# Leaders or Managers: Who Runs America - Proposition By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2025-09-22 Leadership is a complex concept with numerous definitions. Within America, leadership often refers to the person with authority over others, which can easily be confused with management. Anyone who has spent any amount of time working realizes that leadership and management can be two very different things. In fact, many would hardly call their manager a leader, despite their authority over them. This distinction matters because while managers derive their power from organizational hierarchy, leaders earn their influence through the voluntary followership of others. The title of leader is ultimately bestowed by the people who choose to follow, whereas the title of manager is assigned by an institution. So, are our elected officials in America leaders or managers? Many would say, "Obviously, they are leaders because we pick them." But consider this: did you truly select them, or did you merely choose between two pre-selected options? Do you actually know any of them personally? When was the last time you followed someone in the genuine sense of the word that you've never met or even seen in person? While following distant figures is certainly possible, authentic followership typically emerges from direct experience and personal connection. This reveals a fundamental scaling problem that both politicians and business executives face: how can they inspire genuine followership when most people will never know them personally? Those who aspire to be true leaders respond by maximizing their direct engagement (e.g., holding town halls, giving substantive speeches, participating in real debates, and publishing detailed policy positions). They work to bridge the distance through authentic communication. In contrast, those content to merely manage stay removed from the public, offering only carefully scripted appearances and vague statements designed to project authority without revealing substance. They focus on the trappings of power rather than the cultivation of trust, something genuine leaders never prioritize over connection. Given our society's growing complexity and our natural tendency to focus on immediate, visible problems, these displays of authority often succeed in short-circuiting our ability to distinguish between those we genuinely choose as leaders and those who merely occupy leadership positions. The performance of leadership becomes a substitute for its practice, and we mistake the manager's authority for the leader's earned influence. So the question becomes: when was the last time we had a US President who was a true leader (e.g., someone who inspired voluntary followership through authentic connection) versus just a manager who, like the boss who tries to make you feel good about coming in on Saturdays for an imaginary deadline, manipulates rather than motivates? Who are the real American leaders, and where did they all go? #### Related Items [[Leadership]] [[Management]] [[American]] [[Politics]] [[Value]] [[Vote]] [[Democracy]]