Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis isn’t the type of leader that America deserves, but the type of leader that it needs. America has become a place where the simple concept of being successful or wealth makes you a leader. Being able to juggle being the captain of three different varsity teams, and getting a full ride to college makes you a leader in our country. In the article by William Deresiewicz, he states that America is training its leaders to be sheep instead of actual shepherds. Instead of thinking for ourselves we are basing our actions on jumping through hoops that we believe will bring us success. Unlike this conformity, Lt. Col. Davis has a mind of his own.
The following is stated in “Solitude and Leadership”: “Leadership is what you are here to learn—the qualities of character and mind that will make you fit to command a platoon, and beyond that, perhaps, a company, a battalion, or, if you leave the military, a corporation, a foundation, a department of government.” Davis is not the leader because he was successful in life, but because he is a real leader who has actually led. Being a Lt. Col. In the military, Davis is used to leading a group of men, in a high-pressure situation that demands a true leader. Being able to do this makes a person a real leader, not just one who goes on to be the normal doctor or lawyer.
A leader is also defined in the article as someone who is able to think for themselves. In todays society a leader is one that believes everything that the public does and acts in the same manor. Actually, that is the opposite of what a leader should be. A leader is described as an individual that can think outside of the box to do what is needed to achieve a goal. Davis seen this problem in war, because instead of just glancing over it and thinking it was fine like all the other leaders of the military; he saw the problem for what it was. In the article it states the following: “What we don’t have, in other words, are thinkers. People who can think for themselves.”
Not only does a leader think for them-selves, but they also act on it. There are many people who find things wrong in a system, yet do nothing about it. Just because they thought for themselves does not make them a leader. They must also be able to act on what they believe. In the article the following is stated: “Who think about how to get things done, but not whether they’re worth doing in the first place.” This quote talks about the people who think of something but instead of thinking a way through it, they think of whether changing it is worth it or not. When Davis saw the problem in the war, he didn’t think if it was worth it or not. He knew automatically that the war was not achieving something worth the lives of so many men. It was because of this that he continued to research and think of a way through the problem.
These qualities exhibited by Davis are exactly the kind of qualities we need in more of our leaders. He is not only the type of person who knows how to lead, but also the person who is able to think for him-self and act on his thoughts. He based his life on knowing what his objective was and leading his men towards that objective in the way in which he thought would lead to success. He truly was a shepherd among many sheep.
No comments:
Post a Comment