what makes a good leader?

strangely, i was always nominated for leadership roles in high school.
falsely associating good grades with good leadership.

i was such a bad leader then.
poor logistics.
bad temper.
my only redemption was my creative talent.

in time, i got better.
both in logistics and management of people.
what changed was my newfound capacity to delegate tasks to more qualified people.

but is good leadership rooted only in good management?

apparently not.

the last page of Fast Company's April 2007 issue tackled an ex-CEO's take on leadership.
it was such a fascinating interview of Bill George, a professor at Harvard Business School.
former CEO of Medtronic Inc.
and author of True North.

to paraphrase, he said:
leaders who fail often fall prey to the pleasures and seductions that come with power.
their egos, greed, craving for public adulation and fear of the loss of power overtake their responsibility to build the institution they were hired to manage.
authentic leaders are those who serve others and are there to bring everyone together toward a common cause.

according to him:
it is very natural to get caught up inside our heads - to think more about how people are perceiving us than about what we need to do to realize our goals.

this last phrase is key.

for the struggle happens not only in the office but in Life as well.