Exploring Boss Vs. Leader Through HBO's Band of Brothers
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- Опубликовано: 29 сен 2024
- Heroes and Villains Leadership Fables Presents "Musings off the Set"
Episode 2: Exploring Boss Vs. Leader Through HBO's Band of Brothers
In this episode of Leadership Fables: "Musings Off Of The Set" we will explore "Boss Vs. Leader" through HBO's hit mini-series "Band of Brothers."
Find Episode 1, "Rediscovering My Top Three Values" here: • Rediscovering My Top T...
Thank you for watching.
Show: Band of Brothers Episode 1: Currahee
Band of Brothers Episode 2: Day of Days
Band of Brothers Episode 3: Carentan
Band of Brothers Episode 8: The Patrol
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The problem with this analysis is that EVERY member of Easy Company who was interviewed agreed that Sobel deserves the credit for making E Company the best company in the 506th PIR. They hated him, but they all agree on this. The fact that Sobel made their training so much harder and abusive at Toccoa paid great dividends once they were in combat. So, sometimes you need a "boss" rather than a "leader". It's a matter of the right tool for the right job. Sobel was the perfect C.O. to train E Company, and Winters was the perfect C.O. to lead the men in combat. Winters was also able to be an inclusive, fatherly leader because he had little to no problem with discipline with his men. Any discipline problems had been ruthlessly weeded out by Sobel.
I guess that's why the Army and Marine Corps developed the Drill Sergeant and Drill Instructor cadre for that reason. Have the hard men that put you through hell in your initial training and have the developed leaders be the ones you meet at your line unit. Of course, it's not a perfect system. I've had great NCOs and horrible NCOs as my gun chief when I was in the Army. I was lucky enough, though, to have excellent junior officers in my old unit during my entire enlistment.
Spot on!
I agree about Captain Sobel, with that said as a training officer he did a remarkable job with Easy Co. As for being a combat leader, no he would have gotten most of Easy Co men and himself killed by his lack of patients, tact, and his inability to adjust his men while engaged with the enemy. He not only has issues were combat was concerned, he had navigational issues as well, most of the other Officers and all of the NCOs recognized that, and all the NCOs in the 501st turned in a resignation letter to draw attention to his major and fatal flaws as a combat leader. Thus Captain Sobel was reassigned to jump training as a leader in that role for training non-combat support troops.
I heartily agree with you our analysis but would like to add my observation based on his portrayal in the film (I have the book but haven’t read it yet, so I don’t know if he is described differently there) and that is that along with being a good “boss“ who was perfect for preparing them for the dreadful task ahead of them, he was at the same time petty, jealous, resentful, and insecure. These character flaws were revealed through his efforts to unjustly “punish“ Dick Winters for absolutely nothing, and the attempt later to avoid saluting him. I don’t know if this is an accurate portrayal of Sobel, but if true they were pretty messed up.
I agree with Robert Stauffer...Sobel was what E company needed to solidify their unity as a company. I’m reminded of Nixon’s remark to Winters...”Do you know any man who wouldn’t double time Curahee in a full pack just to piss in that man’s coffee?” That was the impact of Sobel’s horrific leadership style. There’s so much more to leadership than what this video portrays...
Reading all the comments I sit back with a smile, as the word “leadership” is a living word. No one definition works 💯 of the time. For example; one could argue that Lt Winters had it easy. Meaning he commanded the cream of the cream. Veterans of all the services could argue all day back and forth concerning both the definition of leadership and the qualities of Sobel. Any Marine out there will tell you that the pettiness of Sobel is a daily thing in boot camp and Infantry training. What’s important is the ability to turn off training mode and turn on leader/benevolent father mode. Sobel lacked that switch. I’m betting that Colonel Sink understood that issue. Hence Lt Winters quick promotion.
Any fool can be a boss. Saw in the Army and since as a civilian.
Takes something extra to be a leader.
That too, I saw in the Army and since.
Leadership by intimidation NEVER works. Leadership is an inherent quality, not taught through any type of school or read in any book. It’s about how to understand what makes people want to follow you. I always ask myself; would I follow that person into battle?
There are plenty of very poor leaders who care about their teams, but who don't push them forward and/or who aren't confident and competent in their own abilities. The military analogy has limitations in a civilian context, because civilian leaders and employees aren't usually going into hellish life-or-death situations. There endless examples of generals like George McClellan who were great organizers and who loved their men, but who lacked the competence and confidence to aggressively command them. If Sobel had been more competent and confident in the field, he probably would have made a very good company commander. You have only to look at Lt. Speirs to see that you don't have to be compassionate to earn the respect of your subordinates; you just have to be competent and willing to lead from the front.
Have this on VHS and DVD.
I do believe the modern military has structured itself to accommodate for guys like Sobel. Case in point, in Marine Corps basic, the rifle range is always led by another DI. As you don’t want kids to have both weapon and ammo after they just got verbally abused by their green belt DI. Sobel was an excellent trainer, but it stops there. Guys like him have alway had it rough, when reality sets in. All generation and service branches have a Sobel.
"They were 105s not 88s, Sir."
Sobel is the ideal man you want in a training environment while Winters is the ideal field leader.
Nah, Easy company's casualty rate was the same as the other nine companies. Sobel crossed the line (if the show is true) from rugged training to outright sadism.
Nope, soldiers will train harder when they follow a leader from day 1 (I am talking from experience of several years in the IDF, Recon and infantry)... I was fortunate to serve under people who were pretty much like Winters, and later treated my soldiers the same when I myself became a platoon and later took command of a small recon unit....
I agree Sobel forged those men into more than they would have been without him. He's a terrible person and no leader but he was a hell of a trainer. Lt Nixon was right about him.
@@dannylevin3647 You need the bad man though. I'm willing to bet you had asshole leaders to who made you appriciate the good ones more. I served under some real assholes who were rugged by the book guys and some guys respond to that. Some people need the stick and some need the carrot. My first PL was a Winters type but most of our guys hated him because he refused to be the hammer when he needed to and it resulted in several shit bags skating by. I'd rather have a Sobel as CO and Winters as a PL. Structure and form in mass, compassion and leadership in small group. that' opinon from years in normal Infantry, if you have good guys, who are squared away a Winters type will get the most out of them, but if you have shit bags (cough most line unit e-3s and down cough) Winters types often struggle to get through to them, that's where you need the Stick not the Carrot.
Good thing you were not in charge.
