Templar had been given vague direction by the Churchill government to “make things better”. But he pestered his political masters until they delivered a definitive goal: ready Malaya for independence by 1960.

That enabled Templar to set out the mission for his regiment – and allowed him to set the first of six key pillars of leadership: clarity of purpose. Once a clear goal was in place, everything else – pacification, establishment of civil institutions, sound administration – could flow through.

Second was get the organisation right. Templar had a reputation for closing down departments that couldn’t explain why they existed – and only opening them again when someone else noticed their disappearance and said they couldn’t cope without them.

Third, get in the right people. Collins conceded that in military life – and more so in business – it’s hard simply to remove “bad” people from the equation. But by understanding their characteristics, you can allocate them to the most appropriate – and sometimes least destructive – roles.

The fourth key is getting the right spirit into the organisation – in the British army, with its regimental system, this means loyalty to the badge and to your colleagues.

Fifth, get your day-to-day instructions right. “Your people have to know what they have to do,” said Collins. “Give your orders, then consult with the departments and get them to report back to you what they have understood they’ve been asked to do.”

Finally, said the colonel, “let them get on with it.”

Collins’s point was that once you have “a man and a plan” – the right leader, team, ethos and a clear mission – the job is done. Tinkering doesn’t help.