Leadership

In The Secret Sharer by William Faulkner, we encounter a young captain, unsure of his leadership credentials. He is new to the captain's position, and knows neither his own abilities nor those of his crew. He encounters an unusual situation with a stranger who has come aboard his boat. The story shows how leadership character can be shaky at first, but develops. His lack of knowledge and self-confidence has him keep the stranger in his cabin, unbeknownst to the crew. A more confident leader would not likely have been so surreptitious. However, he guides the ship close to shore, and to danger, in order that Leggatt escape.

While his lack of confidence has him acting in a sneaky manner, his actions are directly contrasted with the cowardice of Leggatt's previous captain. That individual is portrayed as afraid of his crew and therefore unable to do the right thing, at least from Leggatt's perspective. Leadership is about being in charge, and in the case of the young captain, he struggles to find his form in asserting that command. He knows he is in a delicate position with respect to his crew, and he learns a lesson from Leggatt's story. He knows that he must earn his crew's trust while at the same time exhibit strong command. He does this by commanding the dangerous voyage to allow Leggatt to escape but not telling the crew why he is doing this.

By the end, Leggatt has demonstrated his leadership character, though. He guides the ship not only towards the shore but then away from it, in difficult circumstances. He wins the crew and more importantly wins himself. He had this character the entire time, but because of his inexperience he did not quite believe it. Leaders, however, find themselves in that position precisely because they have that character. The young captain overcame his self-doubt and his doubts about the ship. He was not afraid to challenge the ship and crew, and by remaining calm and using his natural abilities, he demonstrated his leadership character.