Leadership is about winning!

Money is motivating. Lots of money is very motivating. But no bonus package or retirement plan is going to motivate Superman to save the world faster.

What kind of compensation do heroes need?

What people will do for money is nothing compared to what they will do for fame and glory. To paraphrase Napoleon, “If I had enough ribbon I could conquer the world.” A lesson King George III painfully learned in 1776. An army of mercenaries is no match for an army of heroes.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years on the infamous Robben Island. However, six months after his release, he divorced his wife. As Chris Rock wryly commented, "What on earth did she do to him?"

Nothing.

And that’s the point, she didn’t make him a hero.

We all want to be a hero, and we all want heroes, so why is there such a dearth of leadership today?

There are three definitions of leadership. The wrong definition, the political definition and the Torah definition.

The wrong definition is the one used in many a leadership course.

These programs don't teach leadership, they teach you how to get followers. There are many ways to get someone to do what you want them to do. Paying them is one of the easiest, but just because you head a corporation of thousands of paid employees does not mean you are a leader.

The point of leadership is to win. And if programs taught that, then end-of-year bonuses would be unnecessary.

That's how generals and politicians get volunteers, they promise a win.

Political leadership is about getting it right, because no one follows anyone into a dead-end (knowingly).

The problem is, as voters eventually experience, everyone gets it wrong.

Despite what Eleanor Roosevelt said, the future does not belong to you. The future is an indeterminate. No matter how smart you are, no matter what degree is hanging over the fireplace, everyone gets the future wrong, regularly.

The biggest genius, the smartest investor, the greatest scientist, all of them get it wrong, regularly.

Therefore, leadership cannot be dependent on getting it right, because no one knows what that is. It’s not ignorance, it’s simply un-knowable.

Some just hide it better.

That's why true leadership, the leadership that the Torah proscribes, has precious little to do with getting it right.

It’s the people who don’t give up when it all falls apart, that win.

INNEVITABLY!

It's not difficult, nor does it require insight or genius. Anyone can lead, anyone can be a hero, and anyone can win.

It's simple to understand. All that's required is that you don't let failure perturb you.

Who are these people?

Who are the true leaders?

Moms and Dads.

Not because they know anything more than anyone else. In fact, every expert knows more than them.

Unless mom is a dentist, doctor, or chef; or dad is a scientist, economist, or even professional golfer, then they know less than google.

Parents are not heroes because of what they get right, it’s because they are the only one’s who stay in the game when everything goes south.

That’s what makes Yehuda a leader (Parshat Vayeshev). The Kings of Israel come from him not for what he did right, which wasn’t a lot, but rather because he stood firm when it all went haywire.

A true leader does that. A King of Israel does that.

And your mother does that, too.