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Is honesty the biggest factor in having competent officers, or is it courage/tactical understanding/craftiness/resistance to stress etc.? (Honestly asking) The

• AnHonestComment 6y ago
  How so? I believe the British authors who spoke of their “duty to enlighten savages” and similar — they seemed incredibly honest in their racism. They viewed it as a genuinely noble pursuit of building a better mankind through enlightened empire. They were certainly more honest than the US baizuo, who were called lying foxes by Malcolm X. Beyond that, honesty is probably the highest priority for a general: he has staff to be crafty, tactical, and brave. What he needs is the ability to coordinate that staff effectively, which can only be done when problems are honestly communicated. This is true even at more junior levels: the officer is out in the field with you, but let’s be honest... he’s probably not point on kicking down doors. Even at that level, he needs direct and honest communication from door kickers so he can coordinate the operation, re-assign people during fire fights, and co-ordinate with base staff, like status updates and requests for backup.