George Washington a Visionary Leader

George Washington as a Visionary Leader

The Founding Fathers of the United States took responsibility and showed the best leadership qualities at the turning point in the history of the New World. They embody the unique historical example of serving the common goals and missions and inspire the following generations. George Washington, the first U.S. President, gained a significant place among them by demonstrating responsibility, dedication to victory, and diplomatic qualities. At the end of the XVIII century, the ruthless struggle started between Great Britain and its North American colonies, which sought full political independence. Washington became one of the military leaders and undisputed protectors of the young American nation. Contemporaries were delighted with his charisma, perseverance, and vigor. Washington contributed to the creation of a new state due to the high moral qualities of a person who faced difficult circumstances and achieved determined goals with diplomatic skills, which provided him with support among representatives of various layers of society.

The Basics of Washington’s Visionary Leadership

A unique feature of a visionary leader is the ability to focus on several complex categories and cover different configurations. Thus, Washington successfully combined the positions of a politician and a statesman. He was good at analyzing the general situation and details. He was the only Founding Father whose visionary leadership reflected intellectual and moral potential. Washington maintained a balance between long-term goals and tactical actions that helped him to pave his way as the chief commander of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War, the head of the Constitutional Convention, and the U.S. President.

It is important to analyze Washington’s external (physical) and internal (moral) characteristics. He possessed charm and charisma, distinguished by growth, physical strength, coordination, and energy. It attracted people and created an image of a defender. Moreover, Washington had a high level of responsibility, conscientiousness, attentiveness to details, patience, and reasonable ambitions. Probably, his formation as a person was influenced by the father’s humanism and the mother’s exactingness. Moreover, his brother was also an educated and respected military man. Thus, Washington was brought up in the atmosphere of the best values of his time. Religion and participation in Freemasonry influenced the formation of his high moral qualities despite the fact that he did not express his views openly (Stazesky, n.d.). It could explain the fundamentals of his character and his further evolving as a public person and a statesman who began his way from the army.

Washington as a Military Foregoer

The Continental Convention unanimously recognized Washington as the most appropriate general of the united continental troops on June 15, 1775. He had to prove to be a reliable commander and a worthy leader in general. Challenges of the era forced him to show the best skills of tactics and mastermind. Washington was chosen because of his reliable character and recognition among the colonies and roots (as a southerner in origin). Washington was able to unite people from different lands and avoid temptations related to corruption. The general managed to gain credibility in the army and was characterized as a determined and fearless person. He was going to win the war regardless of its duration (he considered it solely a war of independence) and establish a republican constitutional government whose officials were to be chosen by the people (Rees & Spignesi, 2011).

Washington foresaw the inevitability of state formation and the fact that all classes of society would build it. Therefore, he involved not only military men but also civilians. Additionally, Washington addressed the desertion, the manifestation of the congressmen’s rebelliousness, and the population’s disloyalty to the general idea. Thus, he won the respect of civilians and soldiers. Once, after the battle in Trenton in 1776, many soldiers were ready to retreat, but Washington called to continue the war and they responded to his appeal. Moreover, his charisma and resilience were manifested during the battle of Monmouth, New Jersey, in 1778 (Stazesky, n.d.). In that important battle with the army of Cornwall, the American forces were in retreat and disorder. Washington restored discipline by taking command. The general achieved the exceptional organization of troops and forced the British to retreat to New York.

Go to our website

Choose a type of paper you need

Indicate additional requirements for your essay

Pay for the order

Get your flawless paper on time

The order of protecting and following the solutions of Congress was the priority of Washington. It helped to control the situation. He recognized the fact that people should control the government and those interconnections should be built on mutual respect. It was also required in relationships between the military and the civilian population. Such an approach promoted Washington to win the trust of the people and occupy a higher state position in the future.

The Continental Convention Presidency

General Washington was duly elected as the presiding officer of the Constitutional Convention, which took place in Philadelphia from May 25 to September 17, 1787. He was appointed due to his previous achievements and indisputable authority. The core quality that promoted his advancement was loyalty to the intended course towards the creation of a continental constitutional republic. Moreover, a significant role was played by his diplomatic skills, which allowed finding a common language with adherents of different positions and making the most coordinated decisions. It is worth to note that Washington was steadfast in views and not inclined to change his beliefs regardless of situation or external influence. The background of his constitutional vision rooted in the elements of classical conservative republicanism and continental commerce, which formed long before his meeting with Hamilton, Madison, and other Founding Fathers.

