Here is an interesting article from the Financial Times, first published in November 2008:
'So there I was at one of those nice off-the-record dinners the other evening, discussing the financial crisis with various business figures. It was a good conversation, though some of the comments were a bit predictable. We all agreed, unsurprisingly, that “the long term” was what mattered in business. We did not agree what the long term was, or how we would know when we had got there.
I was lucky enough to be seated next to a distinguished business leader, the sort of person we used to call a Captain of Industry (CoI), when that term still meant something. The CoI participated fully in the evening’s debate, warning against the dangers of over-reacting to the crisis with excessive regulation.
‘You will always have something more to learn, so be prepared to profit by experience’
..Life in the boardroom is rarely easy or uncomplicated, he observed soberly. His first thought, on seeing friends and acquaintances struggle in the current conditions, was “There but for the grace of God...”
What really interested him, though, was the question of leadership. He told me that he had recently found a few notes in his attic, dating back to 1955, which he had been given as part of his officer training course at Eaton Hall, near Chester, in the north-west of England.
This CoI belongs to a generation that had to do National (military) Service, a practice that ended in Britain in 1960. (What our CoI had not bargained for back then was being sent to fight guerrillas in Cyprus in 1956, prior to being parachuted into Port Said during the Suez crisis later that year.)
He said he would send me a copy of these notes, and, in the manner of busy, successful people, he duly did the following morning.
No wonder historians are worried about the disappearance of documentary evidence now that everything is being e-mailed and text-messaged. These typed pages, with all their blotches and imperfections, summoned up the past. Some of the language felt a bit dated. There was a Trevor Howard/Celia Johnson quality to it: quaint and charming, but perhaps a little remote.
All the same, my CoI was right. I have rarely read such clear, purposeful and persuasive thoughts on leadership, delivered in only a few sentences. Making allowance for the fact that these notes were written in a military context, with only a few minor changes they could serve as a valuable aide-mémoire to any leader.
Leadership is “the art of influencing a body of people to follow a certain course of action”, the notes state. “The art of controlling them, directing them and getting the best out of them.” Yes, I know. “Controlling” is not very 2008, is it? But this is the army we are talking about. Come to think of it, a bit more control in the banks in recent years might not have been such a bad idea.
Leaders have to make decisions and stick to them “regardless of popularity or of difficulties”. But: “Orders must be constantly renewed and, once they have become inapplicable or out of date, they must be abolished.” So no harmful rigidity there.
“The leader must know and understand his men and treat them as human beings.” Tick. “An officer must want to lead. He must be proud of his command.” Tick. “The leader must have his heart in his job and be cheerful and enthusiastic even when conditions are difficult and the task unpleasant...The leader must be loyal to both his superiors and to his men. He must inspire loyalty.” Tick and tick again.
The notes contain a special section on “man management”. Some of this stuff feels quite radical, a) for 1955 and b) for the army. See what you think: “The business of man management takes time and it requires the taking of infinite trouble ... you cannot deal with material you know little or nothing about. Your men are your material; you must know all about them ...You must give each one individual study and be prepared to make an individual approach to each. You must be something of a psychologist.”
‘Being a leader is a big job, a fine job and a thoroughly worthwhile job. See that you become one in the best sense of the word’
..Getting relationships right with team members will require a leader to, among other things, “put their interests before your own”, “be their champion but also their chief critic”, “know their names and use them”, “be yourself and don’t act a part”, and “be self-critical”.
Do all this, and you’ll be an ideal leader? No. “You will always have something more to learn,” the notes conclude, “so be prepared to profit by experience.” And always remember: “Being a leader is a big job, a fine job and a thoroughly worthwhile job. See that you become a leader in the real and best sense of the word.”
Ninety years ago, the first world war ended. Hundreds of thousands of British soldiers were killed in that conflict – “lions led by donkeys”. Since then, arguably no organisation has learned and understood more about leadership than the British army. If you want to offer state-of-the-art leadership in 2008 these wise words from over half a century ago can help.'
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