Having time to spare over a long weekend, I watched Kathryn Bigelows 'Hurt Locker', once again and noticed a few nuances that I had missed earlier.The dark underbelly of battle is there to see but one gets to watch the how war touches the everyday lives of people in its perimeter and by default those connected to the front line actors.
Staff Sgt.William James, is a man possessed with a passion for his job, that can best be described as dedication beyond the call of duty, but does that entail or give him the right to disregard safety protocol of his bomb squad and endanger his team? Does it give him the right to distance himself from his family back home.
The movie is a managers delight because it brings in management facets that occur on a regular basis at the workplace.
It is interesting that in high risk jobs, such as being part of a bomb disposal unit, you need people who have a strong conscientious streak in their personality, rather than gung ho cowboys who place, their fellow workers at risk while pursuing personal agendas on the field of Battle.A poignant moment is when he places his team in danger and then risks his life to rescue a captured soldier. Brilliant!
Good organizations select people on attitude, a throw off from their intrinsic personality.People believe that you can teach employees most things if they have the chutzpah and the right attitude.
As William James spends more time on the job, his recklessness grows and he finds that he does not have a life without his profession.On returning home, the mundane jobs, that he does comes as a culture shock and his now 'divorced' wife is not interested in his exploits in Iraq. A classic expatriates tale of woe!
It also brings home the point that high pressure jobs not only lead to burnout but also lend a touch of insanity, which may pass off as skill and bravado.
The irony of the tale, for me, is that Jame's predecessor, who is killed in action, is the epitome of safety and a great team person, while James the quintessential cowboy lives to tell his tale. Napoleon the French emperor is once said to have said ' I don't need good generals, I want lucky ones!'
I can live with that!It is that luck which gives you that second chance to live and fight another day.........
1 comment:
Nice Blog.
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