Military Quote Of The Day: Admiral Nimitz On The Real Secret Of Leadership
“Leadership Consists Of Picking Good Men And Helping Them Do Their Best” – Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz’s quote highlights that effective leadership is rooted in talent acquisition, empowerment, and support rather than micromanagement.
Nimitz emphasizes selecting capable people (picking good men) and fostering an environment that enables them to excel (helping them do their best) through trust and removing obstacles.
Key Aspects Of Nimitz’s Philosophy From This Quote
He was a firm believer in talent cultivation and the mantra that the “sailors come first. Shifting from being a “doer” to a “developer,” focusing on empowering subordinates to achieve peak performance.
Trusting chosen subordinates to execute, often allowing them multiple opportunities to prove their capabilities rather than relying on a “zero defect” mentality.
Relying on the initiative and judgment of subordinates, which Nimitz utilized to manage complex, dispersed operations. He frequently didn’t rely on reports but would talk to the sailors and officers directly. One example of this was visiting the Yorktown after the Battle of the Coral Sea.
The Yorktown was heavily damaged, and reports were that the carrier would need 90 days of repairs. However, Nimitz knew (via Japanese codebreakers) that the Japanese would attack Midway in eight days. He visited the Yorktown and set the time in port for repairs was 72 hours. The maintenance crews got it done and the Yorktown took part in the battle, but was sunk.
Enabling success by providing resources, clear goals, and a supportive environment rather than just directing tasks. Rather than telling his subordinates how to handle tasks, he issued orders of what needed to be done, and was rewarded with the ingenuity of his staff officers and sailors.
Nimitz, who led the U.S. Pacific Fleet in WWII, applied this by fostering a culture of trust and encouraging junior officers to contribute ideas, often placing capable people in positions of high responsibility.
Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, The Navy’s WWII Leader
Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz (1885–1966) was a towering figure in U.S. naval history, serving as Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet (CINCPAC) during World War II.
Chester William Nimitz was born on February 24, 1885, in Fredericksburg, Texas. His father died shortly before he was born, and his grandfather was a major influence on his life.
In a rare feat, Nimitz never finished high school; he dropped out to attend the US Naval Academy at Annapolis. However, he excelled at the Naval Academy, graduating seventh in a class of 114.
Early in his naval career, he served on small surface ships, including the command of the gunboat Panay, which many years later would be bombed by the Japanese in China in 1937, prior to World War II.
It was on submarines that he found his niche. Nimitz served in and commanded submarines for nearly two decades early in his career. He was a leading authority on submarine propulsion, specializing in diesel engines, and commanded vessels such as the USS Plunger (A-1), USS Snapper, and USS Skipjack.
U.S. Navy Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Portrait. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
He was considered a leading expert, commanding Atlantic submarine forces and influencing early submarine development.
After he was promoted to Admiral, he directed Allied air, sea, and land forces to victory over Japan, including the pivotal Battle of Midway, and culminated in Japan’s surrender aboard the USS Missouri.
Shortly after the disaster at Pearl Harbor that thrust the United States into World War II, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt chose Nimitz over 28 other officers to lead the Pacific Fleet.
OnDecember 16, 1941, just nine days after the Pearl Harbor raid, Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox relayed to Nimitz that he was the next Commander in Chief, US Pacific Fleet (CinCPac) and Commander in Chief, Pacific Ocean Areas, commanding Allied air, land, and sea forces in the region.
Roosevelt’s orders were for Nimitz to “get the hell out to Pearl Harbor and don’t come back until the war is won.”
Nimitz quickly improved the US’ shattered morale, and six months later, an outnumbered US fleet turned the tide of the war with the stunning victory over the Japanese Navy at the Battle of Midway.
After the island-hopping campaign that saw bloody fighting on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, New Guinea, and Saipan, he led the United States to victory at the Battle of the Philippine Sea (known also as “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot“) and the Battle of Leyte Gulf.
On December 19, 1944, he was promoted to the newly created five-star rank of Fleet Admiral.
In 1945, the US invaded Iwo Jima and Okinawa, while Army B-29 air raids of Japan itself devastated Japan’s ability to wage war. Nimitz credited the planning and training the US Navy conducted even before the war, which prepared them for any eventuality, except the Japanese kamikaze.
He oversaw the buildup and the gradual but inexorable march to Japan. At the height of the Pacific War, Nimitz commanded more than two million men and women, 5,000 ships, and 20,000 planes.
Nimitz died in 1966 of a stroke.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications
