Onward Christian Soldiers

Today we LQers had a lovely birthday party at the Abarbanel's house. It was actually more like the Mad Hatter's party for two reasons:
1) it was a very un-birthday day: although we were celebrating Sarah's 9th (April 11th), and one for Christy, Susana, Kat and myself, it wasn't anyone's birthday today;
2) It was mad. Always is at the Abarbahome. But in a very good split-your-side-laughing-at-and-with-each-other kind of way. I would love to tell you one funny story but we all promised Dan that we wouldn't. Thank you Sarah for sharing your birthday party with us.

When I got home I watched an episode of the "Band of Brothers." Aside from all the violence it is GREAT. My loving Uncle Paul recommended it to me a while ago, but I didn't ever get the opportunity to watch it until now. (Susana let me borrow it. She borrowed it from her Chinese friend Windel. Thanks Windel.) I have started watching an episode every other night or so, justifying this in part because there is much to learn in it about leadership. (LEADER-Quest)

Anyway, so there are a few of good things that I'd like to share about leadership from the movie:

1) Good leaders are good soldiers. (Though good soldiers don't necessarily make good leaders.) Good leaders must have a good instinct about what to do.

2) A good leader doesn't hesitate. He knows what needs to be done and then he is the first one to do it. Even when it isn't easy.

3) Leaders who don't make decisions are BAD leaders. Like Lieutenant Duke in episode 6: when he gets killed in an attack, the whole company is happy because he really didn't know how to be a soldier anyway. (This may related to the first one.)

4) Good leaders care about the men beneath them. This may be the most important. Captain Winters has the respect and trust of the soldiers not only because he is good at what he does, but because they know that he really cares about what happens to them.

These are just a few that have been flitting in and out of my mind.

g'nite all.
z.

p.s. we are learning things about leadership in the program itself too. but sometimes it's easier to get sound bytes out of something that is not your own life. ask me to synthesize and process this whole experience later please, it's almost 1 am.