For me, the operational essence of the leader dilemma is this: How do I say “yes” to the few and “wait” to the many? How do I decide?

The so-called “natural-born leader” is a mysterious (to some, controversial) concept: an individual for whom achievement, direction, and drive seem to come effortlessly, as if destiny eases the way. Winston Churchill comes to mind. His leadership and his victory seem inevitable—in hindsight. But read his Memoirs of World War II (Houghton Mifflin Co., Reprint, 1991), even in the 700-page abridged edition, and you will see a man struggling to balance impossible competing priorities with the lives of nations and their societies hanging in the balance.

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