Colonel Winters

"True satisfaction comes from getting the job done. They key to a successful leader is to earn respect--not because of rank or position, but because you are a leader of character."

~Colonel Winters

Celebrating Veterans Day (or Armistice Day) always gets me in the mood to read some personal accounts of various wars and this year I landed on a book written by a commander of Easy Company (the 2nd Battalion) in WWII, Colonel Richard "Dick" Winters. 

Throughout his book, Winters talks about what it was like training, fighting and living with the other members of Easy Company. The part that stood out to me the most was when he was serving under Lieutenant Colonel Sobel while training in Aldbourne. Winters and Sobel had very different personalities and Winters worried that Sobel was an unfit leader for Easy Company. Sobel tried to get him thrown out of the army several times by charging him with crimes that were unjust. Winters took them to the court martial and he was sent away to become the battalion mess officer. 

Following this, despite Winters' attempts to stop it, many of the other officers went to the regimental commander and threatened to turn in their stripes if Sobel was not replaced with Winters. This did not impress the commander and he demoted some of the officers yet he still replaced Sobel and excused Winters to where he could return as a leader of Easy Company's 1st platoon. Throughout the war Winters played a big part in the success of Easy Company and it was clear that his men had the utmost respect for him.

One thing I've learned from starting to read this book is that even when put into a position of authority, like Sobel, you do not automatically gain the status of a leader. Leadership is something earned through respect and once you gain the respect and trust of those around you, like Winters did, if you are responsible you can become a great leader.