Citizens reasonably judge a registrar of motor vehicles by the volume of forms signed and stamped. In higher offices they should demand more than competent clerks. Leadership is more than the ability to wield a notary seal. Similarly, there is a difference between leadership and the exercise of power. Organizations need people who can proffer carrots and sticks to make things happen, but a skillful enthusiasm for trading favors does not make a leader.
Leadership begins with a belief in the possibility of a better society.
With the example of his whole life, a real leader models the steadfastness necessary for progress. He confronts the most difficult realities without abandoning ideals. The leader builds upon the most noble parts of the tradition he represents. Twenty years ago a remarkable leader mounted the world's stage. Karol Wojtyla, the Polish bishop who took the name Pope John Paul II, has countered the cynicism and vulgarity of our age with good news about the dignity of every human being.