by Andrew Roberts
Andrew Roberts brings his exceptional grasp of history to bear on the subject of leadership, particularly, lessons learned from wartime political and military leaders. Roberts’ list of leaders includes:
Napoleon Bonaparte
Horatio Nelson
Winston Churchill
Adolf Hitler
Joseph Stalin
George C. Marshall
Charles De Gaulle
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Margaret Thatcher
Roberts gives us the leaders in all their glory, but he pulls no punches when it comes to their shortcomings, particularly with respect to Hitler, Stalin, and De Gaulle (and that is not to put De Gaulle in the same ignominious category as that of Hitler and Stalin).
This book is fast-paced, rich in scholarship, practical, and absolutely fascinating for those interested in leadership. Roberts notes, “If you want to know what will move hearts and command multitudes today and in the future there is only one thing to do, study the past.” He includes these words from Churchill:
“Study history. Study history. In history lie all the secrets of statecraft.”
Roberts adds, “and the same is true of statecraft’s vital subsection, “war leadership.” If there is one quality that all the Great War leaders possessed it is that which the Earl of Saint Vincent described to Horatio Nelson. St. Vincent did not much like his fellow Admiral personally, but he readily admitted that Nelson possessed the magic art of infusing his own spirit into others. “Great leaders are able to make soldiers and civilians believe that they are part of a purpose that matters more than even their continued existence on the planet…
Roberts has done just that and, in doing so, shares some great lessons leaders can learn from that process:
