The Greatest Piece on Leadership You’ve Never Read!

A little controversial again perhaps, but the greatest piece on leadership you’ve never read is a thought provoking, soldier’s analysis of how to be a leader (and not the reflections that follow in the attached document).

It is the transcript of an historic speech delivered by Major C. A. Bach in 1917. Bach was an instructor at the Second Training Camp at Fort Sheridan, and he gave the speech at the graduation of a class of infantry officers heading for the Western Front in Europe. It was his farewell instructions on how to be a leader.

The speech was so well received that the graduating officers wanted copies to take with them to the Army and re-read so they could follow the guidance. It was also published in full in the Daily Times Herald in Waco, Texas.

In 1942, it was identified by Senator Henrik Shipton as the best composition on leadership ever recorded and it was printed as Congressional Document No. 289. So, what makes Bach’s speech so powerful?

It focuses on the leader, not the officer. Officer is a rank, role, or position – being a leader is something more.

Bach had risen through the ranks and so had observed leadership from different perspectives. He had developed an understanding of what works, in a very practical sense, and what does not.

The key themes in the speech stand the test of time. Bach states them as, know yourself, know your job, and know your men, which can also be considered as self-awareness, professional competence, and people development.

The speech may well be over 100 years old and from the time of horses, hay, and war, but it has several lessons in leadership that are relevant at any time and in any context. In his speech Bach talks about officers but he can just as easily be talking about managers and leaders, his comments about being copied by those who we lead are as relevant today as they were in 1917. He specifically highlights that followers will do as their leader does, rather than what they say. A leader’s behaviour must match their words, and set the standard for others to aspire too, or they will lose respect, crucial for successful leadership.

The themes and suggestions in Bach’s words link directly to some of the classic thoughts and texts on leadership, business, and psychology. His observational and practical approach to leadership was well ahead of his time. I would encourage anyone who is serious about developing as a leader to dig into some, or all, of the following, while recognising that the transcript of Bach’s speech are an excellent place to start. Bach’s key themes can be summarised as:

On Paternalism: Eric Berne and Transactional Analysis (1957)

On Motivation: Abraham Maslow and The Hierarchy of Human Need (1943)

On Vision: Stephen Covey and 7 Habits of Highly Effective People (1989)

On Selfless Leadership: Jim Collins and Good to Great (2001)

On Toxic Leadership: Philip Zimbardo and the Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)

On Knowing People: Viscount Slim and Defeat into Victory (1956)

On Prioritising Others: Simon Sinek and Leaders Eat Last (2014)

The linked PDF below contains the full transcript of Bach’s speech, and some expanded reflections of my own. The quality is in Bach’s words, not mine, and I encourage you to read that section of the attachment and to reflect on it for yourself.

Read the Bach speech PDF here: