Mgt 3110
April 19, 2008
This essay is about the movie U-571 and the examples in leadership sacrifice and team work. A United States Navy submarine crew is left to work together and save themselves when their sub is hit by German torpedoes.
Stuard 2
U-571 is a 2000 movie directed by Jonathan Mostow. The movie depiction, although fictional, is loosely based in principle on real events. This film is a fictional account of the capture of a German submarine in 1942 by an American crew, but is based on the historical reality of the Battle of the Atlantic and the secret capture of the Enigma cipher machine from German boats. The film was inspired by several real events: the British seizure of U-110 south of Iceland in …show more content…
Uncertainty will not be your undoing as a leader. However, your inability to give a clear directive in the midst of uncertainty might very well be the thing that takes you out or causes you to plateau early in your career. Uncertainty is simply a fact of leadership. Uncertainty calls for clarity. Be clear even when you are not certain. Lead confidently. Once a decision is made, move forward. If your decision proves to be wrong, own it. You will survive a few bad decisions. You will not survive a lack of clarity. At that point, Captain Dahlgren, played by Bill Paxton, looks up at the young lieutenant and says, "I'm not questioning your bravery. Are you willing to lay their lives on the line? “Tyler is stunned by the question. Before he can respond, Captain Dahlgren continues: “You see, you hesitate. As a captain you can't. You have to act. If you don't you put the entire crew at risk. Now that's the job. It's not a science. You have to be able to make hard decisions based on imperfect information, asking men to carry out orders that may result in their deaths. And if you're wrong, you suffer the consequences. If you are not prepared to make those decisions, without pause, without reflection, then you got no business being a submarine …show more content…
Good followers however help the leader to succeed and do whatever it takes to achieve success. Having a winner’s mentality and deriving pleasure form the leader’s success is a quality to be possessed by them. Most of the leaders base their decisions on the information provided to them by their followers. If these information are accurate and honest it will lead to good decision. Conversely, inaccurate and dishonest information will lead to terrible decisions. The phrase ‘recruit for attitude and train for skills’ is highly relevant for all followers. Sometimes when faced with difficulties even great leaders lose hope - during which times the followers could help them by reminding and reassuring them that they could succeed. It is a fact that all human being are capable of doing anything but only those succeed who possess the can do attitude. Learning, the ability to understand one’s limitations, the courage to unlearn negative ideas and beliefs and the desire to acquire new knowledge, skills, and attitude is yet another quality necessary for good followers. To keep pace with the fast changing world of today people need to update themselves with new