Leadership

5. Montgomery, Path to Leadership (2 April 2025)

by kurto

An elongated essay on the direction of men by the UK’s World War II field marshal, culminating with forgettable sketches of political figures whom the author has come to know. The leader must be able to master events, or else his subordinates will lose confidence in his direction. He must therefore choose his purposes wisely, and delegate or dispose of all else, so that he can proceed with a clear conscience, courage, and sincerity – so that subordinates understand he is disinterested and selfless. Military men, having gained the advantage (whether in peacetime or preliminary fighting), must seize the initiative at the decisive moment. (Preparation, especially during peacetime, is vital but insufficient. The general’s art is to simplify the problem, decide the best course, and then act. He must bow to the political leader, however.

Military sketches include Genghis Khan (a surprisingly modern commander), von Moltke, and Britain’s World War I generals; Gallipoli was well designed but badly executed. Political sketches include Alfred, Cromwell, Lincoln (whose purpose was not to impose his will but to guide the people to decide for themseves), and such contemporaries as Nehru, Mao, De Gaulle, and Churchill.

Not countries without atomic bombs but lacking universal principles are second rate.

26. Syed, Rebel Ideas (23 December 2023)

by kurto

New ideas or concepts enlarge the individual’s brain; solutions to ‘increasingly complex’ problems are best derived in variegated groups; recombinant ideation surpasses single-disciplinary perspective. In sum: ‘Diversity is the hidden engine of humanity’ (p. 248). Case studies seemingly prove the point – but also seem cherry-picked from the morass of popular culture and social science. How does diversity address the highest goods? If humanity best resolves its affairs collectively, shouldn’t it seek to apply its predecessors’ wisdom instead of treating every set of circumstances as unique or unprecedented? The author’s assessment of leadership is also suspect: commitment to sharing is not guarantee of final performance, and accountability is muddled.
Also of interest:
• Averages used well will harness insights for multiples, used badly will saddle the same multiples with limited scope
• in light of evidence that societies which didn’t restrict its citizenry often outperformed those which, the coda addressing the UK’s Covid 19 regime seems rushed poorly chosen
• ¿Cultural differences are biological not genetic?

13. Magnus, Kitchener (15 Sep 2007)

by kurto

A definitive biography of the late Victorian solider, whose autocratic successes in Sudan and South Africa inspired adulation in the metropole, but left him unprepared to lead Great Britain during World War I. The scale of strategy and scope of operations were too great for one man; the lessons learned were put to good use in World War II. Written in the tradition of political-diplomatic history, the book relies on primary sources from the highest levels (i.e., autobiographies) to portray this thorough (his motto) and driven but ultimately indecisive figure. Kitchener was unable to rally and guide equals, or defeat evenly matched colleagues / opponents, because he could not persuade or rely on staff to create superior force. Magnus moves briskly through events, while providing insight into Kitchener’s relationship with Asquith, Churchill, and King Edward, as well as the mechanics of British imperial machinery. This 1958 work, though evidencing dated punctuation, has lost very little with the passage of time. No need to read further on the topic.

11. Pfeffer, Leadership BS (20 June 2023)

by kurto

The leadership-training industry is broadly disconnected from contemporary practice, which is Machiavellian in pursuit and use of power. Leaders should be true to the external situation, not ‘authentic’, which ideal epitomizes the cant of value-laden prescriptions often inapplicable to demanding roles. Trust is bound to constrain options; those who violate trust aren’t held accountable because power trumps penalties. In difficult times, administrators protect those closest to them, their sources of power. One should presume others (i.e., rivals) are acting of self interest.
More constructively, Pfeffer sees that ‘walking around’ management closes gaps among people, helps leaders understand the front lines. Promoting from within magnifies culture. Get over ambivalence – act on incomplete data with conviction.
Pfeffer’s ‘realism’ never takes him beyond the normative. Thus the ability to misrepresent is possibly the most critical skill of leadership! However much debunking is needed, pyscho-sociological study is no substitute for elaborating competencies (i.e., the Troop Leadership Development 11) in the context of events, objectives, problems. An apology for power yet falls short of principled management.

14. Strozzi-Heckler, Leadership Dojo (25 Nov 2010)

by kurto

Outlines a leadership model premised on physical presence that signals inner harmony and external empathy. The construct, drawing heavily on aikido, comprises centering, facing, extending, entering, and blending. The crux: ‘There’s an indispensable kind of person who cuts a path in the world not simply because of his or her own achievements but because of what he or she has enabled others to achieve. This is a leader who brings focus and energy to a community and helps define the purpose and meaning of living in a particularly place an time.’ A long article would have sufficed — otherwise forgettable.

