Management Tips From The Life And Career of Erwin Rommel- The Desert Fox

His exploits and skill in battle notwithstanding, even a casual read of his biography and military career reveals that he often ignored his colleagues while making important decisions in battle. Moreover his charisma often colored the vision of not only his soldiers, but also the enemies', with the possible outcome that he was pampered¹ and his excesses were tolerated².

¹Rommel won many battles in Africa in 1941 and 1942 against British forces that always outnumbered him and generally had better supply lines, through aggressive action. On several occasions he violated direct orders not to attack.

But his eagerness to drive for Egypt, when the necessary logistical support was lacking, meant that these drives ultimately failed with great losses. Rommel perceived "unique opportunities" in capturing Egypt and perhaps the Middle East. This result would definitely have had a huge impact on the course of the war,

but his grand vision was never supported by Hitler nor the General Staff in Berlin to the extent that Rommel desired. Nevertheless, he received all the troops that the African theater could support, despite the pressing need for them on the Eastern Front.

His forces also got more support and equipment than other formations of similar size and importance, such as an unusually large number of motor vehicles.

 ²Only three weeks after assuming command of the 7th Panzer Division in February 1940, Rommel found a battalion commander performing below par and had the man relieved of command and sent on his way in 90 minutes.

There may be some tips for today's managers in this

• ... Rommel's repeated defiance of his orders and attempts to advance beyond a reasonable distance from his bases, however, was mistaken and should never have been tolerated.
• "There exists a real danger that our friend Rommel is becoming a kind of magical or bogey-man to our troops, who are talking far too much about him. He is by no means a superman, although he is undoubtedly very energetic and able.
  
  Even if he were a superman, it would still be highly undesirable that our men should credit him with supernatural powers" and he ended the memo with the line "I am not jealous of Rommel.",
  
  British General Claude Auchinleck, one of Rommel's opponents in Africa, in a letter to his field commanders.

Also, whenever a single individual, or a group attempts to, or actually begins to grow too big for their shoes, it's generally not a good sign for the organization. Historians will be able to give umpteen examples where this has happened.

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