Genesis of Leadership

This is an extraordinary mythical conversation about leadership between six top military leaders in history. COL (Retd) SG MEHDI ingeniously tracks the elements of command that has not changed over the ages

The aim of this paper is to discover both the inherent qualities which successful commanders possess and the extraneous conditions which are necessary to the successful exercise of command.

The paper is divided into three parts as under :-

Part I :- It is devoted to a brief study of leadership throughout the ages and covers the following personalities:-

Alexander, Hannibal, Scipio, Jengiz Khan, Marlborough, Napoleon.

Part II:- The period of study is the Second World War. It is based on the following three commanders :-

Rommel, Wavell, Montgomery.

Part III:- An attempt has been made to come to conclusion on the inherent qualities of of a successful commander and extraneous conditions that appear to affect successful exercise of command.

According to the belief of Muslims, the soul of a man at his death goes to an intermediate place in heaven, called Barzakh. There it rests till the day of judgment. The great captains of the world have formed an exclusive Military Club in Barzakh. The Selection Committee of this club meets every decade to induct new members.

The following comprise the Selection Committee:-

Chairman for 1950 A.D. Session ----- Alexander

Members for --------do--------- ---- Hannibal

                     --------do-------- ----- Scipio

                     --------do-------- ----- Jengiz Khan

                     --------do-------- ----- Marlborough

                     --------do-------- ----- Napoleon

Clerk of the Court 1950 A.D. -------- Clausewitz

Liaison Officer on Earth (1950 A.D.) ----- Mehdi

Agenda for 1950 A.D. Session :-

(a) To discuss the inherent qualities which a great commander should possess.

(b) To review the applications of the following :-

Rommel, Wavell