Why Are We Bad at Picking Good Leaders? A Better Way to Evaluate Leadership Potential

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Courage

Leadership is not for the faint of heart.

Human relations involve conflict. Whenever two or more people get together, separate interests jockey for position. In some cases, these conflicts are subtle. They might occur at home or in the workplace and involve differences in taste, mood, goals, or beliefs. When an employee has to choose whether to assist a colleague, finish a group project, or leave the office early to watch his daughter's school performance, for example, several divergent interests are in play. Much of the time, human conflicts lay just below the surface of conversation. We hardly mention them. We consider them routine matters of give-and-take. But when the ante is raised and opposing interests are expressed, strategic ...