Oct 11
There is no human reason why a child should not admire and emulate his teacher's ability to do sums, rather than the village bum's ability to whittle sticks and smoke cigarettes. The reason why the child does not is plain enough - the bum has put himself on an equality with him and the teacher has not.
Floyd Dell
Leroy Jethro Gibbs was very aware that he kept himself aloof from his team. He didn't join in with their pranks, he avoided their jokes, and he shut down conversations that were not relevant to their current case.
His team disliked this behavior, but he hadn't become Team Leader to win any popularity contests. As far as he was concerned, his job was to be separate. His team needed to know he was different to them; they needed to see him focused on each investigation and worrying solely about it.
He knew some team leaders acted differently; they kept themselves on the same level as their team and maintained friendships. He couldn't see how this worked. If he gossiped with DiNozzo, discussed silly feminine things with Ziva and showed an interest in McGee's computers, his team might like him more, but it wouldn't get the job done. His team needed to admire him, to respect him, and they couldn't do that if he took sides in their arguments or shared scuttlebutt with them.
Despite his best efforts to remain aloof, he was not above showing he cared when necessary. He protected his team as a mother bear did her cubs. He backed them up, supported them whenever they needed his help, and truly cared about them.
However he handled his team, they had become his misfit family.
