A Good Leader Aligns

The job of a good state leader is not to bow to the desires and whims of the people. She is the representative of the people, but her most critical mission is to align the multiple and variously pointed goals of the people towards a single goal (or small set of goals) that most effectively express he goals of the state.

Imagine long reads of wheat in a field all growing up in different directions. A good leader should be able to tie those reads along a common axis, culminating in singular apexes. By combining goals into a smaller set, the overall objectives become fewer, simpler, and more realistically achievable with limited resources.

The best leader helps to guide and align the focus of the people, but her inspiration is from the people. She should share in the ideas, but she should not dictate them. Her job is to find the best pattern for combining the various ideas of her people into a common trajectory that most effectively expresses her people's desires.

In smaller groups this can be seen as well. The people we are attracted to and follow are not necessarily the most creative, smartest, or talented, but they are the ones that bring out the best in each of us, to motivate us to reach our potentials, and together, achieve greatness through the ability to combine each of our talents into something greater than ourselves.