What kind of qualities do we want in a leader? This is a question that I’m sure has been on everyone’s mind lately, what with the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency. But this isn’t a commentary on whether Donald Trump is or isn’t a good leader. I know what my opinion on the man is, and I’m sure, after months of election coverage, you also have your own opinion. I’m not here to change that.
Instead, let’s look at the qualities an ideal leader should have. Should they listen to their constituency? Most people would answer “yes.” But what if their constituency is composed solely of people calling for the arbitrary death of every 10th citizen? Should a good, wise leader listen then?
Good leaders should reach out to the disenfranchised, just as they should reach out to the elite. They should attempt to bridge the social gaps between all peoples. Now, obviously a leader should focus more efforts on reaching the disenfranchised. The well-off socially and economically have, by definition, already been heard by society. This doesn’t mean we should ignore them, but a good leader should be aware that the more visible wants / needs of the wealthy or well-off will, and oftentimes do, outshine the needs of the people on the fringes of our society. A leader should seek to bring those people in from the fringes. The best way to do this is by expanding the benefits of society so that previously disenfranchised people lie within its boundaries.
But what if that’s not something the people want? What if the people, angry and embittered, choose a specific group within society to use as a scapegoat for their frustrations. Honestly at this point, all I can say is that every good leader should at least have read ***The Prince. Essentially a good leader should know that they are not just a leader but literally a public servant. That is, one who serves the public.
Here’s where we get into the sticky situation of a constituency calling for arbitrary decimation. Or, perhaps more readily apparent in today’s politics, the rejection of rights to certain groups of people based on their gender or sexual orientation or financial standing. A good leader ought to know enough to understand that if their constituency is calling for the oppression of a certain group of people, say, Muslims, then all available cash left on the cutting room floor when the budget is done should immediately go to public education reform. Also, this is one of those instances during which it would behoove a leader not to listen to his constituency.
Every good leader should actively advocate across the board for the following three things: the separation of religious institutions and public institutions as well as government, the implementation of social institutions which have until recently been or are currently being withheld from certain marginalized groups (such as the right of any two consenting adults to marry), and finally the education of every single member of the public in three things: ethics, reasoning, and in at least one of its many forms — art.
Ethics and reasoning because you cannot think for people, but you can give them the tools to think for themselves, and art because it is through art that we connect and empathize with others who before we had no knowledge of.
A good leader should know that if you strengthen the bonds between people, educate them, and give them the tools they need to think critically and compassionately, then it’s not just those people who benefit, but the whole of society.
