100 DAYS

 Imagine you are a businessman who is currently serving as a division vice president of a global enterprise. You had made your reputation in the field but that was over five years ago. The corporation had to downsize much over that time and you feel fortunate at least to be at corporate headquarters so if your career is winding down you will enjoy your soon-to-be retirement with your newly-married third wife.

It is the Christmas season, and the division executives are enjoying a Christmas party just a few days before that Holy Day. But the mood is not all that festive. A major overseas business unit, fully activated just a few months prior, had great initial success but now there are multiple reports and rumors of massive decline in operational capabilities. You have several scheduled meetings in the coming days to deal with the situation but that can wait while you are enjoying the evening.

Suddenly a courier presents himself and gives you a note. You are ordered to phone immediately the president of the entire corporation. You swiftly apologize to your colleagues and find a phone. You are informed that the news about the overseas business unit is worse than previously thought- the unit’s leader has been killed in a tragic accident and that the unit is in total meltdown. You are ordered to be on-site in three days and take charge as the unit’s new leader.

You may now experience some of the feelings felt by General Matthew Ridgway, Army vice chief of staff, when in December 1950 he was ordered to take command of the Eighth US Army in Korea after the previous commanding general was killed in a jeep accident. And the Eighth Army was in retreat before the invading the Communist forces from China and North Korea. And Ridgway was on his own in terms of instructions from his superiors. When he met with the theater commander, General Douglas MacArthur, his boss merely told him, “Matt, the Eighth Army is yours.” With those orders, Ridgway proceeded on to Korea.

In about 100 days The Eighth Army under Ridgway’s command had stabilized the situation to the point that General Omar Bradley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, remarked that Ridgway’s performance was the “greatest feat of personal leadership in the history of the Army.” So, how did Ridgway do it? There is no magic formula, nevertheless there are some actions he took that applicable to our own situations-

1.     He knew the territory. Ridgway observed through personal air reconnaissance the hills, valleys, rivers etc. that defined the geographical terrain of the battlefield.

2.     He looked the part. Ridgway dressed in winter combat uniforms with a pistol and a grenade.

3.     He was out front. Ridgway visited all the various unit headquarters regularly so their commanders would feel the “heat.”

4.     He raised the morale of the soldiers. Ridgway insisted his soldiers received hot food, mail service, and good officers. He fired so many generals and colonels that Washington pleaded with him to stop because there was not “room” for them stateside.

5.     He submitted realistic situational assessments to his superiors in Tokyo and Washington. Ridgway under promised and over delivered.

6.     He did not get involved in “military politics” above his pay grade. While MacArthur and President Truman battled over who was in control of war policy, Ridgway focused on battle planning and the tactical situation.

7.     He knew his enemy. The Chinese and North Korean traveled fast and light, but they still needed supply lines. Early in his command, Ridgway had Eighth Army deliberately retreat to fortified positions. The enemy’s supply lines became exposed to our air superiority.

8.     He knew how to fight. During Operations Killer, Ripper, and Thunderbolt, Eight Army was able to stop the Communist advance and begin move north once again.

9.     He knew how to cooperate with allies. In addition to US and South Korean armies he commanded, 28 other countries sent troops through the United Nations mandate to repel the invaders.

10. He realized victory in this war was different than victory in the last war.  World Wari II required total victory while the Korean War needed a containment victory.

However great, I would not rate Ridgway’s accomplishments as the greatest; but they are up there with the Grant-Sherman coordinated Federal campaigns in 1864-65 and Washington’s Continentals crossing the Delaware River in 1776. Leadership does make a difference!