Marshal Stacker Pentecost: Would you follow him into the breach?
With Kaiju’s attacking weekly, almost daily, funding from the Pan Pacific Defense Corps being cut, and down to the last four Jaegers, the options for Marshal Stacker Pentecost and his team at the Hong Kong Shatterdome are limited.
Yet, he manages to rally his team and keep them motivated even in the bleakest times.
How? What makes Marshal Stacker Pentecost a leader that people will follow into the breach?
Communication: Pentecost made sure that everyone not only felt essential to the mission of defeating the Kaiju but made sure that they all believed in the mission as well. Everyone from the Jeager pilots to the janitors felt that they contributed to the mission and trusted his decisions. Although some information was classified and he could not share it, he kept everyone up to date with as much information as possible. Even if that meant the answer to their questions was “I have a plan. I need you ready”.
Open to everyone’s point of view: In a high-stress environment, where the end of the world is an actual possible outcome, he still listens to his team and their opinions. He may not always agree. He even argues with them at times, but he considers their expertise and knowledge before accepting or rejecting their insight.
He walks his talk: He never asks people to do anything that he would not do himself. At the very end of the movie, when Herc Hanson gets injured and a replacement for Hansen is needed, Pentecost volunteers. He knows this is more than likely a suicide mission. In his position, he would be justified in directing someone else to take this on. But he doesn’t.
Trust: Pentecost is real with his staff. He never sugarcoats anything. For example, at the end of the film, when they are about to enter the breach for the final time, people know that this is not a mission where everyone will come back alive. But his speech empowers them and lets them know their sacrifice is for the greater good.
