The Habit of Excellence: Why British Army Leadership Works

by Langley Sharp

The Habit of Excellence is a unique insight into British Army leadership, explaining what makes it unique, what makes it so effective, and what civilians can take from it to become better leaders themselves. Developed in some of the most demanding situations imaginable over centuries of war and peace, Army leadership is a sophisticated endeavour that has kept pace with societal change and the challenges of the modern world. In the military, the stakes couldn't be higher, and exceptional leadership is crucial every day.

Drawing on the latest research in military history, sociology, psychology and behavioural science and with compelling illustration from British Army operations across the centuries, Lieutenant Colonel Langley Sharp MBE goes beyond the latest leadership fads to distil into one peerlessly authoritative work the essence of leading and leadership from one of the world's most revered institutions. It is essential reading for leaders and followers no matter what organisation they work for - it is essential reading for the world today.

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Leadership

320 pages, Hardcover

Published October 15, 2021

Reviews

[Espen Stølan Holten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les denne for å få et godt bilde av hvordan britene tenker rundt roller for OR og OF, og deres samarbeid.

Ellers lesbar.

[Mr R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, well structured, if dry explanation of leadership as taught by the British Army. Good to read if you are off to Sandhurst. This is a very orthodox account.

[Jack Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The British Army, whether one agrees with the nature of the organisation or not, presents its members with some truly unique circumstances and with that comes a lot of lessons. However, this isn’t just a book of retelling jingoistic renditions of war stories, in fact only a handful of these are included. Where this book truly excels is breaking down many of these unique leadership challenges the British Army creates and doing this in a manner that truly allows the reader to reach their own circumstances. Some of these subjects include the differences on leading a team during peacetime (in Barracks) and on operations, particularly when it comes to motivating and inspiring soldiers with their training when in peacetime.

A personal favourite for me, as a history buff, is the opening chapter which talks through the history of Army leadership. It was particularly interesting reading officers initially didn’t like the idea of a Staff Academy as they believed all the training one officer would need can be learned through the Regiment!

One final point I want to add is that, unless you’re in the military and find it interesting, there are a couple of sticky points where it runs through the entire leadership career pathways for both Officers and Soldiers. But what I will add to this, as I would with any book, is just to read with an open mind and try to learn as much you can. Langley Sharp is truly a great leader and an equally as humble character and any word he writes is a word that can be trusted.

[Soumya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before listening to this as an audiobook I was under the assumption that military leadership was all autocratic and expecting teams to follow orders blindly. This book quashed those assumptions completely! Lt. Col Langly Sharp’s performance was relatable to even a 35 year old British Indian Woman with no prior knowledge or passion about the military but I am now considering enlisting (if I can get myself into shape to pass the fitness test). I love the servant leadership philosophy the book covers.

An excerpt that will stick with me: “Service and leadership do not exist in opposition to one another, but as compliments. Through the service mindset a leader gains credibility and trust to lead by consent. While soldiers don’t get to choose their leadership, they do ultimately get to choose how they follow. The ability to lead directly arises from the willingness to serve.”

Highly recommend this book to everyone regardless of whether they are interested in the military as there are some life lessons applicable to all current and aspiring leaders.

[Stanislav Stoev · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wouldn't call the narrative boring, there is a lot to understand and take from it. If you want to be a leader or just a better person - it is a good book for this, just don't expect too much excitement and there are probably better ones, that won't feel so dry. For me the book was interesting in the parts where it tells the history of the British army and the stories related, however - the reviews which say that it will be mostly interesting to those who are about to go to Sandhurst are on point.

[Jamie Bowen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent book on leadership written by the Head of the Centre for Army Leadership in Sandhurst. Full of insight and lessons on how this can be used in the real world, particularly the sections on servant leadership.

[Dipra Lahiri · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chose to read this as I was interested in how the armed forces codify a subject as amorphous as leadership. What struck me and will probably remain with me is the maxim on leadership conduct - "serve to lead", which is really a pithy encapsulation of the book.

[Ethan Santos-Gardner · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid book explaining the fundamentals of what makes good leadership in the British Army. Particularly useful for aspiring and active officers and NCOs.

The use of historical examples really helped in relaying the main focus of each theme.

[Scott E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably 75% military history and 25% leadership insight. While maybe not what I was looking for, was interesting and well written to the point of it not being an issue

[Steve Bailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting read with lessons on leadership which can be applied to any context.

[Barun Das · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a newly-minted manager, I am eager to learn best management practices from everywhere. This book was a great introduction to the subject.

[So · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and humbling treatise on (military) leadership. Especially worthy if one is able to reflect ones own experiences with the wisdom accumulated in this book.

[Tobias Finch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book regarding the disciplines of leadership. The last chapter regarding ‘The Future’ was superb and you could really feel this was what the writer was building up towards.