Some people don't know that Blithe actually survived his wounds, received a Bronze Star, Silver Star and two more Purple Hearts. He served in Korea after hostilities and was in Germany as a Master Sargeant when he died of a perforated ulcer in 1967 having never retired from military service. They really should amend the credits that says he died in 1948.
Yea he became a hero.
Thanks for the heads up ! Every man should get his due. You just helped him !
Whoa! I'm glad I read the comments!
Thanks for that info. Yes, they should amended the credits if that's the case
Yes Blithe was misreped in this movie. He deserves more credit for his service
“We salute the rank, not the man.” Excellent line…
One of my favorite scenes.
Winters got that exact same line from sobel a view episodes earlier. In the situation it was kind of 'you may not like me but i still have the higher rank' and that is what winters gives back here.
The function is also important as well as decorations (MoH).
@@harryhirsch3637 Nothing is more entertaining than seeing what goes around comes around.
LOVE me some JUSTICE
And a excellent reply would be "salute this!!"like Heisenberg
Sobel was an excellent training officer. He knew it was better to shed sweat than blood.
But training has to end sometime when you enter operations. That is where he failed to make the transition.
Sobel was a Training officer, and a good one. He was a poor leader. A very poor leader not having the intelligence nor drive to drive men to follow him.
he earned 2 bronze stars
@@direwolf6234 it’s not that hard to get bronze stars. My acting first sergeant got a bronze star during our deployment in Afghanistan and all he did was sit in the TOC and bullshit watching movies all day
@@vince11harris Don't use GWOT expectations to compare to WWII. Very different
@@brandonkoser7044 I understand that but was he deserving of that because of what he did or because his ranked afforded him one ?
You probably didn't miss this one but I loved this Winters example.
Major Winters tells Buck, "what if you had won", Buck has a puzzled look on his face. Major Winters, says, "never put yourself in a position to take from these men." This was one small example of the many leadership lessons.
This is one of the main examples that I have used when speaking of Winters' leadership'. Buck was not a bad leader and his motivation had some misguided merit. Winters on the other hand, was a GREAT leader and he saw the bigger picture. It is sad to think that many people never experience true leadership. It is a thing of beauty.
David Schwimmer was outstanding in this role. You never see Ross at all in BoB.
I couldn’t agree more, all of the actors were outstanding - Damian Lewis, and Donnie Wahlberg were also big stand outs for me.
He did a great job as Captain Sobel.
That's funny because I had the complete opposite reaction on first viewing B.O.B. Having been a fan of "Friends", I couldn't see Schwimmer as anything but a more asshole-ish version of Ross. Still a wimpy, insecure guy. Just now overlain with a fake-tough, over the top sadistic style of leadership to try to compensate for his deep seated inferiority complex.
In addition, I thought "There's NO WAY the real Sobel was like this. They must be greatly exaggerating his personality for dramatic purposes." That changed as soon as I read the Ambrose book as well as Winters' and saw the picture of Sobel and read the men's recollections of him. Turns out that Schwimmer WAS the perfect casting choice for Sobel and he did a fantastic job with the role, as did ALL the other actors. A truly amazing series all around.
@Fremen Friends?
I had the same reaction as when Vince Vaughn played a drill sergeant in Hacksaw Ridge. At first I couldn't take them seriously then I was impressed at how well they pulled it off.
And Winters stayed as the leader of those men right up his death in 2011, organising re-unions, keeping in touch with many of them, heavily involved as a consultant for the show. unfortunately I have to work for a 'Sobel' at present and for every Winters you get about 5-10 Sobels
i had to work with a sobel who insisted that his way of doing things was right and the way i had been doing itt for literal years was wrong. as well as he would put me onto a job but wouldnt tell me how it was to be done correctly. all he would say is " use common sense" which doesnt apply to a task that requires specifics.
It's not "Boss vs Leader," it's "Leader vs Pusher!" A Pusher stays in the rear; a Pusher says, "go get them boys;" a Pusher says, "do as I say, not as I do!" A Leader gets out in front; a Leader says, "Follow me;" a Leader says, "Do it the way I do it!" I'm retired military; I've worked for both, leaders are better, and also more rare!
But Sobel was out front each time they were training.
@@dartmaster501 there a different between in training and one where bullet fly around your position
Lt. Dyke would be an example of a pusher.
@@dartmaster501 he didn’t show up sometimes
@@stephenhancock1578 in the tv series yes in real life he was apparently a very good leader and warned to bronze stars for acts of valor.
One of my favorite examples of leadership in this show is during breaking point when Lipton complements Luz's Dike impression but tells him to stop doing it.
I always feel like Sobel gets a bad rep in BoB, at least in the TV show hes shown as being incredibly hard on them, numerous times putting them in situations that they might encounter and using himself as the common enemy for the troops. Getting attacked during lunch/dinnertime, to busy to take a break and drink water during an assault, etc. I feel like Sobel was very responsible for Easy company's badassery. Course he was an ass and a terrible combat leader that much was obvious.
The Soldiers of Easy Company would generally agree with you. They knew that he was bad at some things, like land nav, but they appreciated his discipline. They thought him more suited to be an NCO.
As a UK military person, I can relate. Every phase one training course has a Training Officer (TO), who is generally a real hard ass and seems totally irrational and unreasonable, provoking dissention so they can dish out punishment to the whole group. It is their job to bring the group together against their common enemy, the TO, as well as bringing out leaders and forcing the group to take care of its own misfits, for the benefit of everyone. It's an act and as soon as phase one is over, everyone is usually surprised when they walk in and present as a normal, decent human being. It takes a special kind of person to put themself in a position to be despised for the development of their recruits.
Sobel was actually an outstanding leader of men, highly regarded for his training so much that he was sent to Britain to keep it up. His family and children objected strongly to the untrue characterization of the man. Typical garbage of “historian” Ambrose that continues to be worshipped by lazy readers and gullible viewers.
@@keithsmith2399 I read his D Day book which compared to “Normandy ‘44” by James Holland isn’t all that.
I think Sobel is misunderstood sometimes. His style of leadership is amazing for military training. That extra work they put in, the extra stuff Easy Company did paid off in the end, they were the best. Sobel created that bond by giving his men a common "enemy" if you would. By doing so, he cut out the regular infighting that would normally occur left alone. He would be a fantastic drill sergeant/course instructor. Unfortunately for him, he is not a good combat leader. Winters then picks up the slack that is in Sobel. Again, the men didn't have their wings when they showed up to Sobel. Traditionally, in selection courses, The instructors don't then turn around and lead their classes in war. They stay and do more classes until they are rotated back to a team or unit. In the Show, Sobel did let his ego send him packing and ultimately, he lost respect of many men throughout the 506th.
