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Sep. 18th, 2008
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freddles
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quotable_muse81 - "And so everyone, according to his cue." - 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'
One of the greatest challenges one might take on is the role of leader, particularly when those you are intending to command are also people one might consider friends or family. The greater the stakes for which the team is playing, the more often the leader will need to find a balance between the necessities of the challenge and his or her affections for the other on the team.
It is a delicate balance, and one not to be taken on lightly. That, among other reasons, is why when it came time for me to strike out on my own, I did everything I could to avoid having to walk that line.
During those months when I operated independently, I began with the intention of recruiting additional personnel. I knew firsthand that the struggle was not one to be undertaken alone, so I was constantly on the lookout for potential additions to the roster. What I was not searching for would be friends or lovers. No, I needed to keep myself distanced and removed from these people, lest my emotions compromise the choices that would need to be made.
Oh, I knew them-- better than they knew themselves in some cases. I committed their names and histories to memory, kept myself familiar with their abilities and strengths and monitored their weaknesses. I plotted how best to utilise them in any given situation and how they would react to those situations.
But I didn't know them, and neither did I want to. I didn't seek a new family, I sought to build an army and populate it with soldiers-- soldiers who would follow orders without question, soldiers who would not overstep their places, and soldiers I could send into mortal combat without hesitation.
I knew my place, and they would have to know theirs. That was all I required.
(308)
One of the greatest challenges one might take on is the role of leader, particularly when those you are intending to command are also people one might consider friends or family. The greater the stakes for which the team is playing, the more often the leader will need to find a balance between the necessities of the challenge and his or her affections for the other on the team.
It is a delicate balance, and one not to be taken on lightly. That, among other reasons, is why when it came time for me to strike out on my own, I did everything I could to avoid having to walk that line.
During those months when I operated independently, I began with the intention of recruiting additional personnel. I knew firsthand that the struggle was not one to be undertaken alone, so I was constantly on the lookout for potential additions to the roster. What I was not searching for would be friends or lovers. No, I needed to keep myself distanced and removed from these people, lest my emotions compromise the choices that would need to be made.
Oh, I knew them-- better than they knew themselves in some cases. I committed their names and histories to memory, kept myself familiar with their abilities and strengths and monitored their weaknesses. I plotted how best to utilise them in any given situation and how they would react to those situations.
But I didn't know them, and neither did I want to. I didn't seek a new family, I sought to build an army and populate it with soldiers-- soldiers who would follow orders without question, soldiers who would not overstep their places, and soldiers I could send into mortal combat without hesitation.
I knew my place, and they would have to know theirs. That was all I required.
(308)