peaceful men, paralysed by the burden of decision-making
under fire. The second group includes people like Haig, Joffre,
and a number of the other First World War generals. They are
characterized by overweening ambition coupled with a terri-
fying insensitivity to the suffering of others. Far from being
paralysed by decisions, they were active, but active in vain,
devious, scheming and dishonest ways. Alastair Mant in Leaders
We Deserve quotes the example of the catastrophic results
achieved in the Crimean War when an incompetent in the first
group (Raglan) has authority over someone in the second group
(the Earl of Cardigan, reputed by one contemporary to possess
the ‘brains of a horse’).
The elements of military incompetence are listed by Norman
Dixon as:
■ Serious wastage of human resources.
■ Fundamental conservatism and clinging to outworn tradi-
tion or to past successes.
■ Tendency to reject or ignore information which is unpalat-
able or which conflicts with preconceptions (eg company yes
men).
■ Tendency to underestimate the enemy.
■ Indecisiveness and a tendency to abdicate from the role of
decision-maker.
■ Obstinate persistence in a given task despite strong contrary
evidence.
■ Failure to exploit a situation gained and a tendency to ‘pull
punches’.
■ Failure to make adequate reconnaissance.
■ A predilection for frontal assults, often against the enemy’s
strongest point (reference the gross overcrowding of once
profitable markets).
■ Belief in brute force rather than the clever ruse.
■ Failure to make use of surprise or deception.
■ Undue readiness to find scapegoats.
■ Suppression or distortion of news from the Front, usually
deemed necessary for morale or security.
■ Belief in mystical forces – fate, bad luck, etc.
Examples of all these can be found in the actions or inactions of
business leaders and managers:
How Things Go Wrong and How to Put Them Right 305