Portrait of Leadership

I am sitting here in my office at home grieving over a man I never knew. His name is Dick Winters, and he was the commander of Easy Company. They were the WWII paratroopers of the 101st airborne made famous by the series Band of Brothers. He died last week in central Pennsylvania at the age of 92.

Watching the Band of Brothers series and its companion documentary it was clear that Dick Winters was a MAN deserving of all caps. While all of this was fresh I wanted to capture just a few of the characteristics that I admired about him.

First, he cared deeply for those in his charge. He was always concerned with their needs and well being before his own. He never saw those in his command as a means to make himself look good. Rather, he saw them as something valuable that was entrusted to him. He SERVED his men.

Second, he was a cunning warrior with a heart. His steady hand in battle and patience won the day on more than a few occasions. Yet, when you watch the documentary interview with him about the end of the war he weeps. He weeps for those who were lost, for the pain of war, and for the men that stood beside him in the trenches.

Finally, he was flat out brave. In one scene from Band of Brothers he hears a whistle and charges so far in front of his men that he is essentially alone on the battlefield. He also made hard decisions because they were right, not because they felt good or were popular.

So, I am still sitting here with that pit in my stomach. Not because I will miss him...I never knew him. But when a man like that passes you feel the depth of the space he leaves in his absence.

My God what a man.