ENTHUSIASM... WHAT?

Enthusiasm is a fundamental mobilizing quality in the exercise of authority. It allows the leader to mobilize his subordinates. It aims to provoke a collective impetus, a craze for the mission to be accomplished, whatever the difficulties encountered. Enthusiasm is to be linked to the convictions and generosity of the chief, it is the symbol of his faith in an ideal. It should not be confused with candour or a form of unreasonable optimism or passion.

ENTHUSIASM... WHY?

• It's an engine of action.
• It allows the group's adhesion to a common objective.
• It is a means of coping with contingencies and changes. It is a proof of the leader's confidence in the finality of the mission.
• It is a factor of group cohesion.

NO ENTHUSIASM ... WITHOUT :

• strong convictions;
• generosity;
• strength of character;
• discernment;
• adaptability;
• moral courage.

ENTHUSIASM ... IN THE TEXTS :

"A little intelligence employed by a passionate heart will go further than a beautiful genius put at the service of a cold soul. »

André Maurois (French essayist and novelist - 1885-1967)

"Man is a sentimentalist. There are no great creations out of sentiment, and the enthusiasm quickly wears off in most of them as they drift away from their dreams. »

Louis -Ferdinand Céline - The Life and Work of Philippe Ignace Semmelweis (1924).

ENTHUSIASM ... "IN CONTACT":

Testimony of a Captain Engineer Unit Commander - Operation PAMIR - Afghanistan - 2011:

"We are in August, it's been two months now that the company has been experiencing a commitment of rare intensity. Since the beginning of the mission, we have been running the operations with rather

"the baraka", despite a few light casualties. It is in this climate that an IED ambush at night destroys the VAB of a platoon of the company. Master Corporal 1st Class H was killed in the explosion and four other sappers were seriously injured by burns. A severe storm followed the ambush, adding to the confusion and chaos. The death toll was high, and the affected section was clearly out of action. All were marked by this attack. However, within a few days, the Group Sergeant, himself slightly wounded, showed a communicative enthusiasm: he organizes the arrival and integration of the relief of the wounded, actively contributes to repair or replace his equipment to put his group back in order of battle as soon as possible. His faith in the mission was instantly admired by his men, who rediscovered a sense of commitment to contact and a taste for action. Without the sergeant's enthusiasm, there is no doubt that the group would not have succeeded in resuming the mission under such conditions. »