in 1943 the War Officers Selection Board headquarters was based near me in North London. In the bohemian neighbourhood of Hampstead, a group of psychiatrists set about to determine what makes a good leader—an existential question when deciding who to select, train and entrust with the lives of others during combat.
What emerged from this exercise is that social class, education, gender and athletic ability were less important for leadership than the capacity for an individual to attend to others in the group.