Supervisor

You may note that my discussion yesterday focused on the feeling of the Majors and Colonels. I must say the other side of the coin also worth considering.

I mean the feeling of the supervising Generals.

You see? Not all Generals like to supervise Majors or Colonels, and would prefer an obedient though mediocre soldier, because the middle grade often have their own idea and may not like to take advice. (It goes without saying that the less competent a General, the more likely they would turn away a middle grade subordinate. That's another story.)

And, at the same time, when you consider the inevitable happening of asking more middle grade to do junior duty, it becomes obvious that the battlefield is splitting into two halves: soldiers (and Captains and Lieutenants) led by Generals, and solo combat fought by the middle grade (hopefully with some advice from the higher rank every now and then).

All of a sudden, I find the old traditional system of the Royal College of Physicians illuminating: It used to take 3 or 4 years to become a member (that is, fairly independent to work under ordinary circumstances), but another 10 to 12 years to really become a fellow (when they are really senior and capable of supervising).