![]() He insisted on applying old solutions to new problems, doing more and more of the same, with greater and greater effort and discipline, expecting that simply greater effort would assure a better outcome. He exemplified the virtues of courage, honesty, decisiveness, leadership by example, selflessness, the good of the institution above one’s own or any individual’s convenience, the importance of tradition and protocols, the importance of leaders being visible and present to their organization- these are all important aspects of great leadership.Īnd yet his overly rational approach to duty stunted the virtue of compassion, and his lack of imagination could not envision or even acknowledge possibilities outside of the catechism of his 19th century military education and experience. His protagonist Curzon epitomizes many of the leadership qualities that are idealized to this day in military and government institutions, as well as in private sector leadership courses and institutions. My Impressions: Though Forester claims he did not write The General as a leadership case study, nor with the intent of influencing history, it is indeed an excellent case study and did have an impact, which is why it was required reading while I was at the Naval War College. His extraordinary sense of duty motivated him to do very well what his country called upon him to do, but his personal life lacked heart and depth, and he was unable to acknowledge and adapt to changes in military science and warfare, and his units and ultimately his nation suffered enormously. His very strict compliance with traditional values, standards, and protocols, and indeed a good bit of blind luck led to his continued promotion into positions of greater and greater responsibility for the lives of tens of thousands of men n war. Summary in 3 sentences: The General is a novelized story of Herbert Curzon, a fictional British General during WW1 who exemplified the virtues of courage, selfless service, decisiveness, and loyalty to the values of his institution and his nation. Interestingly, Hitler also read it and recommended it to his Generals before WW2. Though written in 1936, it was required reading when I was at the Naval War College in the mid 1990’s. My friend Jay also wanted to read it and join our discussion. ![]() Why this book: I had read it several years ago, and recommended it to my son, who read it, liked it, and wanted to talk about it during his visit. ![]()
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