I was an army captain. Here’s what Liz Truss got wrong about leadership

The former PM gave the impression of being a new lieutenant who failed to create the right environment around her

Had Liz Truss followed a few simple rules of leadership, she might have survived. Instead, she ploughed on regardless.

The army teaches us to analyse our mistakes, and once understood, analyse them again for lessons to be learned. That is how high performance cultures are created.

Liz Truss bowing out of the limelight should not stop us examining where her leadership went so wrong, so we might learn ourselves.

At the heart of every military unit are pairings of very experienced senior non commissioned officers, and a junior officer: a lieutenant who is a generalist The relationship between chancellor and prime minister is not so dissimilar.

In the PM, we need a person who creates an environment where their team can flourish. The chancellor is a role of much more focused depth, on the economy. The broader the role a leader inhibits, the more they must seek the advice and judgement of others.

Political leaders seem to possess a misguided sense of the value that a leader brings to a situation. A leader’s role is to create a culture where others can bring the solution, not to provide every answer. Despite Truss’s extensive ministerial portfolios, the former PM gave the impression of being a new lieutenant who failed to create the right environment around her. She was in desperate need of a strong mentor.

What can be learnt?

1.     Value experience.

If you have to work in an environment that is uncertain, you must have people around you who aren’t learning on the job. Truss’s cabinet was distinct in containing many new ministers, at a time of drastic national uncertainty.

2.     Loyalty is not a one way street.

Arguably the final act for Truss was the sacking of Kwasi Kwarteng and the fracking vote. Having waged her leadership campaign on unfunded tax cuts; in removing the chancellor, she demonstrated disloyalty to her own campaign – not just him. The disastrous fracking vote and associated behaviour laid bare the disloyalty and fractured nature of the Conservative Party for all to see.

3.     Even leaders can say sorry.

It’s hard to put aside the fact that Truss and Kwarteng – overnight – cost families up and down the country millions in increased mortgage payments alone. But, if you are a leader, it is OK to apologise for making mistakes. Rightly, we are not quick to forgive such a huge negative impact on our lives, but the act of an apology – and contrition – can be a vastly underrated act for a modern leader.

4.     Humility and self awareness enables you to receive good advice from your team.

Truss has become renowned for not taking the advice of experts. Some of the best leaders I’ve worked with – from businesses to the elite end of the military – are acutely aware of their own limitations, but have developed the ability to heed the advice pf those around them. Liz Truss missed this same awareness; building a cabinet around her who were exceptional in their unconditional support for her leadership campaign. Placing this singular quality – agreement – above ministerial experience, sound judgement and divergent views is a fool’s errand.

5.     There’s a time and place for bold action – this was not it.

At a time of enormous national upheaval, the former prime minister poured fuel on the flames. In the aftermath of the Queen’s passing, with the economy on the rocks post Covid and Brexit, Truss’s attempt to throw the economic rule book out of the window was not well timed.

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The country now requires a time of good, calm and humble leadership. Lurching from one prime minister to another might satisfy the childhood ambitions of Conservative MPs, but does nothing to address the country’s need for a leader who can be trusted to lead us through the next decade.

I expect that person will take a leaf out of the former PM’s failure and demonstrate some humility, loyalty and judgment. It seems clear to me that Keir Starmer is already doing that.

Mike Crofts is a former British Army Captain who served two tours of Afghanistan. He is is now the CEO of human performance company Amodigo and the founder of criminal justice charity 3Pillars Project