[December 8, 2019] One dominant theme in the study of leadership is to prove oneself worthy of holding the mantle of responsibility. A successful leader is one who has built a reputation for accountability, trustworthiness, and sound judgment.1 How one does this is subject to debate. But when a leader is tested in the crucible of fire, there can be no argument.
“When soldiers have been baptized in the fire of a battlefield, they have all one rank in my eyes.” – Napoléon Bonaparte
My experience has been that all soldiers in uniform are equal in their honorable service to the nation. Rank to the side as a factor, they each carry an equal responsibility to protect and defend the nation against all enemies and to follow the orders of those officers appointed over them. They swear by that in an oath of enlistment or upon commissioning.
Informally, however, that is not what is practiced. Soldiers who perform honorably in combat with the enemy, those who are exposed to the dangers of the battlefield, and those who are experienced with the intricacies, difficulties, and privatations of battle are held in higher esteem. They have been baptized in battle, and any commander will look to them as one with the idea of true soldiering.
“Ya gotta prove ya-self.” Sergeant Alexander Lebedev was a Vietnam soldier who had earned three Purple Heart medals and a Silver Star Medal for bravery. His resume was chalked full of experiences a few of us will ever experience or hope to see. He talked with a Russian accent and was always blunt when he talked. His mission was to prove that he could do whatever job I gave him.
There is a special bond with those you serve with in combat. It doesn’t mean that we are better than those who were never “over there.” But it means we have demonstrated that we will not retreat when the going gets tough, and we can be relied upon to do the hard work necessary to accomplish any mission. It builds confidence, but that is not what commanders see in them.
Proving yourself worthy of the admiration of others is a tough mission. If you can do it, you stand among the many that have shown courage, perseverance, and fortitude. Commanders can sense this. Sergeant Lebedev showed me the way.
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Great article, thank you Gen. Satterfield.
I would think that another title would also have worked.
“When Baptized in FIRE” What do you think?
I like your suggestion. Best title so far!
Excellent, thanks. Most folks still have no clue what you are writing about, Gen. Satterfield. Too many these days think that just because they show up, they deserve the trophy. Participation may be important to some but winning is the real value.
General Satterfield, you got me to thinking with this article. So, I appreciate you pushing my brain a little more than it normally gets pushed in a day. My thoughts are that it is human to be closer to those who have made things happen. That is a social desire that is deep inside our psyche. Again, thanks for a great article. Have a wonderful day and holiday season.
Merry Christmas. Oh, did I actually write that. I hope everyone here has a great Christmas season. Now, if you are so weak as to believe saying Merry Christmas is an insult, then you need to get off this forum. If you are Jewish, then you can say to me ‘Happy Hanukkah” and I will be appreciative. I don’t expect a Jewish person to wish me a Happy Christmas but if they do fine. Just thinking out loud. Oh, yes I did write this!!! Ha Ha Ha Ha ????
There you go again, Janna, insulting intellectual snowflakes. Like shooting fish in a barrel and not challenging.
Could be onto something here, Valkerie. I suggest you read the psychologist Carl Young who wrote some great things in this area of academic study. He was highly intelligent and reading his writings is difficult but read others who summarized his main ideas and you will find them very useful and surprising.
Hey, thanks Kenny for the suggestion.
Fortunately for me, I’ve finally finished taking out the trash for the garbage men and now am relaxing with my morning cup of coffee with my dog at my side. Couldn’t start the day better. Now, with the subject at hand ‘when baptized in battle’ should I say that this is a great comment. Those who show they can stand up under the harshest of circumstances, they are seen by leaders as being among the best, most reliable, and trustworthy. Protesting, commie windbag snowflake students haven’t a clue what we’re discussing here because they are intellectually blind.
“Purposeful” intellectual blindness is all too common, especially among the young who have been taught that they are morally superior to those of us in ‘flyover’ country.
Yes, Albert. Emphasis on the word ‘purposeful.’ The reason is when folks are told they are superior to others then they start to act that way and never question their own inability to empathize or understand. Cheers!
Great comment, Max, as usual. Thanks for getting my morning started out properly.
I’ve found that when you are able to “prove yourself worthy” of others, then you have achieved something very significant.
Hi Doug, haven’t seen you on Gen. Satterfield’s blog in a while. I agree with what you are writing here. That is why humans are able to make informed judgments. We are able to look into the future (however inaccurately matters not) and decide between what is good and what is likely to be of lesser good. We make decisions and move on. That’s what we do.
Yes, Doug and very relevant point, thanks.
Thanks for pointing this out Ronny. I agree with both you and Doug that proving yourself is a human “thing” but it goes deeper than that. I believe some of this is innate. In other words, we are born with certain talents and proclivities and those are shaped by our culture. Then we do as we wish, so a little free will interjected. That is what makes us unique.
I think we are going full retro with this comment. In the 1800s there was a long desire to equate our behavior at the biological level and lesser to free will. Now we see somewhat of a reversal of this and now back to innate qualities. Not deterministic but still highly influential.