I have worked with some exceedingly bright executives and a few dummies, with people who talk a good deal about leadership and others who apparently never even think of themselves as leaders and who rarely, if ever, talk about leadership. The lessons are unambiguous. Among the most effective leaders I have encountered and worked with in a half century, some locked themselves into their office and others were ultragregarious. Some were good listeners, but among the most effective leaders I have worked with were also a few loners who listened only to their own inner voice. The only definition of a leader is someone who has followers.
Some people are thinkers.
Some are prophets. Both roles are important and badly needed. But without followers, there can be no leaders. An effective leader is not someone who is loved or admired. He or she is someone whose followers do the right things.