An aggressive commander needs methodical planners and staff who communicate when the commander is occupied elsewhere. Somerville, a trained communications officer, could have sent contact updates to the Grand Fleet without waiting for Beatty to ask. Once the Germans already knew where the British force was, broadcasting its situation would supply information the fleet needed. His signals training would also reduce the risk of mistakes with flags, whereas Seymour lacked that specialist background. Beatty's difficulty was recognising his weaknesses and choosing people able to compensate for them. Some weaknesses can be improved through training; others call for a complementary specialist whose advice the leader consciously heeds. A team made up of people with similar strengths can reproduce the same blind spots. Different backgrounds can help bring different approaches, but do not guarantee them.
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A commander's staff must compensate for their weaknesses
Beatty needed staff who would supply routine contact reports, accurate signals, and methodical planning when his attention was on action.