Leadership is not easy

These days there are so many Quick fix books on Leadership. But is Leadership that easy. When does a leader really understand the context in which he/she finds him/herself? Just think of Mikhael Gorbachev in Russia. Did economics force him to change the world order by negotiating a "free" Russia? Or did he have the vision to see the disasterous route the Cold War was going? What was the price he had to pay? He lost his position because he allowed people to criticize him (Glasnost and Perestroika allowed this). Today all leaders are told to be transparant and democratic. But what if that can lead to the leader's downfall? And that is the problem we are grappling with. Leaders need to survive and take care of their families before they can take the risk of opening up and changing for a better cause. FW De Klerk who was responsible for the major changes in South Africa was also ousted from politics later on. Had he not been taken care of financially - he would have been a poor outcast today. How many real leaders are out in the desert today??