First, he writes that the leadership is based on influence. It must be multi-directional and noncoercive in nature. Rost explains that in this relationship, both leaders and followers persuade one another. Rost also believes that the power of influence is so equally distributed that anyone can be a leader or a follower. The followers' desires actually become the leader's.
Leadership is noncoercive in nature.
Coercion implies one's forcing one's beliefs onto others. He states that only true leaders respond to the higher needs of the followers. He explains that prior to 1933, he believes Hitler was a true leader because he met the genuine needs and desires of the German people, albeit to meet his own end. Rost's second essential criteria for leadership is that there must be both leaders as well as followers present in the relationship. From Rost's perspective, followers are active in the leadership process to one degree or another.