At the same time, a good DI does this as a part of their job, it's just a person and not a part of who they are. But with Sobel, it's who he is, he does what he does becuase he's a petty man and high on his authority. An officer like Sobel would certainly be advised by his platoon sergeant that he's being unreasonable and petty towards his men and if he tried pulling rank on hi platoon sergeant, the platoon sergeant would likely push it up the chain of command and a higher rank NCO would have a quiet wrod with Sobel. And if Sobel ignored the advice of a senior Staff NCO, then that senior Staff NCO, who probably has more time in the sercvice than all of E Company combined, would bring word to Sobe's CO who would then proceed to ches Sobel a new for ignoring the advice of not only hi platoon sergeant, but the advice of a senior Staff NCO.
@@Riceball01 Correct. That's his problem, Intent. The show conveys his intent as one that is Malicious. What I'm trying to understand is they treat him as a Selection Instructor but also one of command for the foreseeable future. When they show up, Easy Company does not have their jump wings. That means he is an instructor, then he follows them to GB when in reality he would stay Stateside as an Instructor.
@@garyj449 Sobol was almost certainly either a composite or a made up character based on several real people involved in the training of E Company. Officers, in my epxerience, aren't normally directly involved in any kind of "basic" training from recruit (aka boot camp) to MOS training. It's also odd for Winters to be there with the rest of the men, typically offcers train separately from the enlisted in their respective MOS because they have to learn how to be an officer in their MOS>
Chances are that the whole training part of the series was actually taken from the separate experiences of all of the men of E Company. I'd be surprised if E Company went to juimp school all together at the same time as E Company. More than likely, E Company didnt' exist at jump school and most of E Company didn't meet until after graudating jump school and reporting in to whatever battalion that E Company belonged to.
@@Riceball01 Right. However, this was a selection course (like BUDS, Q course, etc.) Now in my experience, junior officers are involved in Selection as recruits. Especially from friends of mine who were in BUDS, the O-1s were hammered a lot harder since they would be leading men. However instructors were usually all high ranking enlisted.
Again, I'm completely nitpicking one of the best mini series ever.
@@Riceball01 Sobol was a real person and his family was unhappy with his portrayal in the book and mini series. Apparently, he was not liked by other officers and although a tough trainer, he lacked tactical skills. Although the mini series probably heightened somethings for dramatic reasons, the book was supposed to be accurate and Sobol was not portrayed as a good officer.
As far as the training goes, it is good that he is strict on standards and he certainly toughens them up. But as a future combat leader, he has to demonstrate that he is trustworthy (he does not, special lunch) and is supposed to encourage team work. Also we know now, that demanding the lack of water during physical training is moronic (thanks football coaches). DI's are also with their charges in all physical training. He would have been there on the Friday midnight hike patrols, showing that he is leading by example. Finally, DI's do shout encouragement and praise performance. True, it may just be "thats how to attack" or "now, you're doing it" but they use both the carrot and the stick. Sobol is only stick.
I must admit that Captain Sobel was a good trainer, but he was not meant to lead men into battle. Every single actor in BoB is amazing. As well as all the actors in The Pacific
Non, at least Sobel in the movie version was teaching all the wrong things and he was showing the team how to be petty, cliquish and disloyal to one another, he would be the last person I'd want teaching or leading or heading a union.
No he wasn't a good trainer, he was running them into the ground to make himself look good. He wasn't tempering the unit into harden steel, he was making them brittle, and would be broken on first contact. In combat, soldiers have to display adaptability and initiative to changing conditions and moments on the battlefield. Sobel did not encourage his officers, let alone his NCOs (the actual backbone of any unit), in making any decisions. The only thing Sobel did was unite the company in hating him. Micro Managing Tyrant.
Sobel was a good training tool, not a good trainer. Most of what his troops gained under his guidance was not intentional on his part.
@@jsbcody lots of good trainers work through hate. Hate is a super strong motivator. You can unite just about anybody around hating a person or idea.
(Granted that's more useful early destructive process rather than the finishing and refining part.)
@@jsbcody he certainly was a horses arse..
My Father was an Officer in the Pacific theater and was a Mustang. He shared some of his perspectives of being a Officer. One should always see your people are watered, fed, sheltered, and medically taken care of BEFORE dealing with your own needs. Always treat your people fairly, and equally. Don't ask them to do anything you, yourself, won't or can't do. And listen to your sergeant. He's there to guide you in situations you may not be familiar with. If Sgt. says he thinks something is a bad idea, especially in combat, you damn sure need to listen to him. He's there to keep you from getting more of your people killed than necessary to accomplish your task, and to keep you alive.
Exactly so. (for the record, I served in the IDF for several years. Recon unit, Platoon Commander in Golani Brigade and later commanded a very small specialized unit).... it is a mistake often made by people who never served to think that guys like Sobel are "great training officers" and that "he made Easy company a great company".... it is not my view... the way I see it, Easy company had people who had a great spirit and personality from the day they joined, and DESPITE Sobel (very likely due to great platoon commanders and NCOs) they became a great company... I was fortunate to serve in units where people like your father commanded and gave us the example to follow when some of us became NCOs or officers.. Testimony to what good leadership does is that almost 40 years later we remain friends and in frequent contact... and my former commands address me (affectionately) as "Chief"... despite all of us being civilians for so many years. True leaders always say "follow me" because that is how its done... (The IDF is a bit different in that everyone starts as privates, then, (after a minimum service time of 9 months)those who can go to NCO course and then (after yet more time in which they serve in the rank of Corporal) they either go to officers course, become sergeants or continue to serve in the various units where they are... so you never have an officer who is less experienced than anyone under his command... and all officers know what it is to be in the ranks because that how they started.... Tell your dad that as a fellow Infantry officer (Capt - Reserves- IDF) he has my respect. best regards
Agree 💯. Winters is a man I would follow into the gates of hell; Sobel would have gotten the entire company killed on D Day.
I've had bosses like Winters, and bosses like Sobel. Guess which job I preferred going to every day, and which I couldn't wait for closing time.
Sounds like the advice I gave my eldest son after he received his commission in the U.S. Army and was going to be deployed to Iraq. I am an Air Force Academy graduate and was an experienced military leader, but also the son of the youngest Master Sergeant in USAF history. For the record my son went on to distinguish himself as a combat leader, leading a Stryker platoon during the Surge in Iraq and earning a Bronze Star in the process.
