What makes a leader a leader?
Why would anyone want to be a leader? The burdens of office seem vastly out of proportion to the perks. U.S. President Joe Biden comes to mind — or former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. Biden was 78 when he took office; Suga, 71. Both men had had long and respectable, if not brilliant, careers. They could have slipped with quiet dignity into honorable retirement, free at last to bask in the joys of private life.
Why not? They’d earned it, it was theirs. Why choose instead, at their ages, the awesome responsibilities that those of us who are not leaders by temperament, inclination or ability quail at the very thought of?
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.