The Dragon Reborn - Chapter 1 [#100Days, Day 75]

Comfortable with Discomfort

    [Perrin] sometimes wondered at the way [the Shienarans] deferred to him and followed his lead.  It was as if they thought he had some special right, some knowledge hidden from them.
Perrin, The Dragon Reborn, p. 2

    Perrin has always reluctantly taken the lead.  I think a large part of it, from his perspective, is that he knows he's just a blacksmith's apprentice far from home.  He's not a Lord, a general, or even a great soldier.  Reluctantly, he charged in the vanguard with Artur Hawkwing at the battle in Falme.  No doubt, he feels Uno would be more suited to the task of leading the small cohort of Shienarans.  Uno, by comparison, seems entirely more comfortable and suited to the role of company sergeant.  He's gruff, focused on small details that keep his troops alive, and gifted with a soldierly pragmatism.  He prefers managing the day-to-day routine functions, leaving the strategic views to others.  So Perrin finds himself in charge of the band of Shienarans. 

     Taking over a new position gives a similar feeling, even to the seasoned leader - there's a certain amount of feeling out of place, dropping in on an organization and feeling behind the eight ball.  Critical during this early time is to walk around and talk to as many people as possible.  Information gathering is vital prior to embarking on a sequence of changes.  Your assessment may be completely off base.  Even a benign comment such as "Please ensure overtime is being used for critical items" can be interpreted in negative ways, inadvertently causing rifts in the first week.  The people you talk to are the ones that have to live with your decisions; so it's necessary to figure out their view of the world.