09-28-2006

The Character of a Leader

Shimon Peres is the vice-premier of Israel and a Nobel laureate for peace.

By Shimon Peres

JERUSALEM --Differences abound between a manager and a leader. A manager takes charge of what we have and what we want to acquire, while a leader takes responsibility for our needs. A manager embodies assets but a leader embodies our dreams.

Election or nomination to office does not suffice the definition of a leader. Leadership characteristics surface only when a leader distinguishes the wheat from the chaff, and determines right from wrong. Leaders are characterized by the capacity to serve matters greater than themselves and such leaders are only as great as the matters they serve. A leader is diminished who serves only himself.

I don't recommend devoting too much time to recording memories; data bases are built for this purpose. But I would highly recommend mobilizing and leveraging all resources to enrich and enhance your creativity and your imagination. The distinction of human beings with respect to the animal kingdom lies in our ability to imagine. Imagination makes humans unique.

Don't pay too much attention to your parents; refrain from over-listening to your teachers and take what your friends say with a grain of salt - they often only refer to your shortcomings as they attempt to teach you a lesson. In essence, each one of us has greater potential than we imagine; but only we have the ability to allow this potential to emerge. I am confident that once these hidden treasures become manifest, your former blindness regarding the extent of your assets will also become apparent.

Yes, one must fight for freedom and liberty. But remember that freedom is achieved only once you become free of your ego and a sense of freedom evolves through self-expression and not simply free expression. Never believe that great things fall from heaven like rain – great things are created through hard work. Just like Moses, one must traverse an expansive desert before arriving to the Promised Land. Yet even then, there are no guarantees you will get there.

Don't be influenced by speeches - the greatest orator of the Jewish people was Moses despite the fact that he stuttered. Don't be dazzled by popularity - popularity is transient, a passing phenomenon like a weather forecast - an accurate weather anchor is a rare commodity. Don't invest too much effort in forecasting the weather – a more effective investment is to change the climate. Don't be overly suspicious. Don't be excessively swayed by criticism. In Israel, I am highly criticized. I should be profoundly depressed by this truth however; such critique has driven my personal evolution rather than bring me down. This drive has been encouraged by the goodwill of my friends and colleagues.

If your ideas are revolutionary, don't worry. But remember people don't like change, we like the home we are used to. We know where the door is, how the window opens, and particularly how the lamp radiates light. When people are proposed another home, in another district, we become concerned, frightened, irrespective of whether the small house can be traded for a larger one. The human consciousness views change as a departure; and every departure is difficult. People are thus reluctant to move from one location to another, one climate to another and from one situation to another. To do so - we must convince people that change can be a source of new opportunity.

Progress would never find expression if not for the changes along our historical course. Icebergs won't change form unless the sun exudes its rays and they melt. The sun is an effective tool for change; a shining sun creates new situations. In the same sense, leaders must lead because history isn't a matter of repetition but of mutation. Without change, there would be no history.

Many people ask me how I wish to be remembered in history. Indeed, I'm not sure I want to be remembered at all – my mistakes are most likely to be recalled. But if memories are embodied by labels, I would like to be labeled a human being - a human being who succeeded in saving the life of a child. I can't think of a more worthy achievement by which to be remembered.

History is written in red ink and engraved by bloodshed and wars. Because man made a living off the land, land had to be defended and conquered with many sacrifices along the path. But since our lives are no longer dependent on land but on science, the need for territorial borders and their bloody defense has evaporated. Science has no frontiers and armies can't conquer wisdom. The act of conquering is not legitimate – we must create rather than conquer.

When one examines the annals of Europe through 21st century lens' one cannot miss the protruding dichotomy between Napoleon's fragmentation of Europe and Jean Monet's integration of Europe. Napoleon left a legacy of tombs, while Monet has created cradles. Indeed, we must struggle for peace, rather than engage in wars.

Don't be starry-eyed that the path to peace is without craters. Even those who love and desire peace, are not ready to pay its price. Peace is hard to acquire because disharmony continues to thrive between families and among nations. If partners insist on being right, families will divide. But if family life is valuable, then concessions will be made. This is also true of nations - compromise is the essence. No-one applauds compromise – no-one praises concessions, yet without them, normality cannot exist. And thus to promote peace, one must also be prepared to pay its price; and without peace, there is no security.

From my own experience, I know that quarrel is part and parcel to great leadership. Indeed, the greater the quarrel, the greater the leader. I've had to quarrel because the alternative was to accept the status quo. I would quarrel again now. One must fight for the cause we deem is worthy, rather than give it up for an easier solution. There is little sense in living in a make-believe world – under a false mask – so as to make a good impression. Better to leave an imprint than to simply make an impression.

Finally, don't analyze another leader's leadership model. Locate for yourself the arena you want to lead, and then you will know on your own, how to get there. Be a leader – pay for it, mobilize the necessary support in order to create something which is meaningful. This is the sense of life.