Master And Commander

Master And Commander

Rachael Patten
                                                                                                                                                            UNS 101-02
                                                          Master and Commander Leadership Paper
     
          Operating a warship is an organizational nightmare.   More than one hundred people must harmoniously work together to operate the sails, maintain the weaponry, and prepare for immediate battle.   All the while, these sailors must also keep calm during the alarming panic.   The crew’s journey leads them across the world in pursuit of the Acheeron as they seek to capture it as their prize.   Given the strong leadership that the captain displays, the unrelenting motivation he possesses and the strong organization of the HSS Surprise, it is no surprise that they are able to defy all odds and defeat their stronger foe in battle thousands of miles from their homeland.  
          Leadership is an ambiguous quality that is not easily defined, but Captain Jack Aubrey clearly exemplifies it.   One theory of why he is such an effective leader is that he is extremely ambitious and energetic and this becomes apparent when he pursues the Acheeron across the world.   Instead of giving up after he was “soundly beaten” as he put it himself, he channeled his defeat into an ambition to prove that his ship was superior to the Acheeron.   His rank of captain and his enthusiasm in commandeering his ship shows that he has the desire to lead.   Aubrey remained an upstanding individual reflecting the honesty and integrity that was inside of him.   Believing that he and his crew had the ability to defeat the larger and better-equipped Acheeron also reflects the self-confidence Aubrey possesses. His resourcefulness in luring the Acheeron into a fatal trap after gaining insight on how a wood bug disguises itself reveals a strategizing mind that is unfazed by oppressing circumstances.   The contrasting...