Watching business battles from the top

The normal view “is that once a leader decides on war, he should stand aside and let the generals fight it without political interference. This view is analogous to the terror of micromanaging that is a standard feature of the advice in business books in recent years. The idea is that a chief executive is supposed to think big thoughts, set direction and then let people do their jobs without interference. Indeed, nowadays the chief executive is supposed to be a coach and a cheerleader more than anything else. In wartime, according to Mr. Cohen, that is nonsense. In four fascinating case studies, the author demonstrates that Lincoln, Clemenceau, Churchill and Ben-Gurion continually challenged and questioned their generals, mastered immense quantities of detail and, in important instances, overruled their advice. In all four cases, Mr. Cohen shows that these habits played a crucial role in achieving victory.” (Link)