Dylan Harker, 21

1. [img]http://i.imgur.com/qunO0Qy.jpg[/img]

2) City/State/Country of Origin 

Springfield IL - USA

3) What do you consider the most important quality in a leader, and why?

The ability to improvise. Every plan, no matter how good will eventually go down the drain. Something will go wrong, it's just Murphy's law. The weapon will jam, the door won't open, the car won't start. When something like that happens you want someone that can think on his feet, that can come up with a solution and boom, make things happen.

4) Describe a time when you could have demonstrated good leadership skills, but failed to do so.

There was that time, during gym class, when I was given the ever important task of being the captain... of the expected to lose team, during a dodge ball game. That wasn't my proudest moment, let me tell you. And the thing is, I know I could have led our little group of losers to victory, but I was too scared of what the much bigger, badder and not as handsome or smarter kids were going to do to me. 


5) If you were the leader of a world power, what are the first three steps you would take toward ending the war?

What do others want? You need to figure that out, then find a way to hold it over them like a carrot on a stick. You develop the means to obtain it. Is it going to take an army? A group of engineers and scientists? And finally, you have to be able to hold onto it. So yes, we will need people that can punch others in the face, but only because everyone else is going to be looking to do just that. And if during those we can start working on the cure? All the better.

6) In wartime, which is more important - military protocol, or the morale of the people?

Morale. Military protocol is important, but the military by itself would be useless without the people to support it. If the people aren't happy, who's going to feed the soldiers? Maintain their equipment? Do the things that keep them able to be focused on defending the rest of us? After morale has been taken care of, then you turn toward military protocol. 

7) Throughout all of history, name the leader whose style you would most closely emulate, and why.

Fucking Neil deGrasse Tyson. Because surviving in this new fucked up world takes skills, science and know-how. Because it takes some good old common sense. Because this isn't the time to let ourselves be weighed down by superstitions. Oh, you don't think he's a leader? Well, I got news for you, you're just plain wrong. 

8)  Rank the following in order of least to most important: Wilderness survival, espionage training, getting a good night's rest, the art of persuasion, martial prowess, agricultural skill.

Wilderness Survival, Espionage Training, Art of Persuasion, Martial Prowess, martial prowess, getting a good night's rest.

9) Which do you think has the capacity to be more dangerous in the long-term - the ongoing war, or the illness ravaging the population?

There's been how many wars through history? We were still kicking around after all those. No, the biggest issue here is this illness, our biggest enemy ends up being the stupid flu. 

10) Describe your personality in in one concise paragraph.

Witty, savvy and smart. I know how to get dirty and down, but we're not going to survive this by punching people in the face. No, we need to work together, and we need to want to work together. So I can be a bit of a clown at times, because people do need a laugh or two here and there, but when it comes to buckling down and getting shit down? I'm your guy. I'm not religious, at all. Well, that's bullshit. Science is my god, and my god is good.