Oveta Culp Hobby and Her "Lieutenants"

The U.S. Army is in the midst of transformation. General Eric Shinseki began the transformation effort in 1999, when he unveiled his vision for the U.S. Army in the twenty-first century. This vision included the need to provide greater agility and versatility on the battlefield without a loss of lethality or survivability. This transformation will affect not only infrastructure and materiel, but people too. It will require additional leadership skills. Leaders must focus on how best to lead soldiers through a period of change and uncertainty, how to encourage the best and the brightest to participate in the organization, and how to insure the vitality of the organization in the future. This requires “transformational leadership.” The research question is: Are there historical examples of how to lead soldiers during a period of transformation? If so, are these examples applicable to leaders in today’s Army? The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps and Women’s Army Corps leaders provide such an example. The Director Oveta Culp Hobby and two of her lieutenants Anna Wilson and Charity Adams offer examples of leadership during a period of transformation that is applicable today. Theirs was transformational leadership, a style worthy of study and emulation.