Learning Leadership at Leisure

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Learning Leadership at Leisure

Smart learning is the tenacity to always remain alert to new ideas from all sides. Movies- both Indian and Global are no exception. These provide valuable inputs to managers at all levels. The 1957 British war movie, ‘Bridge on the River Kwai’ by David Lean, largely fictional film. The plot is loosely based on the building in 1943 of one of the railway bridges over the Mae Klong—renamed Khwae Yai in the 1960s—at a place called Tha Ma Kham, five kilometres from the Thai town of Kanchanaburi. The protagonist seems to be in real life,Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey. One of a number of Allied POW’s, Toosey was in charge of his men from late 1942 through May 1943 when they were ordered to build two Kwai River bridges in Burma (one of steel, one of wood), to help move Japanese supplies and troops from Bangkok to Rangoon.[pic 2]

Synopsis

Long story short-During WWII, British Prisoners of War must work for the Japanese building a bridge that the allies wish to destroy by sending a team of saboteurs. After settling his differences with a Japanese PoW camp commander, a British colonel co-operates to oversee his men’s construction of a railway bridge for their captors – while oblivious to a plan by the Allies to destroy it.

Main characters

Through this report we are going to look at leadership elicited by the above-mentioned characters.

What they said?[pic 3]

Excerpts of Leadership

The movie set in 1943 begins with WWII Prisoners of war arriving at the Japanese prison camp in Burma.

Where the commandant, Colonel Saito informs them that all prisoners, regardless of rank, are to work on the construction of a railway bridge over the River Kwai that will connect Bangkok and Rangoon. (Use of Legitimate Power – Path Goal Leader)

The senior British officer, Lieutenant Colonel Nicholson, reminds Saito that the Geneva Conventions exempt officers from manual labor. (Sticking to Law – Perceived Emergence of a Leader)

Saito was faced with the decision of whether or not to break the terms of the Geneva Convention, and chose to do so by ordering Nicholson and his officers perform manual labor. By doing so, he demonstrated that he was willing to disregard the accepted terms for prisoners of war. (Sense of total control of the situation)

Saito’s refusal to uphold the term of the Convention leads to Nicholson’s initial demonstration of leadership. (Emergence of Leader)

General Saito was faced with the task of leading both the Japanese military officials under him at the camp he presided over, as well as the prisoners of war at his camp. Saito also had to answer to higher up Japanese officials in order to accomplish the task of completing the bridge by the deadline. (Responsibilities come with power)