Leadership Lessons from the USS Caine
The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel based on Wouk’s experiences during World War II. It is also a great study in flawed leadership and the consequences it has on the followers.
Captain Queeg is the new Captain appointed to the Caine, a broken-down minesweeper with a crew to match. He laid out his leadership style this way:
“…there are four ways of doing things aboard my ship: the right way, the wrong way, the Navy way and my way.”
His early attempts to instill discipline and order, his duty as Captain, are met with obedient acceptance, at first. Queeg’s behavior seems eccentric when he focuses on untucked shirts then slowly progresses into mental instability when dealing with the infamous “missing strawberries.” At a crucial moment during a treacherous hurricane, a senior officer relieves Queeg of command, a move supported by other officers.
As a follower in those environments, does one mutiny? Peter Drucker noted that it is not the subordinate’s role to reform the boss or induce them to behave according to a particular style. Rather it is to understand the boss and help them be successful. Still, when working for a boss who is a tyrant or worse, the impulse to rebel is unavoidable.
We all experience leaders who display “dis-leadership” behavior from time to time. I’m reminded of a leader who outwardly preached “continuous improvement” but summarily rejected any new ideas, insisting that he had “the formula” and there was no need to change the way things were being done. The need to control a situation, exert dominance, demonstrate power seem to satisfy the leader’s self-image but stifle those around him.
There is no recipe for success in these situations though I’d suggest that mutiny is not the best course. A defensive strategy, such as keeping your head down and playing by the rules, no matter how ridiculous they are, is the most sensible. An exception is if the behavior breaches an ethical or legal boundary. If you’re lucky, the toxic boss will be reassigned – or promoted!
Experienced Trainer (Retired)/Commander U.S. Navy (Retired)/Published Author (Retired)
2 年https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/cainemutiny/character/captain-queeg/ It's too easy to analyze Captain Queeg if you have never been in a military leadership position much less a commanding officer. I would read Herman Wouk's Pulitzer Prize winning book as I have because it goes into greater details about each character and Queeg's motivations. The movie is outstanding but doesn't do justice to the book. Second, I read the spark notes at the URL I provided. Queeg functioned well in the peacetime navy prior to WW2. He could not adapt or transition to the wartime navy, which is not dishonorable. There were peacetime leaders (both political and military) who could not adapt to wartime conditions. Conversely, there were wartime leaders who couldn't transition to peacetime conditions or in Winston Churchill's case, were forced out of office after the war ended. This was a big mistake.
Principal at Ideas To Lead By
8 年Matt, I appreciate your comments. Yes, one hopes the ineffective leader gets called out. Too often a privileged class of management protects its own.
Principal at Ideas To Lead By
8 年Well said, Richard. I agree wholeheartedly!
CEO at batchinformatics
8 年Following "defensive strategy, such as keeping your head down and playing by the rules, no matter how ridiculous they are," may be viable if the boss' behavior is an outlier in the organization and there's reasonable expectation that he will be recognized as such and delt with according. But when management encourages rotating such people through different positions to avoid admitting the mistake in hiring/promoting them in the first place, there's a deeper problem. Sadly then it's probably best to move on...