Is Trump a ‘strong leader’?

Is the current “leader of the free world” a ‘strong leader’?

Yesterday, he was called a name while visiting a factory. He responded with an expletive or two, and a raised middle finger.

Some see this as a sign of strength - of standing up for yourself, of not taking any BS from anyone.

But who was really in control there? Who actually had the power?

I would argue it was the heckler - the person doing the provocation. A random factory worker made ‘the most powerful man on the planet’ do something more suited to the school playground.

I’m interested in the question -

How are we ending up with ‘leaders’ like this? Men [and they are almost all men] in positions of power who think that bullying and name-calling are not just acceptable, but somehow admirable - the way things are done.

Which has a systemic answer -

Current business and political structures incentivise certain character traits. Being selfish, manipulative and callous is rewarded, so that’s what rises to the top.

You may or may not care about the details of the systemic analysis. However, understanding this idea of ‘we get what we reward’ perhaps helps us think about rewarding different things - different types of leader.

Fundamentally, when we’re talking about leadership, I often come back to this:

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

— Maya Angelou

If what they show us is ugly - maybe we shouldn’t reward them?