Len Walker, Somerset West
Do not underestimate Donald Trump, as he could turn out to be one of the better US presidents.
Rod Asghar wrote an article for Forbes why “bad” people make great leaders. He said that if you want to build a great leader, don’t start with a good person.
Start with a “bad” person: shape, smooth and polish as necessary. He writes that most of the modern leadership development industry is based on a myth.
It’s a feel-good saga, spread by consultants and academics and “gurus”, about how the best leaders are collaborative, compassionate, empathic and free of most defects of character.
By “best leaders” he means people who consistently show the ability to get things done – the ability to sell others on an idea, the ability to take them in new directions, the ability to talk their way out of a jam, the ability to come back from a setback and so on.
We often hear about good versus bad leadership, and all the “bad” signs are listed as lack of empathy, bossiness and lack of humility.
Then shouldn’t the question be asked as to why Steve Jobs and the Clintons are hailed, as their management styles and personalities are somewhat different from what the “gurus” preach. Winston Churchill could have been described as a “bad” person, but a great leader.
Sadly, there is always an exception to the rule, and whereas Jacob Zuma was a “good” person (as a child, according to his mother), he has not been a great leader.
