In the middle of the town is an obscure little gateway that leads to an ancient stone path. The path leads up a gradual slope and then turns sharply at the top. Once at the top, you turn to find yourself in a park spotted with Etruscan ruins. The topography of the park is gentle and undulating with a slight swell in the center. As you look outwards from the small hillock you can see the hills of Tuscany stretching towards the horizon in all directions. The park cannot be seen from the town, nor does one see the town from the park.

I always imagined the Prince of Volterra living in this park. He would spend his time in contemplation, and every couple of days descend the steps towards the gateway and visit the town in disguise, to see what was taking place, to observe the tempo of life. If he should spot something amiss- witness someone mistreating another, or sense some tension beneath the surface as he spoke with one of the townspeople, he would make careful note of it in his mind. Afterwards, he would have his agents discover the cause, and in the deftest manner, the situation would be restored to balance. The townspeople would be none the wiser of what took place; it would be as if the situation naturally resolved itself.

The job of the ‘authentic’ leader of a company is the most difficult, least rewarded one there is. By contrast the job of false leader is quite the opposite- one has little to do other than manage perceptions and devise ever new accounting policies to increase your bonuses.

The true leader carries the responsibility of the welfare of all those in their charge. This implies caring about them as living, breathing human beings whose aspirations, commitments, and concerns, now become his own. For as long as there is a single individual within the company whose dignity is not respected, who cannot adequately provide for their family, the leader has not done their job.

When you see a CEO of some public company driving a Bentley, a fat cigar protruding from their mouth, a Rolex wrapped around their wrist, what thoughts come to mind? You might say to yourself: “What is wrong with that? His company is doing well, the stock prices are up, investors and bankers are overjoyed, why should he not partake in the spoils of that what he has created?”

The problem is that it speaks volumes about where he places his focus and what he values. His focus is clearly not on his vision of the company, or on the lives of those within it. Instead, it is with the other Players, the other titans of finance and industry, who he is likely to encounter at the Club.

A leader who is focused upon their vision, and the people whose livlihoods depend upon it, has little need or desire for a Bentley. He might drive a nice car, but it does not need to have several hundred more horse power than any sane person could ever use. Such a person would be embarrassed to drive such a car while others who work for the company couldn’t afford the most basic transportation.

The true leader has no need for pomp and circumstance. He needs no security, no barriers between himself and those in his charge. He walks freely among the people. The true leader needs no castle to protect him. Rigid laws and regulations have no place in his kingdom. All are free to express themselves.

At the same time, primitiveness and vulgarity are shunned. They are not prohibited as such; they simply gain no audience with those who live there.. In Volterra, the Prince leads by example and others naturally follow his lead. The Prince is rarely seen, and when he is, it is where he is needed most.

The modern CEO is the antithesis of this ideal. They are more often than not a prancing poser, covering their inadequacy and incompetence behind a smooth, slick veneer. They are likely to have a phlegmatic ‘let them eat cake’ attitude. Their vocabulary is too often rich in platitudes and sound bites, but devoid of originality or any statements for which they are likely to be held accountable.

Now the latest pose is that of the populist man of the people. We have shows that feature CEO’s who are, so to speak, sleeping with the troops, mixing with the line personnel, engaging in the most menial tasks. As long as we forget that all this is being covered by camera for our viewing pleasure, it almost seems convincing. It reminds me of a scene from Solzhenitsyn’s “The First Circle”, in which the prison he is incarcerated in is sanitized and made to look liveable for a state visit. Who is really taken in by this loud display of CEO humility – the workers in America, the TV audience, or the CEO’s themselves? More than likely it is only the latter!

Today’s CEO is a poseur par excellence. The sad irony is that at a time when we are in the greatest need of true leadership, we are saddled with an executive class obsessed with the ‘form’ of leadership, but completely lacking in ‘substance’. It is as if we were on the deck of the Titanic, sailing through waters littered with gigantic icebergs, with a crew whose entire focus seems to be on assuaging our fear, and pouring more champagne. It would seem that it never dawned on them to think about actually steering the ship. This is entirely understandable, since it is what they’ve done thus far. They will confidently point out to you, “The ship is still floating, and the band is still playing. Here, let me top up your glass!”