Agreed. When I completed Airborne course I was assigned as a mech infantry platoon leader in the 1st Cavalry Division fall 1981. My platoon SGT was a Vietnam vet with the CIB. Quiet demeanor and always respectful and tactfully with me. I learned a great deal from him and consider myself blessed to have him as my platoon SGT. Eventually my BN CDR assigned me as S-2 and my Platoon SGT was levied to be a Drill SGT. I hope SFC Knight made it to SGM by the time of his retirement. I retired in oct 2003 after 22 years of service. I often think of him.
Only if the sergeant is worth his stripes, lots of E6-E9 are very political brown nosed fools!
As a retired Staff NCO myself. You’ve done an exceptional job at articulating a difficult topic. That being the definition of leadership. Awesome thank you for sharing 👍.
Thank you for your service Tony and the kind comments.
@@heroesandvillainsleadershi3491 I remember one day, a very wise and seasoned staff NCO asked the entire Battalion to articulate the meaning of leadership. That sparked the most humorous and memorable time of my career. That’s why your video hit so close to home. This video should be included in new NCO training or better yet, all service academies.
As a retired Naval Officer, having been prior enlisted, your breakdown is very good for civilian employment. And yes I have worked in the civilian world. The military is a very different work environment, especially over the past 20 years. A hard-ass boss is often needed, especially in training situations. "Train like you fight and fight like you train" is a motto often heard. These hard-asses push people to do things they do not want to do or feel incapable of doing. Much like BoB this type of weeding out is needed, especially before high stress situations occur. In real life, Sobel was hated by his men during that training phase but all of them knew that his harsh treatment was what got them through the war.
@@heroesandvillainsleadershi3491 I absolutely love your content. Are you prior military or raised by prior military?
@@tonylittle8634 Both my father and brother served and despite some of the more negative comments being made about me on this video thread, I have nothing but deep respect and admiration for everyone that has ever served in the military.
It’s easy to make Sobel a vilan through the lens of a popular TV show with characters we love, but in real life this was a great man who helped prepare this company for war and went on to serve in Europe during WWII and in Korea. He earned a CIB and served our country honorably.
The man is a hero and deserves our respect.
A bold statement. But the problem we are dealing with here is the fact the show is the creative interpretation of what happened. Not what actually happened.
@@cypher4783 That's a very dismissive statement that just dodges the point. For example in Apollo 13 the movie shows the crew and Houston arguing on some occasions which they never actually did, this was done because the movie would have been incredibly boring to watch otherwise and the movie dispute showing friction that never actually happened does not portray and of the crew in a negative light. This is an example of a creative interpretation for the right reasons as it adds importance substance to the movie. In the case of Sobel's portrayal in Band of Brothers the fact that hes written off as the first "villan" character for the company to overcome without highlighting the positives of his efforts which btw all the members of Easy who were interviewed acknowledged is disingenuous at worst and disrespectful at best. It wouldnt have been difficult to add one scene or throw away line where Sobel is acknowledged for his role in training the men of E Company but instead hes left in the same negative light all the way till the end of the show. In summary Apollo 13 had a good reason for a creative liberty/alternation where as Band of Brothers did not. I love Band of Brothers and watch it with my Grandfather every memorial day but I do see that they could have gone one extra mile to show a little more respect for Sobel's service in training Easy.
@@Chris-fo6bt I’m sure during the scene where Sink is telling Sobel he is being posted to Chilton Foillet there is a bit where he says that he did an outstanding job training E Company. I’m paraphrasing but the acknowledgment of Sobel being a good trainer was there, it just wasn’t picked up on or easily missed by many.
From what I remember reading Sobel participated in Operation Market Garden and was dealing with logistics and was on the staff of the 1st Allied Airborne Army for a time.
I think this video is exploring the difference between boss vs leader as shown in the tv show. For that this works. Sobel deserves our respect for the totality of his career but I think on the show, and probably in real life it’s obvious he would not have made a good leader of the men on DDay and beyond.
There’s a reason he lost that leadership position and it wasn’t because of this video or the tv show.
But not a leader in the aspect this branch needed
"We're not lost Private, we're in Normandy..." Sums up Winters' confidence as a leader and ability to instill confidence in his men in one, hilarious, line. Currahee! ♠
Such a great moment in the series, thanks for your comment!
@@heroesandvillainsleadershi3491 Thank you for the comparison. It's obvious but not noted before now.
But just to be sure it is said : Captain Sobel served his country and one cannot deny that he had a major role in making Easy Company part of history.
Sobel was the wrong man to train Easy Company or any other group. He was sadistic and self-centered and had poor judgment. I've seen people like him training recruits and they thrive on abusing people and trying to make them fail rather that working to make them succeed. Judging your leadership based on how many people you can cause to fail is absolutely the wrong way to go and is often more about personal ego rather than leadership skills. Look how good I am and how few of us made it and they failed. There is "I" in team.
Effective units fight for each other. Their greatest fear is messing up and getting a buddy killed. They will follow orders of a commander but they won't fight. Winters was a member of the unit. His greatest fear was messing up and getting someone killed. Winters was a gifted officer and that mattered. What mattered most is his guys fought for their buddy named Winters.
Every military leader knows that they are going to be sending their troops to their deaths when in combat. The thing they have to ask themselves is will the lives be spent or wasted. Winters was very good at making sure his men's lives won't be wasted if he can at all help it.
Winters is a hero of mine. Even in his book Beyond Band of Brothers he says Easy had less casualties at night and credits that tomthe excessive night patrols Sobel made them do. Winters also said if he had been a lifer he doesn't know if he would have sent the second patrol or not.
My most favourite American soldier in the book.
The greatest leaders are out front when it comes time to move. And when it's time to stop they go to the back and help up the fallen.
A good leader leads by example and never ask his subordinates to do anything he is unwilling or unavailable to do himself
Sobel used his men for self glory. The training wasn’t necessarily for their welfare but his grandiose plan of achievement for himself. That’s where Sobel failed.
That waa taught on military leadership. You shoukd never for your self glory
As a retired Senior Noncommissioned Officer, I understand Sobel's tactics in building Easy Co. into the best unit in the 506th. As a ruthless trainer, he pushed those men farther then they could ever push themselves. But after Jump School, his tactics were no longer needed, especially since he was no field commander. Could Winters have done an equal or better job in training them? Perhaps, but from Camp Mackall to the end of the war, Winters was the man for the job.
