Thoughts on leadership
Recent events in the Likud party exposing layers of corruption and criminal activity have brought up a nagging question for me: Can a person be both a great leader and a great human being?
I used to think of this as the quintessential “Bill Clinton” question – named for the man who managed to do some marvelous things for his country while privately behaving like a pig – although clearly, the issue predates Bill. A quick sampling of twentieth-century leaders includes: John F. Kennedy the forgiven adulterer; Theodore Herzl, the STD-infected, womanizing alcoholic; Sigmund Freud, the delusional, controlling, sex-obsessed misogynist. It’s a typecast, the powerful guy who makes headlines but you wouldn’t want to marry or work for him.