - This extended to his prisoners of war, some of which were my countrymen, which he treated with great care and respect.

He was the sort of leader that held to incredibly high standards, expected a lot from his men, and even more from himself. He was an exemplary leader, well-respected by his opponents and one whose men would push the limits to perform for; his men worshipped him.

I've read several books about Rommel, from the German perspective and the Allies' perspective also, which is the side my own country of Australia fought on. It doesn't matter which perspective one reads though, they all agree that he was a brilliant commander and that he loved his men. That didn't stop him from putting them in harms way of course, war is like that; people have to fight, but it meant he looked after them as best he could with training, equipment and food often going head to head with his Nazi superiors on behalf of his men, and putting himself at great risk in the process.

Soldiers respect a leader like that, especially if they serve underneath him, and when soldiers respect their leader they are more effective.

Despite his distinguished military career Rommel was implicated in a plot against Adolf Hitler and was given three choices: Defend himself in front of Hitler himself which would have been an admission of guilt, face the people's court which had a predictable end (death sentence), or commit suicide. On the 14th October 1944 he died of (self-administered) cyanide poisoning and the living legend met his end. It's an incredible story and one I believe people could learn a great deal from.

I chose this quote today because it talks about hard work, effort, ownership and responsibility, ahead of time. It suggests that preparation is the key to success, and when that effort and preparation is done well enough the results will come.

Of course, when Rommel said it he was referring to training his men and officers for battle: Drilling and PT'ing them, practicing manoeuvres and with weapon-systems, working on discipline and responsibility, communication between units, building trust between the men and officers and the troops themselves, working on tactics and supply. He was the sort of leader who looked into every single detail knowing that diligence, right down to the smallest element, would give him a better chance at keeping his men alive, and moving towards victory.

He drove his men relentlessly in training and I think we can learn something from that. Sure, your life might not be at risk like a soldiers' is, you're not training for combat after all...but your life is just as critically important...isn't it?

If the answer is yes, then there's much to learn from a man like Erwin Rommel, the way he approached his objectives, and what he did with his officers and enlisted men to prepare them ahead of time so that in the chaos of battle they had a better chance to succeed.

Of course, if the answer is, you feel your life, and what happens in it, isn't that critical at all, then it doesn't matter that you don't take ownership and responsibility for it, you're already fucked.

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If you have any thoughts on this leadership quote, experiences of your own, or questions please feel free to comment below.

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