Alexander on Web Development

This post is continued from my previous post In programming there's no hand-holding, just like in the Army

My friends often ask me "why did you join the Army?" and "what did you learn from the Army?". Because they obviously haven't been to it, they can only appreciate it from the perspective of the mainstream media which all it shows are the same15 to 30 second footage clips of marines patrolling the streets of Baghdad or Kabul, or bloodied dead people lying on the floor. That's what people know about the Armed Forces - blood, death, weapons, children without limbs, violence.

What they don't understand is that the Army is the world's premiere leadership school. You are taught to be dependable, accountable and proactive. If you aren't, then there's a system called the NCOER (Non Commisioned Officer Evaluation Report) that warrants that you don't gain the rank of sergeant if you aren't a leader. There's even a a system of leadership schools, which are mandatory for all Non Commisioned Officers. There's always the occasional bad apple (don't ever expect a system made by humans to be perfect). After all, without leadership and values imagine what would happen if a Captain told a Soldier to move his platoon from trench A to trench B while under fire from a superior enemy. A Soldier without leadership (a private or a low ranking conscript) would not move his men at the excuse that "they are shooting at us" or something similar. On the other hand, an experienced Soldier with proper leadership education and experience, most likely a sergeant or NCO (Non Commisioned Officer) probably would be creative enough to:

• Find a route where the there is less or no enemy fire
• Create a diversion with a device like a smoke grenade
• Ask some of his riflemen to shoot in the enemy's direction, causing the enemy to seek cover while allowing his men to move with minimal casualties
• A combination of all of the above

Theoretically the options above should be unlimited. But one thing they all share in common is that they require an act of spontaneous creativity using a problem-solution approach (while adapting to enemy capabilities, terrain, etc). All that, falls under the domain of the leadership science. And I say that programming does require a significant amount of leadership akin to being a Soldier. (And as you probably know not everyone is Soldier material).

So other than the Department of Defense and the Armed Forces where else in the federal government you get leadership schools? Nowhere? Do you get them on the private sector? Nope, neither. (Note: this is my personal view based on my surrounding environment, not facts about existing programs).

Then the people wonder why is the democracy at it's current state. I think It's because of themselves or correction ourselves. According to one social sciences professor I had at college we have been systematically blinded by the 'system' - a combination of the government, school system, and family values to believe that it is the law makers and businessmen fault for any of society's problems like poverty, crime, low wages, etc. Fools are the one that believe that crap :O !

I think our government's failure is your fault. It is my fault. It is everyone's fault. This is our government, and each one of us has the opportunity to shape it. What kind of excuse is "I can't ...this", "I can't ... that", "because". One phrase modern U.S. Army Soldiers probably won't forget is "no excuse Soldier". Soldiers nowadays are taught that there isn't such thing as a valid excuse for not accomplishing a task...ever. If you were to ever fail as a Soldier in your mission then it would mean you didn't tried hard enough. Achieving success while avoiding failure is everyone's responsibility in a team, and isn't our government society's responsibility? Isn't society supposed to be a team composed of every citizen?

If the government fails, I believe that it is because the society has failed to collectively detect, analyze, prevent, and solve current and future problems. To make my point of view more clear: Democracy, government, society - are not in the hands of the law makers, they are in the hands of each and every one of it's citizens (to include law makers).

The country needs more leadership schools. There are programs that have the goal of making better citizens such as the boy and girl scouts and peace corps (though again probably most moms and dads think it's about the bonfire marshmallows). Wrong, it's about teaching children from early on to be leaders, responsible, to have respect for the others, etc. It's a value teaching through practical exercise, not through theory only, like it happened in a religious school I was from 2nd to 4th grade. While the real and junior military (and other discipline based programs) reward excellence and accomplishments with immediate ranks and ribbons, the religious schools reward you with promises of ascension into paradise. But this is topic for another discussion.

I think the school system needs to be reformed. We live in the era of the failed democracy. The root of the democracy is it's citizens. If it's citizens fail to participate in it, the democracy fails. However, one thing I don't think schools teach children is to be political citizens. Every citizen is a political citizen, no matter how much they hate politicians. When they fail to be political entities, their individual interests are replaced by those of the commercial entities.

If people are taught early on to lead, instead of being taught only to be lead we will have a society with more progress. People instead of waiting for foreign corporations to hire them (like is the case of Puerto Rico), they will forge their own businesses, there will be more consultants, and the lives of more will be less dependent on the decisions of few.

Also a crucial part of being a leader is being a good listener and team player. Fomenting leadership program in our schools would mean people would later on would realize the impact that teams of citizens and collective action can have on government and society. People already have realized this long time ago, and that's why we have labor unions, gay right marches, etc. However, I vow more towards collective initiatives that seek to provide viable solutions to tough problems. Protesting is not good, but not enough. If for example citizens halt a state in the form of a national protest, they are not solving anything if they don't bring forward serious solutions to the problem they are protesting about. The next day the same people that created the problem in the first place are the ones most likely to design the solution. Suggestion? Political and economical solutions should be designed and provided from the bottom up, not the other way around.

I think that if the school system taught citizens to be leaders, we would have more research and a more productive society. In a perfect world, all citizens of our government should serve in some branch of the Armed Forces or in the Peace Corps. However, because the world for sure is not a perfect place I'd be satisfied if of all the things our kids are forced to read in school, they would include a book about leadership.