As well as great military triumphs, I studied defeats too – they are as much a part of football management as victories, after all – and you can compare the organisational brilliance of Napoleon to the disaster of the Battle of Balaclava and the Charge of the Light Brigade.
One summer, I travelled out to Crimea to witness the scene of that tragic charge by the bravest of brave men.
Lord Raglan, the British commander-in-chief, was based on the high ground and could see everything in the Russian positions and the brigades.
His order to attack was ambiguous and although Lord Cardigan, who led the charge, questioned it, he still followed it through – leading to one of the most infamous military disasters in history.
It should never have happened but, just as in football, leadership and communication from the top was key. The instructions were passed down from Raglan to Lord Lucan to Cardigan and became garbled – too many cooks, in my opinion!
The last book which really stuck with me, in terms of inspiring me as a leader, was the story of HMS Endurance – disaster strikes during a journey through the ice fields of the southern hemisphere when the ship becomes stuck.
I cannot do justice to the deeds of Sir Ernest Shackleton in this column but his leadership of his men, along with his number two Frank Worsley, was extraordinary.
Both dovetailed in a way that gave their men the energy, desire and determination to believe and follow instructions in the most appalling conditions, never once questioning their leaders’ abilities to help them survive.
Over the years, I’ve never stopped reading about, or watching, great leaders like that – there is so much that young coaches can learn from other sports or history that will benefit then, the same way it did me.
Going to games was still the most important thing when I was between jobs, because I would always believe my own eyes when watching players.
There were times when that became more of a challenge, especially at the back end of my career, but times change and if you are not in tune with what is happening in the game then you can get dropped very quickly.
But I am sure that most of my managerial compatriots would also agree with me that experience in all walks of life can be invaluable.
I learned so much when I was out of work, about all aspects of leadership, individually and collectively.
My advice to managers out of work now is the same that I received from Jim, all those years ago – pick yourselves up and get off the sofa to get back in work as quickly as possible.
You should never be afraid of dropping down a level the way I did, too. It is better to get a job, any job, than be out of football full-stop. That hasn’t changed since my day, either.
Tony Pulis was speaking to BBC Sport’s Chris Bevan.
