In August 1942, General Montgomery arrived in North Africa to take command of the British 8th Army. Within a few days he began replacing the senior officers. One of his new corps commanders was Brian Horrocks, who had last seen action in France in 1940 as commander of an infantry battalion, after which he had been promoted quickly to leadership of a Division.
Montgomery put Horrocks in charge of stopping Rommel's last offensive in what has become known as the Battle of Alam Halfa. The British defenses held and Rommel was forced to withdraw. Horrocks was understandably pleased with himself until a liaison officer from 8th Army headquarters brought a letter from Montgomery. It began:
"Well done — but you must remember that you are now a corps commander and not a divisional commander..."
To read the full, original article click on this link: Memo to the Boss: Don't Do My Job For Me - Stephen Bungay - Harvard Business Review