As a former NCO I agree almost completely as I understand Capt. Sobels tactics as well. Then LT. Nixon puts it perfectly when he says to then LT. Winters "do you know a single man in the company that wouldn't double time Currehe with full pack just to piss in that man's coffee?" I think Col. Sink recognized that Capt. Sobel was a better training officer than a combat leader as well. Hence his redeployment to a jump training site elsewhere.
@@SoN_oF_oDiN76 -Some officers are better at training.
When I was in the Navy I took a course called Leadership, Management, Education and Training (LMET). They used the movie "12 O'Clock High" as part of the course material to illustrate the different management styles. It was quite enlightening.
Despite never having served, I would, without hesitation, follow a man like Dick Winters to the Gates of Hell; I know he would get me through safely with only a few scratches.
Nicely done. Great use of teaching through media examples.
I would want to see the man in the blue suit be a drill instructor...
For North Korea
In the corporate world, I find that many companies mess up because they promote people beyond their range of abilities. A good “project manager” who focuses on tasks does not necessarily make a good senior leader. However, it’s hard to get the good leaders through the ranks because they aren’t recognized for these traits early in their careers. If the don’t act like a Sobel first, they dont get promoted
Very true
Very good point here, as someone who has leadership experiences both the corporate world and military, I see the same in the corporate world. Companies either don't have the patience or money to develop leaders well.
When I was in high school, I was so lucky that Stephen Ambrose moved in two houses down from me in Helena, Montana. I wish I had visited with him more often. I talked to him about Band of Brothers, but not enough. I was a kid and I just did not realize what an opportunity it was. He died two years later, when I was in college. But, I loved the HBO version of his books. I will tell you that members of Easy Company appreciated Captain Sobel after the war. They hated him, but they appreciated the tests that he put them through.
Winters in the episode the patrol is also starting to buckle under pressure. He's tired of writing letters to the next of kin. He doesn't want his men wasted on what he felt was a fruitless unnecessary mission. I can see both sides that yeah you need intelligence and you need to take prisoners. The thing that I don't understand is repeating a plan that you did the previous night because you think the enemy is so stupid they haven't figured out what you did. That is bad leadership. It shows a complete lack of respect for the lives of your men and perhaps that was the tipping point for major Winters at that point
Valid point.
Know any Major League baseball players with a 1,000 batting average, NBA players with a 100% shooting percentage?
@@psgary6622 not really sports fan but I think the highest average, historically was 420 - 450?
Winters survived the war, but can we take a second to remember all the great sergeants & lieutenants who didn't make it back?
This isn't putting DOWN SOBEL in anyway. It's showing the difference between SOBEL idea of "LEADERSHIP" is and WINTERS idea of "LEADERSHIP". And SOBEL makes a good BOSS. Not a good LEADER. There's a STAR TREK DS9 episode called VALIANT from season 6. A young man is an acting CAPTAIN of the USS VALIANT. Where NOG meets him and his crew of young StarFleet CADETS. The CAPTAIN is young and ambitious wanting to prove he has what it takes to be a Great CAPTAIN. Only in the end his ego gets the best of him and he loses his ship and his crew. Later when NOG is talking to another survivor. He tells her "He may have been a good officer, he may even have been a GREAT man. But he was a TERRIBLE CAPTAIN." Because he went into a situation that he and his crew was not prepared for. He lost everything.
What I love most about this moment at 7:16 is Winters is the mess officer, he has other companies to feed and his current post is the mess hall.
However Dick is there on the Curahee run, something he could have 100% avoided due to his current position but Winters is there, in PT outfit leading the men in cadence. Technically a risk as that would leave no commissioned officer in charge of the mess unless he got someone to cover or had already disseminated orders to the enlisted men in the kitchen.
He not only didn’t have to do this run and chose too, he could have been reprimanded for it.
That's why when he says "Follow me", they'll follow him to the gates of hell.
12 o clock High is a phenomenal movie that explores two different types of leaders…one that is closer to the men and one who is closer to the mission.
As an officer I oscillate between Davenport (too close to the men) and Savage (mission).
Sobel was so hard, he got the men ready for their mission. He lacked all emotional intelligence to lead men into combat and create a bond with them. Winters had exacting professional standards but led, and cared.
One tiny niggle on your intro - EVERY WWII parachute infantry unit was elite. Almost by definition, definitely by design.
Good presentation of how great leadership should work. There's too many Sobel's with their BS, and micro managing approach out in the world today. More leaders like Winters should be encouraged by businesses and corporations and as a result, will have self motivated, loyal, and happy employees at all levels.
Thank you for watching Louis!
I completely agree that many companies need to speed up their understanding of what modern-day leadership looks like, especially if they want to retain top talent and keep their teams engaged and productive. The pandemic seems to be swaying some companies to figure out how to embrace empathy and other essential elements of servant leadership. The best people-focused organizations are already ahead of the curve and started that work pre-pandemic.
We can only hope the other organizations that have started that work continue it post-pandemic, not just for the well-being and happiness of their employees but to preserve the future success of their business.
Take care,
Kevin
They're just inexperienced.
Total agreed with you Louis. There's too many poor leadership in the public and private sectors. It's pathetic.
It’s because we prevent natural selection.
But the nail that stick out get hammered by people like sobel.
The part I wish you showed was when Buck Compton joined Easy and Winters got mad for him gambling and when Buck asked what the problem, winters asks “what if you won?” And proceeds to tell him to NEVER put im himself in a place to take anything from the men. Shows how much he cares for his troops.
Classic scene near the end of the series... Winter is now a Major and Sobel still a Captain. Sobel walks past Winter and fails to salute. Winter stops him and simply says "Captain Sobel, we salute the rank not the man".
14:39 👍
I found this clip very interesting and honest. In the Band of Brothers Sobel was a relentless C/O. Making him hated by the men of Easy Company. Yet his task master type attitude turned these raw recruits into the finest company in the 506 Th Parachute regiment. Now Sobel has severe issues in being too Gung-ho about combat situations. One must use tactical advantages and use those men under his command in an efficient way. Sobel whilst a great trainer of men. Was definitely not a combat leader. Dick Winters on the other hand. He was willing to lead by example. Showing his men through his competence during battle as their C/O. Winters truly thought things through and planned his attacks using the best Intel he had. Also leading from the front vs ordering your men to take a position themselves. That attitude of Winters won the respect of all the men of Easy company. The last one from Easy Company has now passed away. Let us not forget those men and women who served. We owe them all a debt of gratitude for the freedom we have today. 💪🏼🙏🏻✨
I worked in a church a long time ago and I had two let's call them superior due to this video definitions. One was a boss and one was a leader. The boss would order me around because he had power and wanted to use that power. The leader was so charismatic that I would have followed him in hell if he asked me. The leader was yes super charismatic, but never abused his power and was fair with everyone. The funny thing is that they both had the same name, Gaston, but when you spoke about them, you always knew which Gaston was which just at how request were made.
