February 22, 1999

Leader Types

Being a leader is doing what we're good at for others. Nothing more than that. It can be any sort of task or act, the person just loves it. A person who spends the day making friends smile, a man who sits all day in the park playing chess with 5 to 100 year-olds, a teacher who explains the integral with chalk in hand, a street jazz musician who serenades the subway mobs-- all these people might be a leader. So might well be ambassadors who prevent wars or a peace corps engineer who brings water to an African village.

The key to whether or not these people are truly leaders is if they have found what they love. It is not some specific skill they all possess, save perhaps passion. At some point they knew exactly what they wanted to do in life. . . it just all clicks one day. There's no point in pursuing other leadership aspects. This is your calling and your success will be propelled by your passion. At some point everyone should feel this passion in their lives, I hope, for once you finally discover who you are, you can stop searching. Life then becomes no longer a quest, but a lesson. . . a lesson of mastering who you are. Therein is life.