With the intense mass media scrutiny of all details, it is becoming more difficult for a leader to have and maintain a label as being successful - especially in politics where there are always adversaries to point out to the media and the public short comings and flaws of other leaders. As long as criticism is directed towards issues and public actions, it serves as important function. Public publicity about private lives unless invited inhibits good public leadership. L eadership of a highly visible nature or long duration will almost always draw strong public and private criticism . There are many people who are suspicious of or resent power holders.
Some people make a hobby or a career out of criticizing public officials or power holders.
This suspicion has a long history in the American society going back to the earliest European settlements. T he act of leadership is often hard to define exactly about when it begins and ends. While it is easy to see when an individual enters a position, it is more difficult to define when they actually started to be leaders. Leadership is easier to recognize after the fact by the consequences or results than by the specific actions during the process of leadership itself. Competition, conflicts or delegation of authority often made it difficult to see who are the actual leaders.