Leadership 101

Where did I go wrong? Did I fail as a leader?
What was the crack in him that I never found?
In my tears, these questions appear before me
as I watch his body bleed upon the ground.

I cannot be proud of the hundreds of successes
I cannot let the achievements make me stronger
For you can only learn from your life’s messes
But what you learn will only make you ponder

I can remember the names of all of the men lost
I can see the eyes of their families watching
I can feel the pain of the mothers, wives, and sons
Even one is one too many for those left living

It is war, it is for a cause, and they volunteered
None of these thoughts help erase the pain
Nothing can sooth the souls of those lost families
All I can do is weep with them in silent shame

Some tell me that being a leader is the easy job
Making the choices and being in charge is the best
You have all the say so and you never have to go
But these people have no concept of all of the rest

The pain of loss, the questions that must be answered
The responsibility, the guilt, the heart’s pains
You cannot show your men this side of being a leader
You must hide all of this as you start to go insane

This is what being a great leader is all about
Knowing the cost and knowing that it must be paid
Where did I go wrong? Did I fail as a leader?
What did I miss? What else could I have said?