Chapter 67
When Leaders Disappear and Soldiers Must Choose
Rostóv had been ordered to look for Kutúzov and the Emperor near the village of Pratzen. But neither they nor a single commanding officer were there, only disorganized crowds of troops of various kinds. He urged on his already weary horse to get quickly past these crowds, but the farther he went the more disorganized they were. The highroad on which he had come out was thronged with calèches, carriages of all sorts, and Russian and Austrian soldiers of all arms, some wounded and some not. This whole mass droned and jostled in confusion under the dismal influence of cannon…
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Critical Thinking Exercise
Perfect vs. Good Enough Decision Map
Think of a current situation where you're hesitating to act because you want to handle it perfectly. Draw two columns: 'My Perfect Fantasy' and 'Good Enough Reality.' In the first column, write what your ideal intervention would look like. In the second, write what a 70% solution would accomplish right now. Then identify one small action you could take today.
Consider:
- •Consider who is actually affected by your delay in taking action
- •Notice whether your 'perfect' solution requires other people to respond in specific ways
- •Ask yourself if the people involved need your flawed help more than your perfect silence
Journaling Prompt
Write about a time when someone helped you imperfectly but at exactly the right moment. What made their flawed action more valuable than perfect inaction would have been?
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