The most distinguishing leadership characteristic of Ender is not his strategic ability, it is his compassion for his team and even his enemy. A good leader cares.
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I know, I’m 40+ years late to the game; but I took Jesse Manley’s advice and instead of putting money into Orson Scott Card’s homophobic hands to see the new Harrison Ford flick, I checked the book out of the LA Public Library (which is stellar). Ender’s Game is both entertaining and thought-provoking science fiction; but while the author adroitly questions the ethics of war, education, and humanity itself, this book’s greatest lessons are about what it means to be a good leader.
The story follows a boy named Ender Wiggin, a born and bred genius, as he becomes the last great hope of humanity at the age of six. Ender goes from outcast to legendary hero through a cruel education at Battle School and Command School, emerging as an 11-year-old to command humanity’s great attack fleet in their defense/assault (one of the book’s main questions) of a hostile alien race.
Aside from being a genius born and bred for the single purpose of mass xenocide, I felt like Ender and I had a lot in common.
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During school he’s isolated, bullied, and overwhelmed with personal challenges. He has a tough time with intimate friendship during his most trying years, leading him to often question the sociopathy evident all around – and even within himself. And yet he is destined to be the greatest leader in generations, he finds deep compassion for even his enemies, and he still struggles with self-confidence and vulnerability. Aside from being a genius born and bred for the single purpose of mass xenocide, I felt like Ender and I had a lot in common.
There are times when this book gives voice to the greatest challenges in leadership, and other times when it feels absolutely incongruous.
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The 6 lessons I learned are (Just to be clear, this is my interpretation of Card’s internal dialogue about leadership. I personally found myself cringing more often than cheering for the leadership examples in this book):
- From ancient legends to newborn children, we all just want to be heard, understood, respected, safe, and loved.
- The most distinguishing leadership characteristic of Ender is not his strategic ability, it is his compassion for his team and even his enemy. A good leader cares.
- Authority, order, and discipline are only valuable when borne from independence, trust, and creativity.
- As a leader, expect challenge up to and beyond your breaking point. At times, I felt exhausted just reading about Ender’s never-ending, ever-increasing challenges.
- In all-or-nothing ultimatums, win at all costs, ethics be damned… except maybe not, you know, if you think about it.
- Leadership can be lonely. To stay grounded a good leader must have three things:
- A purpose (beyond ego). Ender needed a reason to persevere through challenge.
- A support group. Ender needed his sister, his few earned friendships, and the coaching of mentors to feel connected and sane.
- A horizon. Ender knew he was training toward a goal; but he doesn’t make it unless the timing is pressed to him. How often has the sight of the finish line driven us to carry on?
Without spoiling too much, the most powerful statement in this book is the conclusion. Card creates a beautiful resolution that enlightens about war and peace, about our insignificance and our potential, and about purpose and love.
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I’m curious, if you’ve read or seen Ender’s Game, what did you glean about lessons in leadership?
At age 53, having deployed to the mid-east four times since 9-11, with the 82nd Airborne Division. I saw Ender’s Game as the ultimate “Win at all Cost” scenario, to the point of sacrificing one’s own troops to win and uncontested victory, never having to fight that enemy again…ever. While in Iraq, I thought the way to get the locals engaged to help find and point out “the bad guys” (generally, they knew where “the bad guys were”, they just did not have the “right” incentive to reveal their locations) was simply to LEVEL the nearest town/village when any IED… Read more »
Card may be a Christian but that doesn’t mean he can’t be an idiot as well. I’m a big fan of Ender’s Game too. It’s probably my favorite science fiction book (and coincidentally, I only read it because someone told me that it had good leadership principles in it) but his beliefs about gays are ridiculous. If you read the article that Dale linked to you see that, for starters, OSC believes that most gays are gay as the result of child abuse or rape. (Where in the bible does it say that rape causes gay babies?) Even the freaking… Read more »
Thank you for your comment. Having been raised Christian, having learned the Bible (and since, many other theological and philosophical texts which hold within them great wisdom), having walked a 600 mile Christian pilgrimage, and having come to considered resolutions based on my own experience with what is often called God… I accept your criticism of me as a liberal. In no way do I want to financially support a man who judges himself better by any measure than anyone else. You are free to feel how you want to feel about me, about Mr. Card, and about this piece… Read more »
Card lives his life and writes from a Christian / Biblical perspective. You are right that he created a great leader in Ender grown out of compassion. Card also draws his belief and opinions about homosexuality from that same well, known as the Bible. I expect that you felt you had to use that term “homophobe” to appease and save face from your liberal audience, but your statement is based on utter ignorance about what the Bible says, why it says it, and who true Christians are. I don’t believe for a second, and neither should you, that Card hates… Read more »