What I know about leadership, I learned through Band of Brothers.
It’s time for me to introduce you to my favourite show.
Dea, Jakarta, 5th February.
I believe I’ve had my fair share of encounters with “leadership”; the good and bad examples, moments where I wish I could fast-track my way into having it, and of course, the familiar feelings of deep-rooted envy for people who seem to naturally possess it and aren’t afraid to flaunt it all over their LinkedIn pages.
Attending a business school for undergrad and having worked in the tech scene for several years now has given me a rather convoluted idea of leadership, and often, a completely wrong idea about the kind of people I should be looking up to. The reality is that working in tech confines you to this specific social and/or business leader archetype that is upheld by very like-minded groups of people—often privileged, smart douches who aren’t as diverse as they think they are. And if you’re not one of them, you’re probably working for one.
Is this wrong? No. After all, I am one of you; a job is a means to an end, and accomplishing things like raising millions of dollars in funding or shipping out a product millions of people can use is a fair indicator of your leadership qualities. But for all the times we spend thinking how to become the next blueprint, have we spent the same amount learning how concepts as murky as ‘leadership’ are appreciated in other contexts?
Band of Brothers is a 10-episode war drama miniseries based on a book of the same name by Stephen E. Ambrose, which follows the paratroopers of Easy Company into World War II. The story starts with D-Day in Normandy, where these men jumped out of a moving airplane and into battle zones, using the attached parachute (hence, “paratroopers”) to land on the ground. At that time, the parachute infantry regiment was very recently introduced on a large scale. The paratroopers were an elite group who went through some of the toughest training periods and, because they were all-voluntary, were paid higher bonuses. These men were basically “the coolest'' of them all.
I first watched Band of Brothers in 2011 when the show was 11 years old. A couple of weeks ago I decided to pick it up again (after having usually rewatched it once a year) and it truly felt like my entire teenagehood flashed before my eyes. I remember loving it so much—and turns out I still do.
Back then, I loved it for this trench attack on a German battery led by Lieutenant Winters; this scene of Lieutenant Speirs running into enemy lines by himself; and the bond that the men of Easy Company share which, quite simply put, is second to none. A lot of my teenage angst stemmed from friendship issues and the way these veterans spoke of each other at the beginning of every episode filled the huge friendship-shaped void in my heart and never failed to make me tear up.
Two weeks ago, as I was once again watching it from start to finish, I realised that since the first time I saw it, this show had inadvertently influenced my rawest ideas of leadership. It is one of the reasons I can’t help but feel that the capitalism-driven power titles we often see today are disingenuous and almost empty, as I unconsciously keep comparing displays of corporate leadership against all the times Major Winters had shown not only influence and organisation, but also warmth and respect in battle. While I’d always admired how his character was depicted, I don’t think younger me realised that this particular character was setting my standards for being a leader and gaining the trust of your team. It’s come to my attention that Major Winters had set the bar way too high.
Needless to say, every single man depicted on this show was heroic and a leader in their own ways. There is so much trust amongst them, and when good people trust each other, they keep each other alive.
There are 3 main scenes that left a deep impression on me 10 years ago and still unearthed something so visceral inside me when I was rewatching the show recently (spoiler alert):
When Winters had to assume a position of leadership because their Lieutenant went missing during the parachute jump. He was immediately tasked to attack a stationed German battery and here we were able to see his astute decision-making. Granted they were in a life-or-death situation, you’d be surprised at how many people out there just can’t seem to make a decision, ever.
When Sergeant Lipton kept the company together even though he wasn’t their official Lieutenant. A prime example of how being able to gain people’s respect and trust beats official leadership “titles” every single time.
When Winters disobeyed the order from Colonel Sink and told his troops to lie about the night patrol because he didn’t want any of them to get hurt, or worse, killed, when the war was ending so soon. As a leader, there will come a time where you need to protect your team from unnecessary risks, and that’s exactly what he’d done here.
Above everything, this show reminded me that the very essence of leadership is mutual trust and respect. It’s not about who gets to lead, but who you choose to serve alongside with. Just as Major Winters had answered a question his grandson asked: ‘Grandpa, were you a hero in the war?’ Grandpa said, ‘No, but I served in a company of heroes.’
You can watch Band of Brothers here on HBO Go.