Effective assessment is absolutely critical to ensure staff aren't in the wrong position for the skills they possess.

This was the message from Major General Patrick Cordingley, commander of the British Army’s Desert Rats in the first Gulf War. He was speaking at an event organised by fintech and trading technology staffing specialist Harrington Starr at Ironmongers' hall in the City of London this morning.

General Cordingley told delegates there had been occasions in the first Gulf War where officers had been sacked after assessment of their body language, which clearly demonstrated they were not coping with the war situation.

"The real problem is until you get into that situation you don't know whether they are going to be rational or not.

"Assessment is terribly important. You have to have the courage to look someone in the face and say 'sunshine, you're not sophisticated and unless you improve you're not going to make it to the top'.”

Business, he added, should ensure leaders making the people assessments were brave enough to say when others weren’t doing a good job. 

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