Before Montgomery arrived in North Africa, the British Eighth Army was defeated, demoralized, and convinced that Rommel was invincible. In two weeks, Monty made them believe they were the best army in the world.
Monty ignored dress regulations. He wore a simple black tanker's beret with two badges. He handed out cigarettes. He stood on jeeps and gave speeches. He created a "personal brand" that was recognizable instantly. He wasn't a distant aristocrat; he was "our Monty."
His first order was to destroy all plans for retreat. "There will be no withdrawal," he said. "We will stand and fight here. If we can't stay here alive, then let us stay here dead." This brutal clarity actually relaxed the men. They stopped looking over their shoulders and started looking forward.
Montgomery understood that confidence is a variable you can engineer. He engineered it through:
He started with small, guaranteed victories to build the habit of winning.
He believed every private soldier should know the plan. "When a man knows what he attacks, and why, he is twice as brave."