Leadership in War: Essential Lessons from Those Who Made History

This is an enjoyable, interesting and engaging book from the ever-reliable Andrew Roberts.The book derives from a series of lectures on the military leadership of nine critical historical figures: Napoleon, Nelson, Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, Marshall, De Gaulle, Eisenhower, and Mrs. Thatcher.In each case Roberts provides an insightful overview, and several unique or interesting insights.For example, with regard to Marshall, Roberts speculates that the incessant insistence on an early Second Front, which would likely not have succeeded before its actual launch date in 1944, was more a matter of Marshall pushing to maintain momentum and focus, and that Marshall knew an early second front in France was not practical. This can never be confirmed, but given Marshall’s professionalism and knowledge of the actual factors in play, this seems correct. (As an aside, I have long held to a similarly unprovable notion that FDR held Marshall back from commanding Overlord, because if it failed, Eisenhower would be sacked, and Marshall would be the only person with the prestige and standing to rally a defeated army and make a second try.  Of course FDR confided in no one, so we will remain forever in the dark about his motives and thinking to an exceptional degree for a person of his public and historical stature.)Roberts provides a point-by-point rebuttal of various critiques of Eisenhower, which is nicely done.  Eisenhower in fact made very few mistakes and accomplished everything he needed to do.  Panache and dash were not necessary, and as we now know, Eisenhower was a deeper and more ruthless figure than he was believed to be in his own lifetime. Roberts’ discussion of De Gaulle is balanced and fair, and shows the mix of exasperation and respect De Gaulle has always justifiably provoked. Roberts quotes Enoch Powell about Margaret Thatcher as the Iron Lady, in a passage which was unfamiliar to me. This is one of several such novel details in the book, which deals with very well known figures. Yet there is always more to learn about even such titans as these.  Having now read five books by Roberts, I can recommend anything by him with confidence.

A very good book with nice and succinct leadership lessons from nine captivating and polarizing leaders from the last couple centuries. My one knock on it is that a few of the nine subjects don't get their "fair" and objective look at their leadership skills and, rather, the author only talks about their personal and professional flaws instead of how they achieved power.

Andrew Roberts is not simply a great historian. He is a keen observer of leadership, plumbing the depths of the characteristics and events that make a great leader such as Churchill and Nelson - or, as this slim little classic includes horrid evil leaders such as Hitler who entranced a nation into committing collective genocide. To become a leader, to find a leader - a good leader possessing virtue and courage - we must know how to look for one and identify those who are likely to ride to the occasion (or not as in the case of Hitler). This was a fun read and one in which I learned a lot. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Having recently read the excellent book by Andrew Roberts “Leadership in War”, one part of his description of the loss of Napoleon’s battle of Waterloo surprises me. In my readings I had learned that Napoleon was confined to his bed during the battle because of his illness. His generals would come to him for instructions which he readily gave them. But his timid generals did not follow his advice. For example, when the British troops were pinned against the large trees of the wilderness, his timid generals rejected his advice to attack. The British were then able to extricate themselves and win the battle. His generals, not Napoleon, lost the battle through timidity. The author does not mention this.

Each chapter of this book is superbly crafted. Professor Roberts writes about human motivations, which can be conflicting and difficult to discern. He does so clearly and concisely. He humanizes each leader, illustrating each one’s strengths and weaknesses, all the while extracting lessons for effective leadership in war.One thing that particularly struck me was the author’s theory as to why General Marshall did not waver on his insistence that a second front be created in northern France. I had never read this before. It is interesting to see historical dots connected in new ways. To find out what the theory is, buy the book.

I have read Roberts' last book on world war 2 which was touted as a new take on the war. After reading I concluded that he pulled it off, overcoming my initial skepticism. This book is a wonderful read, with insightful portraits of many key leaders. I especially liked the chapter on DeGaulle, perhaps because I don't know much about him. Roberts' has a wonderfully easy to read writing style and I plan to read more of his books. The Brits know history!

Leadership remains a fascinating topic for me. Andrew Roberts presents a fine discussion of the traits of good and bad leadership.

Everything was as described and item came in quickly!

Good book on leadership, examples from Napoleon, Churchill and Thatcher.

Roberts has distinguished himself over the years, especially as a biographer of Napoleon and Churchill. This, however, is not an in-depth study. It is more cursory, yet, very lively. Readers may find a few gems here and there, especially in the chapters on Napoleon, Nelson, Churchill, and de Gaulle. A book to be read in a day: slim and useful, especially for those interested in military history. Roberts attempts at theorizing on leadership, but refrains from trying too hard-a thing to be considered a virtue in historians. Apart from content, Amazon has delivered the book on time, which has been received in mint condition. Price was around 300 which is fair enough for this book. Ordered from the seller Uread store.

Short portraits of historic leadership figures, that are jam packed with historical details and context. They are easy to read, well paced and make you want to dig deeper. You feel the authors passion for each one of them, especially Churchill and Napoleon.Regarding the „Lessons on Leadership“, I am left a bit hanging in therms of what specific traits I can take out of it. Roberts leaves that up to you to find out.Although he tries to frame some generell conclusions in the last chapter, it does not work for me. The last chapter feels a bit „all over the place“.I enjoyed this book more as a small collection of well written leadership portraits than as a study of leadership itself.

Excellent brief accounts of nine wartime leaders - almost a Bluffers' Guide to figures such as Napoleon, Nelson, Hitler ( David Icke with a moustache ) , Churchill and Marshall etc.Being English, I naturally resent the presence of that Anglophobic Gallic goon, Charles de Gaulle,whose leadership amounted to running away to London, spending four years insulting his hosts, and then strutting through Paris absurdly proclaiming it had been liberated by itself !

This is an informative book from a world-class historian on leaders at times of war, utilised in book format from a lecture series; as a result it is much shorter than his other books.It starts off very strongly with great pieces on Nelson and Napoleon. However, it does get slightly weaker on twentieth century leaders, and focuses perhaps too much on leadership in World War 2. This obviously reflects the author's expertise and knowledge of Napoleon and the second World War in general. I do not believe that he provides a fair and balanced opinion of Hitler when assessing his leadership qualities - the personal bias appears to be reflective of the author's personal view rather than Hitler's leadership style.Roberts' conclusion could also be better. His theory is that military leaders do not have one set of characteristics that set them apart from others. Whilst some had certain personality traits and strengths, these were certainly not common to all. Still a good read, well-priced and worth buying for the chapters on Nelson, Napoleon and de Gaulle alone.