“One day the war will be over. And I hope that the people that use this bridge in years to come will remember how it was built and who built it. Not a gang of slaves, but soldiers, British soldiers, Clipton, even in captivity.” Colonel Nicholson.
The movie “The Bridge on the River Kwai” was released in 1957 and had the setting of World War 2. In the beginning of the movie we come across the character of Shears who was not meant to be a leader. He escaped from his prescribed work and bribed the Japanese officials in order to do so. Shears had no prerequisites in his life besides saving himself from atrocities. He was least bothered about his men around him in spite of holding a higher rank, he refused responsibilities. All these characteristics cumulatively disqualifies him as a leader.
Immediately following Shears, we encounter Colonel Saito and Colonel Nicholson. Saito was in charge of running the camp for the prisoners of war and his project was to build the bridge over Kwai which would complete the railroad- Bangkok through Rangoon. Nicholson on the other hand, was heading the imprisoned British troops brought in the camp. The Japanese Colonel was seen brimming with authority and confidence, commanding the prisoners with an iron hand. His objectives were clear, the prisoners of war shall be at the mercy of their then commanders and will have to work accordingly. In Saito’s opinion, the Brits were coward to have surrendered instead of fighting until death. Therefore, we can see that Saito is a man who is strict, he aims for the goal and treats his subordinates with utmost show of power and authority. He had ordered that everyone from the prisoners are bound to work as manual labourers towards the completion on the bridge.
Colonel Nicholson is a man leading the battalion who had just lost. His self-esteem should have been low and he should have been complaint. However, when Saito ordered him and his officials to work labourers, he disagreed. He was a man of discipline and would not function out of it. The Geneva Convention did not allow the officials to work as labourers. This is the first clash of opinions that take place between the two parties. As is expected, neither of them altered from their opinion. Nicholson was kept in the ‘Oven’ for several days and his officials were kept under harsh conditions, while the soldiers worked under the Japanese engineer. The camp doctor had tried to persuade Nicholson but was of no use. At the end, Saito had to give into the extremely determined colonel. Furthermore, when Saito saw that his engineers were faltering, were unable to build the bridge properly and the deadline was approaching, he gave the authority to Nicholson. This entire chain of events shows the vigour in Nicholson and putting up with adverse situation to the point that the enemy has to bow down to him at the end. Saito on the other hand was disheartened but his ulterior goal was to complete his project. He wanted to achieve the target no matter what path does he have to abide by. Saito was conceited but more concerned about ultimate motive.
After Nicholson came into power, he was spearheading the entire operation. He was the one controlling the British and the Japanese workforce, his engineers were framing each aspect. They changed the location of the bridge, the routine of the workers, made the men feel needed and gave them hope. In the sultry weather of Burma, in the rigorous living conditions, it was Nicholson who lead the way. Even quite a few men who were injured and were resting got inspired by the powerful words of the Colonel volunteered to work when the labour-force was lagging behind. The entire team came under order, there was a particular course of instructions followed by each one, Nicholson made the workers feel like humans and not just machines. He went around talking to the workers, asking if they were working fine. After the bridge was complete, a celebratory event was held to rejoice the fulfillment of their goal. He effectively made every loitering piece fall into place and unlike Saito who was trying to go by the bookish rules of leadership, set his own standards in regard to controlling the team.
In case of military, camp or any other sort of an organization, the members of the troop demand a leader to look up to. They want to follow orders and not take charge themselves. This stands as differentiating factor between a leader and non-leader or a follower. The leader must have the guts to make a decision and take uncompromised responsibility of the outcome. Similarly, in large companies there has to be a proprietor to be followed by his other group members. This is true for all sorts of groups, from family to multi-national conglomerates.
Summed up, Nicholson had all the qualities of being a good leader. However, the question remains, why was he doing this? It is as clear as day that this project was only going to help the Japanese commute faster and more conveniently. Was his pride taking over the larger picture of the situation? Nevertheless, according to him, when he was handed a job, it was against his morals to back out from a situation of crisis. However, he had to meet the fate written for him. Another British covet group was sent in to destroy the bridge as they were aware of the consequences of it. Blinded by his leadership streak, Nicholson did not realize the gravity of his undertakings and thus, he had to see his own creation turning into dust. Since he died shortly after seeing his masterwork getting destroyed, he really did not have deal with the aftermath of it. But, in real life most leaders have to go through this situation where they have to come across majorly testing circumstances. They have to keep their calm and go on and rebuild what is broken. If, as a leader, one ceases to get back up and start recreating, they stop being a leader as a whole. This is what is expected out a leader, as impossible as it may sound.
The movie closely talks about working as a team member and a team leader, the various circumstances that they come across and in spite of that, you can continue to conduct while abiding by your principles.
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