A Short Comparison of Military Leadership with Law School Leadership -- More Similarities than Differences?

Walter B. Huffman was a Judge Advocate General in the Army before becoming Dean of Texas Tech University School of Law. In this essay, Huffman points out the similarities between military leadership and law school leadership. Huffman identifies several leadership qualities, and the central premise of the essay is that the most important traits of leadership apply to all forms of organizations. Huffman employs real life examples from his experiences serving as a Field Artillery Battery Commander during the Vietnam War to expound on the leadership qualities he identifies. Huffman states, “We sometimes forget the many speeches our fathers gave us, and we may forget the preacher’s sermon, but we never forget examples.” Huffman points out that all of the leadership attributes discussed in the essay describe actions, and concludes the essay by stating that “leadership is action, not a position.”