around in borrowed postures, spouting secondhand ideas, try-
ing desperately to fit in rather than to stand out. Former Lucky
Stores CEO Don Ritchey said, on the need for being oneself,
“I believe people spot phonies in very short order, whether that
be on an individual basis or a company basis. As Emerson says,
‘What you are speaks so loudly I cannot hear what you say.’”
ONCE BORN, TWICE BORN
Harvard professor emeritus Abraham Zaleznik posits that
there are two kinds of leaders: once-borns and twice-borns.
The once-born’s transition from home and family to independ-
ence is relatively easy. Twice-borns generally suffer as they
grow up, feel different, even isolated, and so develop an elabo-
rate inner life. As they grow older, they become truly inde-
pendent, relying wholly on their own beliefs and ideas. Leaders
who are twice born are inner-directed, self-assured, and, as a
result, truly charismatic, according to Zaleznik.
Once-borns, then, have been invented by their circumstances,
as in the case of Johnson and Nixon, while twice-borns have in-
vented themselves, as in the case of Roosevelt and Truman.
A couple of studies underscore the benefits, even the neces-
sity, of self-invention. First, middle-aged men tend to change
careers after having heart attacks. Faced with their own mortal-
ity, these men realize that what they’ve been doing, what
they’ve invested their lives in, is not an accurate reflection of
their real needs and desires.
Another study indicates that what determines the level of
satisfaction in post-middle-aged men is the degree to which
they acted upon their youthful dreams. It’s not so much
On Becoming a Leader