Till today, the counter-insurgency operations during the Malayan Emergency in 1952 led by Sir Gerald Templer, is hailed as one of the few successful military campaigns ever in Western military history.
Time magazine named Templer as “The Smiling Tiger” and British officials remembered him as a leader with ‘dynamic energy’ that inspired a change in Malayan nationals morale which eventually led to its independent parliamentary democracy in 1957.
Templer combined vigorous military operations with political reforms designed to win the ‘hearts and minds’ of the racially divided Malayan community.
“The answer lies not in pouring more soldiers into the jungle, but in the hearts and minds of the Malayan people… The shooting side of this business is only 25 percent of the trouble and the other 75 lies in getting the people of this country behind us,” said Templer.
If we fast forward to the present day, we can see that Templer’s wisdom is very much relevant for today’s leaders. Leadership today requires nurturing of both the heart and the mind of their followers.
What will you do today to start winning the hearts and minds in your organization? How will you inspire your followers?
Gobinathan Manickam 