On the Road 97have, the more likely this is to happen, as people will relate
not to you but to their fantasy of you. Public acclaim is won-
derful – as long as you live up to what the public wants.
Leaders may be expected to be perfect, that is, to embody
the ideal of perfection in other people’s minds, and this can
be a great burden.
Cultures vary as to how much humanity they will tolerate
in their leaders, though leadership is a risk in any culture. It
does set you apart from others, although your shared vision
and goals will keep you in touch with them. Leaders do need
to be an example, but idealizing leaders soon turns to idol-
izing leaders. No one is perfect and the higher the pedestal
you stand on, the more visible your feet of clay.
Be careful of the expectations of others, but be careful of
your own expectations too. Leaders have to be realistic.
When you know yourself better, however, you will know more
about leadership, and as you develop as a leader you will in
turn know yourself better.
Vision is important, but I have met too many steely-eyed
visionaries labouring under the tyranny of a personal vision
or mission which blinds them to the simple pleasures of life.
They are like the Ancient Mariner in Coleridge’s poem, al-
ways buttonholing you to tell you about their mission when
you want to get on with what you are doing. They are ad-
dicted to their vision, seem to suffer withdrawal symptoms if
they spend a day away from it and have a driven quality that
is exhausting to be with. I think vision should be part of your
life, not life part of your vision. It is something that should
bring you closer to others and not alienate them. Vision is
like a light that lets you see the possibilities of a fuller life.
You may focus it into a powerful torch beam, or it may be
like a softer daylight that allows you to see your way more
clearly. Acting from a vision does not mean that you cannot
laugh, have fun or relax.
One last story, told to me by my Bulgarian friend Christo
Georgiev. Vassil Levski is a national hero of Bulgaria. Born in
1837 in Karlovo, he was martyred during the revolution
that freed Bulgaria from the Turkish rule of the Ottoman