Leadership.
I have this very simple/simplistic view on leadership. People will become a follower if: a) They believe the person is competent b) They will personally benefit from that person's competence Whether it's a minister, a businessperson, a writer, a local organizer, or a criminal doesn't matter all that much. We like to impart character and integrity to our leaders, and we like to pretend that we chose them because of their superior traits, but it doesn't matter as much as we would like to pretend. If those were really the criteria, we would never fall for con men and tricksters. Remember. that people followed some pretty unsavory characters in the past and many do now. I had to chew on this for years, because people can be radical followers of some pretty awful characters. Why would they be so blind to the character of their heroes? It seems consistent now if one focuses on two factors. The perceptions don't even have to be correct. Sometimes confidence masquerades ...