Early in my career, I faced a similar dilemma. I worried about being liked by my soldiers. I resolved this dilemma though trial and error. Leadership is a developmental process. There are few, if any, born leaders.
Leadership is both a science and an art form and the good leaders learn from their mistakes.
The Faces of Fear and Respect can only take you so far which leads us to the next level. Face of Purpose - The highest level of leadership is that of providing purpose. True leadership progresses from fear, to respect and finally to that of purpose. During one scene in the movie, you could feel this important transition. As the squad fought deeper into enemy territory, death and combat stress began to take its toll.