One need only look to the experience of Field Marshal William Slim (the 1 st Viscount Slim) for unambiguous evidence that the ability to push forward with preparation, hard work, and learning from failure matters most in overcoming adversity and succeeding in battle. The lack of food, the lack of this or that are only excuses the real leader displays

“The truly great leader overcomes all difficulties, and campaigns and battlesĪre nothing but a long series of difficulties to be overcome. His quality in his triumphs over adversity, however great it may be.” 3This underscores that success, in no small measure, is contingent on the ability to prepare, adapt, and act decisively to overcome otherwise seemingly insurmountable challenges. Lieutenant-General Arthur Ernest Percival’s surrender to the Japanese 25 thArmy under the command of Lieutenant-General Tomoyuki Yamashita at Singapore – the largest surrender in British military history – offers stark evidence of such leadership failure. 2 Major defeats also are attributable in no small measure to commanders who failed to meet this test. Numerous great commanders including Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Henry V, Washington, Field Marshal Arthur Wellesley 1 st Duke of Wellington, Grant, and Eisenhower among other leaders too numerous to name had to learn from surprise, shock or even failure and persevere through adversity. Why Resiliency Matters: Lessons from History This article examines why creating and sustaining resiliency matters to increase the odds of success in warfare. In fact, resiliency is a recurrent theme with history offering multiple examples reaching back from antiquity to the modern era where initial setbacks during a battle or even a campaign did not result in ultimate defeat, just as victory is not guaranteed by early success. Individual and organizational resiliency are irreplaceable elements in accomplishing tactical tasks, sustaining military operations, and accomplishing mission outcomes during overt hostilities. ”Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”īecause the nature of war remains constant across millennia, resiliency is one of the central attributes of successful commanders, individual service members, and units when confronted by surprise on the battlefield or shifts in the character of war.

William slim defeat into victory