They speak it from the heart. They speak it when it hurts. Political leadership that crafts public policy from opinion poles is not leadership. Corporate leadership that thumbs its nose at its laborers in order to satisfy its stockholders is not leadership. Religious leadership that preaches a feel-good theology while turning a back on the marginalized is not leadership.
Leaders take risks.
Leaders cut across the grain of majority opinion. Leaders seek the common good when most of society is chasing self-interests. Now this doesn t mean that leaders can be foolish, or even reckless. Dr. stockman works hard to convince the media, the political leadership, and finally the common citizens of the correctness of his vision. Yet, when Stockman has lost everything in the arena of public opinion he remains faithful to that vision.