Because it’s important to honor the man.
Master Sergeant Blithe survived his wounds in WWII and also fought in the Korean War. During his service he received several awards, including a silver star, bronze star x3 and Purple Heart x3. He now rests at Arlington National Cemetery.
The movie dishonored a national hero and I want to do my part to set things straight. I’ve never served so my apologies if I didn’t use the correct terminology.
Albert Blithe
1923-1967
Rest in peace, brother.
I retired, thanks be to God, from over 30 years as a Federal Civil servant nine years ago. During that time I ran into quite a few Lt. Sobels and I learned a level of hatred and disgust for officers and upper management like him that knows no boundaries. No matter how big a bastard these people were they always knew that they were covered by the brass and management above them and the lives and careers below them meant nothing as long as they advanced in their careers. I've seen so many really good people get their careers destroyed by SOB's like Lt. Sobel it is sickening. Don't get me wrong, I did have a few really good leaders but I can count them on one hand whereas the bosses seemed to multiply like the maggots they proved to be. That's why I can never watch this series in it's entirety because it just brings back too many memories of people I have long wished dead.
"By telling them not to help the fallen man..." they all wind up binding together against him..
Hmmm..
The only thing I would add (in business not the military, which I was never in) is that there is a thin line between being an admirable leader vs a guy who wants to be your friend/colleagues. I knew alot of bosses who were too friendly and wishy washy and everyone who worked for them lost respect for their manager and eventually it would go in the same direction as the vicious boss (mutiny and complaints).
Another great video and read is Simon Sinek's "why leaders eat last." He talks about the alpha leader getting the perks of higher pay and the corner office, but it comes with the tradeoff that the alpha protects the pack and takes the blame, not throwing people under the bus when things so south.
I worked a job last year and it was so aggravating dealing with the ego of some of the so-called bosses, they loved the power and authority but the second something went wrong they were quick to blame the people below.
Most of the elementary school principals I've worked for were solid "Bosses". And they wonder why there's such a turnover in their staff.
Winters is what a leader should be
I couldn’t agree more Simon!
I have a young apprentice who just finished his Bachelors degree. I asked him if this issue of Boss verses Leader is taught or discussed in college. He replied “NO!”. Because the military is no longer a mandatory experience for young men, this topic will undoubtedly bring negative comments. I absolutely love your work on this video. 🎯💯👍👍👍👍
In a basic training setting, Sobel's behavior absolutely serves the purpose of training soldiers to operate under stress and deal with circumstances they can't control.
These behaviors of "mistreating" soldiers conditions them not to let anything get under their skin. The idea of getting them so used to stressful emotional situations that they can just tune it out and perform their duty. Some people can't understand that and think DS"s are being "mean" but they are trying to save your life.
They weren't in basic training though they were in airborne School.
They were already qualified soldiers. So makes his behavior a tad worse
Correction those German guns were not 88s they were 105mm howitzers.
Thanks, Brian, I really appreciate the respectful correction and thanks for watching.
Unfortunately too many people who are just like Sober are promoted to positions of authority in hopes that they're style of intimidation will succeed. However if the group is fortunate enough to have a chance to be lead by a Winters type they will be successful. Ergo too many Sober types and not enough Winters.
Unfortunately that’s often the case when you have personality types that lead that way already at the top making the decisions, often managers promote people that are similar to themselves. I am hearing more organizations are starting to get wiser about who they promote, at least the ones that care about employee engagement and retention.
Part of the problem is that some don’t know how to lead, they let their ego and job title go to their heads. They want the authority but not the responsibility.
Being a leader isn't all about yelling and screaming, even I know that. You don't have to yell to teach. Respect and fear are two very different things.
While the men of Easy company hated Sobel's guts and would have ran up curahee in full pack to piss in his coffee. Many credit Sobel's training with saving their ass in Europe
I was in the Navy for 11 years...I had a TON of bosses...but can only remember 2 leaders
Thank you for sharing and your service Andrew.
I was in for 4 years, and I agree 100%. I think thats because the Navy has a very toxic way of rewarding fake standouts. That E-3 with the Surf/Air pins, flawlessly creased utilities, the mirror-like boots, and the cleanest fade, isn't a leader because he has these things. Yet he gets 4.0 evals like he is.
We actually used band of brothers to write essay questions about when I was in OCS 13 years ago.
Major Winter : Captain Sobels, We salute the rank not the man.
As a theatrical presentation, it just does not get any better. Perhaps it's not accurate, but it is entertainment. And David Schwimmer should be saluted for changing his on screen persona so radically. It might have just killed his career as an actor. Great performance, fantastic series that every American should watch.
In a working environment Sobel is the type of man who you’d hate working for, but the first person you’d hire if you were starting a company.
In basic (1967) on our long marches if a man got tired or blistered feet we would carry his rifle or gear. DI did not object because it showed team work and bonding.
My best series in the world
First of all, I would credit David Schwimmer for his acting performance. He plays the unlikeable Sobel so well, you tend to feel antipathy towards David Schwimmer the actor. I bet he takes a lot of shit from people who just can't separate the actor from the role.
I think the big problem with Sobel is not that he is too hard on his men, he obviously trains them well. The problem is that he is a sadist who enjoys the power he wields over them. He uses his power to boost his own ego, and the soldiers recognice it. In any abusive relationship, the abused start to read every cue of the abuser, looking for every sign that can tell them they are about to be in trouble. It is a survival strategy, deeply engrained in human psychology. As a boss or teacher, this will be detrement to your goal because the people you need will eventually stop caring about what you want them to accomplish, they just focus on trying to read you, to avoid punishment.
The soldiers are eventually so good at reading Sobel, that there is no way he can hide his failings as a tactical commander. When they are doing the war games, everyone is just focused on Sobel, rather than the task at hand. They lack initiative, because in the end they are just trained to follow Sobel.