4. McChrystal, My Share of the Task (2 Jun 2013)

by kurto

A military memoir sketching how General McChrystal reorganized practice and doctrine during America’s two anti-terrorist wars of the 2000s, Iraq and Afghanistan. The author’s command was primarily reactive and tactical: indeed, politics proved his undoing, as the Obama administration disliked both the Afghan theater and a McChrystal interview. Though highly praised, there seems little in the way or overarching approach; however, McChrystal’s extended record of sound decisions and execution is enviable.

5. Ricks, Generals (14 Jun 2014)

by kurto

A whirlwind study of US army leadership from the time of George Marshall. The military has all but abandoned the practice of rewarding officer success and treating failure by giving another a chance at command (and the relieved officer another chance elsewhere), thereby deferring personnel decisions to civilian oversight, which the army abhors for operational reasons. The trend began with McArthur and has persisted through the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The army reached its quotidian / tactical nadir in Vietnam and then recovered, but has has yet to come to grips with a strategic doctrine for winning (i.e., ending) 21st-century, asymmetric conflict. This remaining gap, Ricks asserts, is attributable to conventional, insular career paths. A fine organizational study free of jargon.

Crisis sharpening statesmanship

by kurto

‘Perhaps statesmanship of the noblest and truest kind has always been associated with crises of one sort or another’, Daniel Mahoney writes in ‘Ballast on the Ship of State: Statesmanship as Human Excellence‘.

In this framework, DeGaulle finds his place among Cicero, Burke, Washington, Lincoln, and Churchill. Bonaparte, to the contrary, exemplifies ‘greatness without moderation’.

Also:

One cannot promote justice on the ‘willful’ premises of Machiavellian (and Nietzschean) modernity. If one begins with nihilistic premises, if one reduces every argument to a pretense for domination and exploitation, one necessarily ends with the self-enslavement of man. A barely concealed nihilism cannot provide a foundation for common humanity, the civic common good, or mutual respect and accountability. In the end, it can only negate our civilized inheritance despite the perfectionist or utopian veneer that invariably accompanies it.

5. Ferguson, Leading (25 Mar 2017)

by kurto

The famously successful Manchester United coach outlines his management precepts and practical guidelines for steering a professional sports organization. He writes ‘Make sure you see yourself in the team’ and frequently refers to his playing days, but doesn’t go much further toward an overarching theory. As regards sustaining success, the messages can be summarized as ‘Think critically, and think ahead’ while enforcing (often through delegation) the standards you’ve already established. The book’s organization appears the handiwork of Michael Moritz, whose ego unfortunately seems to loom over the work.

4. Peter Drucker, Daily Drucker (27 December 2021)

by kurto

Decomposes the management theorist’s postwar oeuvre, exposing key tenets of his ‘social ecology’. Much influenced by Bagehot, Drucker’s views reflect his time in Weimar Germany as well as his interests in the contemporaneous emergence of management and the knowledge economy. Notable principles:
• The strongest argument for business as a social organization is the function of loss: efficient abandonment
• There are three models of the corporation: the German, which emphasizes the social market; the Japanese, which favors the social; and the American, which prioritizes the economic
• Management creates development, not capital or labor. The proper direction of human energies generates progress and wealth (p. 56), whereas central planning cannot master information and its productive use
• Management is a practice, drawing from other disciplines as well as its own precepts. It must emphasize the whole – focusing on the parts obscures the objective of serving customers
• The question ‘what is our business?’ can be answered only by outsiders, for the purpose lies in society, and its mission is to create customers
• A theory of a business entails assumptions about its environment (society, marketing, custom, technology); its mission (what are the expected results); and its core competencies. A business audit comprises mission and strategy, the relevant market, innovation, productivity, people development, and profitability
• The innovator makes most of the profit, and profit is short lived. Nonetheless, he has best seen the future, which has already happened
• Schumpeter always asks: is there sufficient profit to re-invest? That is, to pay for the cost of creative destruction
• Leadership lifts men to higher ends. Day-to-day management should therefore emphasize strict conduct and responsibility, performance standards, respect for an individual’s work. Leadership multiplies strengths. Its requirements are listening, communicating, not making excuses, and subordinating itself to (its share of) the task (i.e., management by objective)
• Authority and responsibility should be congruent
• The first task in assessing knowledge work is to define quality
• The most effective route to self-renewal is to pursue unexpected success
• Focus on strengths, improve strengths, reduce disabling habits
• Decisions: start with what’s right, not what’s acceptable. There are two compromises, when half is better and when the compromise does not reach the boundary condition. Then build action into the decision: who has to know? who’s to act? what are the objectives of action?
• Managers set objectives, organize, motivate and communicate, measure, and develop people. Manage to objectives, using control, that is the discipline of reaching excellence
• The organizational unit must be single-minded or its members become confused
• To measure knowledge-work productivity, measure EVA (economic value added): value added / expenses. Capital investment should be assessed by ROI, payback, cashflow, and discounted present value