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The Difference between a Leader and a Demagogue

Jan 26, 2012
Leadership
SJ2638 : Somewhere Over The Rainbow by Rod Trevaskus

© Copyright Rod Trevaskus and licensed for reuse under the Creative Commons License.

Imagine two people in a room, sitting in chairs facing one another. One wall of the room is painted black and has no windows. The opposite wall is painted yellow, has multicolored artwork hanging from it and several windows. The two people who are sitting opposite one another are asked to describe the room. The first person proceeds to describe a brightly painted room, with colorful artwork and a view to the outside through several windows. The second person is able to describe the room in three words, “dark without windows.” They each look at each other with a puzzled look. Are they both sitting in the same room? Now, they are asked to switch chairs, and describe the room. By changing perspectives, they now understand what the other had just described.

Leadership is the ability to speak passionately to your perspective while understanding the view of those who differ with you. Demagoguery is self-righteously proclaiming the correctness of your view, while painting the other’s view as wrong, dangerous and destructive. Leaders focus on areas of agreement with the opposition, while demagogues are interested in widening the gap.

A few days ago, my son, Avi, addressed this issue in eJewish Philanthropy (and yes, I’m proud of him!) While the context was Israel, the idea of temporarily changing perspectives to increase understanding is relevant to all people at all times. We may still disagree with our opponents after we do so. But we will at least remember that we’re in the same room.


2 Comments
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2 Comments

  1. Daniel Alter  •  Jan 27, 2012 @9:46 am

    “Leadership is the ability to speak passionately to your perspective while understanding the view of those who differ with you.”

    I dont know if this is true. If you look at history, there have been many leaders who have followed a different model. Think of the Pattons of the world, or many founders of companies or institutions, including many who are alive today that I will not name, who clearly had arrogant perspectives and were convinced that only they were right. Would we say that Churchill was not a leader because of the way he treated his political opposition? I find that founders of institutions often have a perspective that they are right and everyone else is wrong. I think it is accurate to portray the dangers and flaws inherent in this approach, but don’t know that I would go so far as to say it is not leadership.

  2. hherring  •  Jan 29, 2012 @7:00 am

    I need to think more about your point. Perhaps there are times when leaders need to believe that only they in their wisdom have “the truth” and therefore their opponents are not just wrong but dangerous. The classical Jewish prophets fall into that class or are at least portrayed that way. Still, in this day and age, we know that greater wisdom is found in crowds (see the book, Wisdom of the Crowds), and therefore it’s hard for me to conceive that one person alone can be right, while the opposition is just so wrong and off the mark. I’m not sure that I agree with you. But-you’ve raised an excellent point and thanks for causing me to reflect more.