On page 207 of “Wellington and Napoleon” by Robin Neillands, he shares how Wellington had problems on November 10, 1813, the night after the Nivelle battles. 

Wellington’s Spanish troops pillaged the town of Ascain.  They looted and set fire to houses. Although the Spaniards were useful during the fighting and they gave Wellington a larger army than Napoleon’s French commander, Soult, Wellington decided that they must be returned to Spain.

Keeping one small division, he sent the rest of the Spanish troops back across the Pyrenees.  Although a much smaller now, his army consisted of excellent quality soldiers.

Leadership Lesson: even if it is among your own men or your allies, get rid of the ones that are a problem.

Wellington focused on the quality of his troops, not the size, and that, partially learned from his time with Sir John Moore, allowed him to eventually win at Waterloo!

• Are you improving the quality of your troops?  If so, how?

• Are you getting rid of the ones that are a problem?

• How do you teach your other leaders to assess their troops regularly?

For better lives and increased results, especially if some of your troops are looting and setting fire to houses, give our expert guides a call at 800-786-4332 or email JSabatini@AppliedVisionWorks.com.  Your success is in plain sight.  It just takes determination and action and only takes 30 minutes to get started!