Among the key ideas supported by Washington as a politician were the following: forming of legislative bodies elected by people; creating a strong alliance; approving the written constitution; ensuring the rule of law; strengthening the executive; fixing the provisions on military service and national control over the army; and recognizing the supremacy of congressional law or national legislation (Stazesky, n.d.). General Washington was an extremely demanding person and followed the honest conduct of any business. In his opinion, honor was one of the key virtues of a national leader (Rees & Spignesi, 2011). There was a case when one of the delegates accidentally dropped a secret document on the floor. Knowing Washington’s strict position on interfering with secret information and disclosing details, none of those who found the document was confident to claim it (Stazesky, n.d.). Thus, the influence of Washington was strong not only in the case of actions in public but also on the sidelines of power. It was a necessary prerequisite for his further election as the U.S. President.

The First President of the United States

The adoption of the Constitution and the approval of Washington’s ideas in the course of the revolutions deeply influenced his reputation as a President of the newly formed republic. As a visionary leader, Washington recognized the sanctity of the Union and the supreme law, contributed to the American national character, and appreciated the people’s will supremacy. His leadership determined the role of the federal government in infrastructure development, including commercial, industrial and educational sectors. The diplomatic practice of Washington was sending the Circular Letter to all the governors in 1783, after the end of the revolution (Stazesky, n.d.). In such a way, Washington expressed his ideas contributing to their spread and attracting a wide support.

As a visionary leader, the U.S. President demonstrated exceptional organizational talent, which manifested itself in a clear division of responsibilities between the Congress (creating domestic policies and laws) and the President (implementing the policy and enforcing laws). Washington also realized that the state foreign policy success depended on his ability to conclude treaties, thus, he did his job with complete readiness. The maintenance of order was crucial for him. He carefully followed the delineated balance, protecting the authority of the Congress, which, in its turn, defended the image of the President.

The rapport of the two branches of power contributed to the unity of people at all levels and caused a sense of pride and patriotic enthusiasm. Moreover, the challenges of the time obliged President Washington to maintain a special connection with people, which he did through the tours and public appearances. He became an exemplary defender of national interests and repeatedly demonstrated firmness of his positions even when it caused oppositional sentiments. However, the President showed foresight, and ultimately the Americans supported him. The examples include the declaration of neutrality during the French Revolution and the signing of the Jay Treaty with Great Britain (Stazesky, n.d.). Thus, Washington's presidency embodies the service to people and the merit of his genius.

Leadership Techniques Utilized by Washington

Given the life and career path of Washington, the following techniques, which he used as a visionary leader, could be summarized. Firstly, he demonstrated the own example in actions, for example, when he was urging the soldiers to remain on the battlefield, he also remained (“What Made George Washington Such a Great Leader”, 2017). Secondly, he did not exalt himself above others and made equal demands on everyone. Thirdly, Washington was open to different points of view. In fact, he communicated with philosophers and thinkers such as Franklin, Mason, Hamilton, and Madison and took into account the positions of other politicians. Fourth, he sought to establish bilateral contacts and diplomatic ties, showing respect for the environment. It is related to the distribution of the Circular Letter. Fifthly, he considered the people's power and demonstrated his connection with the nation by participating in tours and public speeches to gain and strengthen the confidence of citizens. Sixthly, Washington took care of his reputation, avoided conflicts and scandals, and monitored the high standards among his subordinates and colleagues. The underlined techniques were supported by the following attitudes: to unite faith and actions and to care for public well-being (“What Made George Washington,” 2017). Such an approach to life and compatriots made Washington the outstanding personality who tremendously contributed to the formation of the strong organizational structures that shared common beliefs and priorities.

Conclusions

George Washington, known as one of the Founding Fathers, was a prominent general and politician. He was a truly visionary leader. Despite the fact that he had an attractive appearance, his primary influential features were intelligence, charisma, strong character, a deep conviction in the high goals of the revolution, humanism, patience, and respect for subordinates among other noble trains. As a visionary leader, he skillfully combined strategic goals and tactical tasks, attracted supporters with diplomatic methods, and boldly responded to the challenges of his time. The war for the independence of the United States required him to be persistent and to display responsibility, which he did not avoid. As the President, Washington supported the Congress and followed the observance of laws, demonstrating by the private example the priority of serving the new state. Washington became a national hero because he embodied the best human qualities and did not make deals. On the contrary, he supported unity in the government and led a balanced foreign policy, protecting the U.S. honor. His leadership qualities and honest actions sparked the hearts of many followers and inspired the next generations of Americans.

Guarantees

Email delivery Your paper is uploaded to your account and you get a copy delivered by email.	Wide range of services Your get wide range of high quality services from our professional team.	Authentic papers All papers are written from scratch up to your instructions
Privacy guarantee No personal data is ever disclosed to any third parties.	Deadline meeting Any paper ordered will be delivered strictly according to the deadline.	Satisfaction guarantee All our customer are totally satisfied with their orders.
No plagiarism All papers you order are plagiarism free.	24/7 customer support Our Support Representatives are at your service 24/7 365 days a year.	Free revision Each customer has 48 hours after deadline expires to get paper revised.