On Putin and the Nature of Leadership.

I was thinking about Putin today. It’s hard not to these days because he’s one of the most prominent people in the world at the moment, albeit in a rather dark, pariah-like sort of way. (I wondered whether he relishes the situation or finds it a burdensome pressure, but that’s not the point of the post.) The point of the post is that it caused me to muse on the nature of leadership.

Those we think of as leaders are people at the top of some sort of ladder, the nature of which can vary according to the operational environment, and it seemed to me that there are two principle types. There’s the tyrant type who holds the position through fear-induced power, and there’s the true leader who uses his or her character and personal qualities to inspire others in pursuit of a goal. (There are other types, too, like those who just happen to be in the right place at the right time. This is the case with hereditary monarchs. And in a democracy there are those who sit at the top of the ladder simply because there didn’t happen to be a better alternative on the ballot paper. But they’re relatively in the minority when it comes to situations of major gravitas.)

So what of Putin? Well, I don’t know him so I can’t really speak with authority on the matter. All I have to guide me is the view presented by the western media which does, admittedly, include views presented by the Russian media and reported by western counterparts, as well as views – partisan probably – offered by Russians who have escaped Putin’s grip. All of this presents a picture of a man who is the stereotypical tyrant, in which case he couldn’t be called a true leader.

And that’s as far as I got.

(Meanwhile, I want some fun but I don’t where to find any.)