In this show we see a brillian distinction between 3 leadership styles :
Authoritarian : Sobel
Authoritative : Winters
Permissive : Dike
Both the Authoritarian and the Permissive types are wrong and are undermining the potential of the people you are leading
Only the authoritative style can get the best out of them , and every person leading other people should be trained in this style even if it is not their natural style or what their instincts tell them to lead like
Years ago, I tried to have a discussion with my boss about his leadership style (or lack thereof) without directly confronting the situation. Finally, in exasperation I said, "Just remember, it's easier to pull a chain than it is to push it".
I love that quote
You could make the argument that Sobel's tough treatment of the men made them better soldiers and a better unit. Of course, there were moments when he was an asshole and a poor leader for no good reason. Like when he tried to punish Winters for something Winters was reasonably not responsible for.
Never served in the military I'm guessing or else you would have understood the leadership differences between an officer and enlisted ranks.
My dad was drafted for Vietnam and ended up serving as a platoon sergeant while an E-5. He turned 23 in Vietnam. When I was in the Army a few decades later all my platoon sergeants were E-7’s with 15 or 20 years in. Dad taught me things like never ask anyone to do something you haven’t already done yourself. Never take credit for anything anyone below you has done. Always be the last one in bed and the last one to eat. I assumed these were basic leadership lessons. I was very disappointed when I joined the Army to find that most “leaders” do the exact opposite. One company commander I had in particular, if we had deployed with him in charge he would’ve been the first KIA. We would’ve made sure of it. He was absolutely worthless. Made CPT Sobel look like a role model. Naturally he retired as a full bird colonel a few years ago…..
Failed upwards? Sounds about right.
My father was an 11B E-1 through E-6 in A Company, 1st Battalion 255th Infantry Regiment 63rd Infantry Division in General Patch’s 7th US Army. He was the company commander’s RTO. He landed in Southern France in December 1944 and fought his way into Germany. His commander was killed on a reconnaissance. He groomed his only son to be interested in military service as an officer. “Fragging” was discussed in detail because it was heard of in the on-going Vietnam war. He said, “no matter how much we hated anyone in the unit we never seriously thought about “fragging” anyone in the unit because every rifle was essential in fighting the 17th SS, their primary opponent.” His only son served 12 years on active duty as an officer (11B5G5S4X) including combat in Panama. Due to the collapse of the USSR and Congress saying there would be no more wars (incredulous) his only son earned a MA degree and became a civilian. Meeting other former combat arms officers “fragging” was discussed again. One Vietnam vet mentioned two SF guys in his SF unit hated one another. During a lull in one hard fight they happened to be alone with one another, made eye contact…. Both begrudgingly smiled at one another and kept fighting. When the fight was over they went back to hating one another and both went out of their way to avoid one another, but still respected one another. “Fragging” apparently did take place in Vietnam, but only in the worst of units, often due to other issues such as drugs and racism, but those were almost always units in the rear. I have never met any credible combat veteran in a front line unit that had first or second hand experience with “fragging” in their units. Your officer must have been pretty bad.
Simple. A true leader puts the welfare of his men before his own. You don't eat and you don't rest until the men have been taken care of. You put yourself in danger before asking them to take the same risks.
I like Band of Brothers, your video, and analysis; but I couldn't help but notice a slight inaccuracy in your script. Those German artillery pieces were 105 mm guns, not 88 mm. To be fair, during Episode 2, Major Strayer, Lt. Winter's superior, also thought those guns at Brecourt Manor were 88s.
You are missing a point here.
Soebel's job was to train these men. You do not get their attention, to the extent necessary, by allowing that ANYTHING they brought with them in civilian life is acceptable. It is called Boot Camp, and it is SUPPOSED to be that way. Everyone gives Soebel hell, since the miniseries came out, but he was PERFECT at his job.
You need a different kind of leader AFTER you are basically trained. AFTER basic, you need a guy who inspires you. Dick Winters was about as good as they come AT THAT job.
Each man was perfect for their role, but it is widely misunderstood that each man was supposed to be doing the same job.
I'll take Soebel for training, and then Winters for combat...every day of the week.
I am very glad you used this series as an example. I work in an organization that has a significant percentage of veterans, myself included, and we frequently use historical examples to highlight our leadership. While I know that some historical liberties were taken for the film, I think it highlights effective and ineffective leadership and how important good leaders are to any organization. A few years ago, we had a manager whom we called Lieutenant Dike/Captain Ahab. It was obvious that we were no more than tools for him to rise through the ranks and he disappeared or folded when things got heated, scrambling to find someone to blame. He also persecuted a woman who was his strongest and most productive employee to the point where the section was imploding and morale had collapsed. More recently, we encountered another manager, a former marine of all things, whom we called Captain Sobel. Abusive, harassing and demeaning to women and minorities, he is protected by his superior and is never held accountable for his actions. Like Captain Sobel, he thrives on false or frivolous accusations to instill fear in those around him. He even told one female employee that, "(He's) killed people," as a transparent intimidation tactic. We've had other managers we've dubbed "General Burnside," "Publius Varus," and "Lloyd Fredendall," to celebrate their inspiring leadership and success. "Burnside" gave us a motivational talk to where we mumbled that we would have respected him more had he just said, "ya'll are insects to me," telling us the truth instead of blowing sunshine.
One the flip side, many of us in the ranks look up to Winters and Hal Moore as successful, compassionate leaders who get the job done.
Outstanding and welcome analysis.
Thank you so much for sharing your perspective, story and your service JT.
Sobel tried to kill himself after leaving the Army. He spent his last day's in a VA Hospital CLC (nursing home). I'm a retired soldier and a volunteer at my local VA Hospital. I help out in the CLC.
More sweat in training means less blood in combat.
Shobel wasn't there to be their friend. Removal him of his command was because he never transitioned from Trainer to leader when they left for England as a unit. A leader developes his
Major Winters is the very embodiment of what the Marine Corps preaches about leadership and that's troop welfare. In the Merine Corps, troop welfare is second only to mission accomplishment and is something that all good leaders (both enlisted and commissioned) take to heart. This is why in boot camp, the squad leaders and the guide are the last recruits in line followed by the DIs. Once in the Fleet this is exemplified by when hot food is served in the field, when this happens, all of the officers and Staff NCOs are the ones who serve everybody else in the unit and the line for food forms in reverse order of rank with the lowest Private being the first in line.
Sober was a hard task master. But deserves credit for their being the best Trained.
yeah MAJ Winters is a prince among men, a true leader, we will rarely see his kind again...
