Changing Minds

CHAPTER 4

Leading a Diverse Population

WHETHER THEY ARE heads of a nation or senior officials of the United Nations, leaders of large, disparate populations have enormous potential to change minds. Indeed, they are in the business of changing minds—and in the process they can change the course of history. Of the six kinds of change agents that we examine in this book, leaders of such heterogeneous populations are in a position to influence the largest number of individuals. But how effective those leaders are depends on many factors.

In a democracy, an elected leader has power, but little of it is there for the taking. Rather, she must convince members of her own party to accept her leadership, and she must develop policies that have, or can ...