Some politically-correct answers so far..if a guy or gal is nice and follows all the rules but has lousy SA and/or judgement then does that make them a good Captain?NO.Turn it around and lets say the guy has excellent SA/judgement but is a difficult SOB and doesnt do everything by the rule-book?Is that possible you say?YES,I've seen it.I was flying before CRM became fashionable.Some of these Captains were excellent but in todays pc world would be lambasted as dinosaurs.Its difficult to say,because the SA/judgement qualities made him highly proficient but his inability to get along and hence get the best from his crew was a problem.The non-adherence to SOP's made my job more difficult.Whats he going to do next?I couldnt see the poetry he was showing me.I wasnt experienced enough.I was out of the loop which is bad.But read Gann's book and tell me its bad.Its a tough call really.
I suppose what I'm trying to say is..it would be awful if some young aspiring airline pilot reads this thread and thinks its more important to be nice and follow SOP's than to have experience and good judgement.Have them all I say.But always know that the bottom line is that safety is directly proportional to your experience and level of airmanship and not much else.