Yes Sobel was a hard ass but he did make easy company hard. Too bad he did not know how to back off a bit and trust the troopers he helped create. Maybe in time he did realize after winters took over and they went too the full end all the way to hitlers eagle nest he realized his errors. Then he took his own life feeling like a failure when he should have been proud and been friends with winters after the war. Just my thoughts of what could have and should have been.....
I always had the idea that Sobels harsh rules and extreme training were driven by his insecurities as a tactical leader. He knows how to drill and fall back on routines, but when it comes to improvising and making difficult decisions he blanks. I think he compensates the lack of the latter with an overabundance of the former.
The etymological base of 'boss' is the Afrikaaner word 'baas' which mean 'Master'. In apartheid South Africa when a person of colour spoke to a white person in authority they had to finish any statement with 'baas'.
As one book I read about leadership put it, "Boss implies a master/servant relationship. How many servants do you have working for you?"
Also, the infantry leader's motto is "Follow me!"
What is the godamn hold up Mister Sobel?
Oh that dog just ain't gonna hunt!
I disagree with the assessment of Sobel in the beginning when he tells the Soldiers to not "helpt that man." He's attempting to weed out the weak. There are not drill sergeants so he's taking on that role. Trust me I have seen all the behind the scenes and a lot of interviews with the actors. Yes Sobel was a jerk and he was vindictive. However he was pretty good at training. He did give those Soldiers a lot in their kit bags that helped them survive and thrive in a very hostile and dangerous environment. He did unify them in their shared hatred of him. I had a few drill sergeants who had gotten back from fallujah in 2004 and they were hard wired. But I get the overall point the narrator is making. Sobel wasn't a leader, but don't underestimate his techniques because some of them are effective on weeding out those who don't belong in the paratrooper. By the way I was a paratrooper and I was very proud when I earned my wings.
Thank you for watching Samantha, sharing your opinion and most importantly, your service 🙏
we should all be thankful to hardship we received during our life, it made who we are. note, thankful to the hardship itself, not to the person who delivered to us.
Plenty of good wisdom here. Thank you for sharing!
an interview with david schwimmer he said that sobel's depiction in the show was different than how he was portrayed in the book ... sobel was an outsider .. older urban jewish and had prior military experience .. he went on to earn 2 bronze stars in combat...
I like the contrast between Lt Walsh cautions the soldier to "keep Hydrated" -in direct contrast to Sobel's not allowing them to drink water
Keep hydrated is repeated constantly with the military now.
I agree with what you say about lieutenant Winters when it comes to private Blythe. He did miss the fact that the private was still in shock and really wasn't fit for combat. He should have stayed at the aid station for a while longer so that the medics could kind of eyeball him. His coaching of Blythe later was the result of not letting him decompress in the station. During the time he was basically retraining Blythe, which was admirable, that distracted him from the mission at hand. Sometimes you need to let people sit and catch their breath. Hysterical blindness is an indication of significant psychological trauma. His brain was not able to process what was happening to him and those around him. In essence this made him a liability. He needed some time to adjust and be evaluated for further action. I'm not saying he was a bad soldier I'm just saying that at that moment he wasn't able to function. properly. That's very important in a combat situation.
Superb. Sadly, there are too many " "boses" out there.
nice job ... enjoyed it.
I remember a leadership "class" I took while in the Navy... They showed the movie, "12 O'Clock High" and analyzed the leadership examples in the movie. It has always stuck with me. When I watched "Band Of Brothers", I recognized the types of leaders portrayed in the movie... It could be used, like "12 O'Clock High" was during that class.
Me too! When I made 3rd. I still love that movie. It's not really a "war" movie but a study in leadership and command.
Sobel is the man you want to train you. Winters is the man you want to lead you in battle.
I am very tall so guess who ALWAYS gets picked to lead? One thing I always did was shift the praise to my guys and try to take the hit for their F ups. I would wait for a day or two then unexpectedly pull them aside to have a very private coming to Jesus moment and then let them get it back together before rejoining the group. This is what I wanted and never got as a kid so I couldn't do anything but this. It didn't always work out, but it was the way I could live with myself at the end of the day.
Well the movie went out of it's way to try and portray it simply as 'bad leader vs good leader" when in actually it's not quite that simple. Sobel got those men into fighting condition. The idea of pushing them to the point of wash out is necessary when you know they are going directly into combat. However Sobel clearly was out of his league beyond that as he was incapable of being a field commander. Winters was the man capable of being a field commander, but frankly if he had trained them, those men would not have lasted long in combat.
They were good in part of Winters leadership skill, but also because of Sobel's training. Unfortunately Hollywood always has to have the antagonist/protagonist angle, so they overplayed Sobel as simply a massively incompetent ass-hat.
Very good point. To add to that most of the men in Easy Company actually gave Sobel props for his training.
Except that you have no idea if that is true. How do you know for a fact that Winters couldn't have trained them to that level as well?
@@brianjungen4059 Hm..how do you not know that they used aliens with mind control devices to train them? Or shall we stick to what we know.
@@snagletoothscott3729 we know that Winters is a damn good man and would have trained the men to a high level of fitness for combat.
The show actually does a fairly good job of showing that Sobel clearly trained Easy good and that he was a good organizational officer. The scene when he meets Colonel Sink as he is about to be transferred, Sink tells him that he has trained the best company he has ever seen. Or when they run Currahee after spaghetti, despite Sobel yelling at them they still continue running and singing, Sobel smiles seeing that his job has had a desired effect. So thats not really true that series went out of it's way to show Sobel in the worst light possible. It did that in case of Dyke, but most certainly not in case of Sobel.
As a vet of the US Navy, (74-84), I will tell you this, in 10 years I met 4 officers I would have followed into combat. All the rest...no. this is because except for those 4 the rest were just button pushers. They were "managers" not leaders. They were there for their carriers or for a portfolio to present in the civilian world after they got out. It isa shame too many "officers" dont care about the men, just them selves
Thank you for sharing your comments and your service William.
This analysis is great for the civilian sector, but it's not so cut and dried in the military. Not to say that there shouldn't be caring leaders but this business is one that deals in human lives. Inspiration isn't always an option. If you have soldiers or Marines under you that need to be inspired by you in order to accomplish a mission, then your unit is ineffective and it can cost them their lives or those of others.
Like that reconnaissance mission. A failure to accomplish the mission could have cost lives. Could have gathered information about a German offensive that needed to be stopped. Etc.