Leadership

Having returned into a work environment after 6 years of retirement to pursue my passion of sailing. I had a rude awaking in seeing an old established engineering company in state of flux and poor leadership.

As an ex soldier and an interest still in military history and tactical campaigns Field Marshall Bernard Montgomery strung to mind when it comes to  leadership! 

Why Select a Military General?

Warfare is chaos personified!  With death and destruction all round! Brilliant generals know how to rally men and women to a cause! Every combatant is putting his life on the line for his country and his leader. As Monty stated the men were different in world war 11 to the first Great War. They were more educated lot and  the majority were a citizen army of a soldiering amateurs. 

They weren’t serving professional soldiers. However that said they had to quickly learn their craft under real combat conditions. Through combat natural leaders of men and women came to the fore.  

Monty didn’t have any scruples sacking incompetent leaders be they senior officers down to Non commission officers. Men will not be lead in battle by incompetences such as in the first world war.

Monty served with distinction in the Great War and was nearly killed on the battlefield as an infantry officer in 1914.

He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for gallant leadership. The citation for this award in December 1914, reads: “Conspicuous gallant leading on 13th October, when he turned the enemy out of their trenches with the bayonet. He was severely wounded.”

When he was convalescing he thought deeply about soldiering and thought war wasn’t for amateurs. 

Strangely enough Erwin Rommel the Desert Fox of the German African Corp was an infantry officer in the Great War. 

He also developed his skills as an young officer with aggressive fire and movement on the battlefield. 

Monty like Rommel wrote tactical field hand books for their respective armies.  Great military leaders know how to plan, prepare and train men in the art of warfare. They lead by the force of character and delegate to allow subalterns the latitude to make battlefield decision based upon an overall detailed battle plan. 

Combat situations can change quickly and it’s the men on the ground be they non commission officers who need to make quick decision to either attack the enemy or carry out a tactical withdrawal. The primary responsibility of a leader at any level is to look after his men and himself.

The men respect a leader who has their best interests at heart! For me there is no difference with running a business or being a skipper of sailing boat. Without your staff or crew you are completely on your own. Businesses are about team work. All pulling together for same cause. More importantly being appreciated by the leaders!

Monty Rallied men & women and inspire confidence 

1. Professional knowledge (to professionalise the British Army; which included knowledge of the art of war, training such as fighting methods. 
2. Moral Courage.( To speak your mind) 
3. Building Teams. (Shuffling the pack)
4. Trust. (Loyalty to those who can lead and inspire) if leader had complete confidence in his men there’s nothing he can’t do! Monty empowered them! Leaders of character and personality 

Like Admiral Nelson Monty was a maverick who had supreme confidence in his own knowledge and ability. Unfortunately Monty knew how to upset people with his strong forth right views. 

What is the essence of great leadership? 

Must inspire confidence

Good communicator

Interest in his team

Train and develop his teams skills and knowledge. 

Be approachable 

Good listener 

Have a vision and communicate that vision

Walk the talk be judged by actions and not always by his words.

Lead always by example have plan and stick with it! But always have an element of flexibility if situations dictates a change in the original plan.  

I’ll use sailing as my analogy. I want to get from A to B but I have to deal with the vagaries of the weather, wind direction sea state ensuring I enough food and water and well built boat to deal with any eventuality? 

Maybe if I run into rough weather I’ll stop the boat and rest wait for weather system to blow through? But I know my goal that’s always at the back of my mind. 

Be willing to learn by your mistakes.

Be fearless. If your goals don’t frighten you they’re not big enough.

Visualise your success. 

Back to Monty before Monty was chosen as the new general for 8th Army Prime minister Churchill flow out to Egypt and went to the front himself to see the situation. He wasn’t impressed with the poor moral he sacked people and took a chance on relatively unknown general in Monty. 

Alamein was the turning point for the allies General Rommel was forced back across the Libyan dessert in hot pursuit by the 8th Army. 

Allied forces landed in French Tunisia. To cut off Rommel. However Rommel last great stand was against inexperienced and poorly led combat troops of the US army and they took a beating at the Kasserine pass. Poor leadership again. The leader has to instil in his men fighting spirit. That’s done by combat training using live rounds closely replicate combat conditions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Kasserine_Pass

Think of the Ancient Greek Spartans they were fighting men par excellence. From childhood they were trained in physical fitness and close quarter combat. Sparta didn’t have walls to protect it, enemies fear their fighting reputation.  It was live or die by the sword. Death was the ultimate tribute to a Spartan warrior. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparta

Back to Monty he valued his men’s lives and the Great War left an indelible mark on Monty’s psychic. The awful loss of live in the trenches made him think this is not how to fight a modern technological war.  It has to be by surprise fast movement and superior firepower with highly trained well led combat soldiers. 

Finally I see no difference in business, people have to be well trained and skilled in their jobs as do the management they have be skilled in the art of leadership. The problem is people are promoted with out the requisite attributes to manage people? This is very obvious to the people who are managed by them! Poor leaders produce staff with poor moral! If they’re not up to the task they have to go! No if’s or buts!