But it is Montecuccoli’s fourth method which has the most convincing ring to modern ears, ‘developing confidence’. Let the captain, he says, show that

he himself is lighthearted and full of hope by means of his facial expression, his words and his dress. His visage should be severe, his eyes intrepid and luminous, and his clothing flamboyant. He should banter with his men, be clever and witty. They will then deduce that their general could not jest and enjoy himself like that if there were any real danger, if he did not think that he was much stronger or if he did not have good reason to scorn the enemy. The troops are bound to take confidence.

‘The first quality of an officer,’ wrote the future Marshal Lyautey in 1894, ‘is gaiety,’ independently echoing the point that Montecuccoli makes.
–John Keegan, The Mask of Command