This attribute shows Nicholson's ability of decision making, and keeping firm when protecting his subordinates. This showed Nicholson's democratic vices that are recommended as the best way of leadership. Saito, on the other hand, gets mad and smacks the colonel's face with a booklet, after which he goes ahead to through the book on the ground, demanding with an authoritative mood, that the officers need to work. This symbolized an autocratic leader, who hardly needs any confirmations or opinions from his subordinates on the way to make decisions.
After giving orders to no avail, asking the officers to do manual labor, Saito goes to the extent of threatening to kill Nicholson and most of his officers due to their defiance. However, due to the presence of many witnesses, Saito, who is evidently a dictator, relents to his own intentions, and decides not to harm the officers under Nicholson. Saito has the guts to place Colonel Nicholson in the sweat box under the glaring sun, as he sends Nicholson's officers to the punishments huts. This shows Saito as a leader that is merciless, making him loose his honor when the prisoners roar and upload when Saito releases their leader, Nicholson. Once again, Nicholson shows his leadership ability which involves gaining support from his people.
Saito lacks the courage to deal with matters, making his less of a leader. When Nicholson's troop build a better bridge as compared to the troops of Saito, Saito gets so mad that he contemplates murder. This is not a trait linked to leaders, because leaders that are democratic and effective are expected to accept certain outcomes and work towards making the situation better. Nicholson's success makes Saito mad because he cannot believe there is anyone better than him...
The British managed to build the bridge because of their determined leader, Nicholson. Neither Saito nor Nicholson was of the idea that they ruled individual people. To them, they were just controlling troops. Both the leaders had been bound under the caste system, where they believed in social structures that related back to their pasts, and what the future held for them. Nicholson, therefore, regardless of his victories against Saito, acted as a mad and psychotic person. He visits a hospital and asks the patients to wake up and go to work on the bridge site. The men, who could barely walk, stumbled out of their beds and head to the working site. This shows desperation of the people, who have no right to expose their opinions at all. This showed the restrains the prisoners are submitted to during the war, which resulted to inability and lack of freedom.
Conclusion
Basically, very clear leadership traits are identified with the three leaders. Shears, who was a commander, was a seaman from America, who possessed a cynical sense showing self-preservation, and this was not the best leader, as he lacked the power to control others and get involved in others' interests. Colonels Nicholson and Saito have similar attributes to an extent, showing their dictatorship ways of governing. Nicholson, however, has unique ways of making things done, due to interaction with his officers.
