Jerry Paul

Perhaps most important is someone who listens. Who has the ability to hear what is being said both at the obvious surface level and beneath that. That's really critical in a leader. One who has the capacity to take various ideas and shape them into a vision that is compelling and causes people to want to follow. If you really listen to the environment well and really listen to where people are, what their needs are, and what their aspirations are, then you are able to take those and shape them into a vision of a different time and a different way of being that is sufficiently compelling-people will follow. I think that is precisely what caused Barack Obama to be so successful in the 2008 election. I think that is always the case with a politician. The issue for those of us who follow is knowing who is real and who is not. Unfortunately, we have had too many occasions in history where the intent and the interest of the leader has lacked certain integrity and concern of the well being of others. The last thing I would say is besides listening and being able to create a vision, I am a big believer in Bob Greenleaf's "Servant Leadership". I really think that-that is what contributes to a compelling leader is someone that is first a servant. Because is suggests that they are really listening, paying attention to what the need is, and responding to people that way. So, I have always thought since the day I was introduced to Robert Greenleaf's "Servant Leadership" that it is really a model for leadership.