Quote Originally Posted by Marlowe View Post
The bridge of a ship in a crisis is no time or place for a debate. A ship in GENERAL is no place for a debate. Bandana had the right to expect that the crew would attend to their assigned duties (in Andi's case this means fixing things) and follow her orders. Andi was doing neither and Bandana was entirely right to call her out on it.

Not that this should matter, because in what universe is it acceptable to assault a superior because they spoke to you sharply for shirking your duties?
Oh, no doubt about Andi being in the wrong here. I'm pretty sure wrenching your boss in the head is a bad idea in many situations.

But this certainly isn't the ideal outcome. Taking a wrench in the head from a subordinate is unlikely to be considered the best outcome in any situation, even if said subordinate is a total jerk. And so looking at it purely from the consequences, Bandana's leadership has not gone well.

Morally, Bandana is totally in the right. Andi is being a jealous petty jerk who's failing to do her job or help our her crewmates.

But using the example of military command structures, it's a lot more complicated than "I am your commander, you obey me." That statement is true, but the modern military trains its officers over years to learn how to manage and get the most out of their subordinates. Asserting seniority might get a subordinate to obey you, but they'll be more effective in their duties if you and they have a good relationship.

With that in mind, I would say Bandana hasn't necessarily adapted to leadership all that well. Ignoring Andi's grousing for so long was a poor - if understandable - decision. Andi's bad behavior was affecting her work and causing friction with her crewmates. Either Bandana should've tried to work out something with Andi, or found an alternative solution for her chief engineer.

Losing your cool in a crisis is quite understandable - but isn't good leadership. There's a reason why the modern navy tends to prefer even-tempered, easygoing captains. The captains of nuclear missile subs in particular are known as the friendliest, most laid back, calmest people you'll ever meet.

Again, Andi is completely in the wrong here. There's few situations where wrenching someone in the skull puts you in the right.

But that is an important facet of leadership: sometimes, being right isn't enough to be a good leader. Learning how to manage complete jerks is a vital skill in leadership - and not an easy one.


That said, I still blame Julio for all this. Suddenly abandon a crew which is almost entirely united by their cult-like adoration of you, and put a young first-timer in charge with nary a word of endorsement. The least Julio could've done is give a speech like, "Hey, guys - Bandana is the awesomest. Listen to her, why not."