If you have read my previous posting you will note that two of the Four Pillars of Leadership are Courage and Candor. One of the individuals in history who has influenced me for decades is Generaloberst Freiherr Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord. Whew! That's a mouthful! Let me tell you a little about him. I assure you it is worth the time to read on.
Von Hammerstein-Equord was a career German Army general of no real historical distinction. He was, however, a brilliant officer. Early in his career he was identified as such and sent to the Imperial War College to become a General Staff officer. The German General Staff were the cream of the crop. The school lasted for three years and each year many washed out. The General Staff basically ran the German Army for over 100 years. Regardless of a General Staff officer's rank, he was well respected for his accomplishments and competence. It should be noted that a condition imposed on the West Germans when they asked to be able to form a new army (The Bundeswehr) in the mid 1950's, was that there would be NO German General Staff corps. They were that good.
Von Hammerstein-Equord served with minor distinction in the First World War in a General Staff officer role and remained in the army thereafter..
The Treaty of Versailles mandated that the defeated Germans could have an army, but it could not number more than 100,000 men. Keep in mind that at the end of the war, millions of German soldiers were still fighting. With a severe economic depression and political chaos awaiting all demobilized soldiers, remaining in the army was not an unattractive option for many. There were lots of experienced officers and non-commissioned officers wanting in. The Reichswehr (as it was called) was broken down into two groups: 5,000 officers and 95,000 enlisted men and NCOs. Many former officers from the war were reduced to sergeant rank in order to stay in the Army. As many Germans felt they had been sold out by their leaders when Germany surrendered, one of the purposes of the 100,000 man army was to have this group serve as a cadre for rapidly mobilizing should the need arise in the future (even then they expected another war might happen). So with that breakdown, one would assume that the 5,000 officers in the Reichswehr were top notch.
The 1920's were tumultuous years in Germany. There was runaway inflation and several political parties violently vying for power. Von Hammerstein-Equord was promoted to Chief of the German High Command in 1930. He held that position until 1934 and retired. If you know your history, he was leaving the army at about the time Hitler was rising to power (Hitler was made Chancellor of Germany in 1933). He was very outspoken regarding Hitler's rise and even told Hitler in 1932 that if he instigated a coup-de-tats that he would order his troops to shoot Hitler's men. Von Hammerstein regarded himself as a servant of the German state, not of its political parties. I tell you this to let you know that von Hammerstein-Equord had nerves of steel and was committed to his country...his competence was a given.
So, how did he describe his elite officer corps (the cream...the 5,000)?
As Chief of the Army High Command, von Hammerstein-Equord oversaw the composition of the German manual on military unit command (Truppenfuehrung) dated 17 October, 1933. He originated a special classification scheme for his officers. He wrote:
"I divide my officers into four classes; the clever, the lazy, the industrious and the stupid. Most often two of these qualities come together. The officers who, are clever and industrious are fitted for the highest staff appointments. Those who are stupid and lazy...can be used for routine work. The man who is clever and lazy, however, is for the very highest command (positions); he has the temperament and nerves to deal with all situations. But the officer who is stupid and industrious is a menace and must be removed immediately."
The interesting thing about this story to me is that he was describing a corps of 5,000 officers who had been subjected to a vigorous selection process before being appointed as officers in the new army. I guess it also goes to show that there is somewhat of a Bell Curve in any grouping of individuals...even the best. It also reemphasizes that we simply cannot afford in any organization to retain managers who are deemed "a menace" (for whatever reason).
Courage, Candor, Competence and Commitment; the Four Pillars of Leadership, are here demonstrated in a most unlikely source. http://www.esiassoc.com/ http://www.michaelkburroughs.com/
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