In a democracy, we generally assume that voters know the policies they prefer and elect like-minded officials who are responsible for carrying them out. We also assume that voters consider candidates' competence, honesty, and other performance-related traits. But does this actually happen? Do voters consider candidates’ policy positions when deciding for whom to vote? And how do politicians’ performances in office factor into the voting decision? In Follow the Leader?, Gabriel S. Lenz sheds light on these central questions of democratic thought. Lenz looks at citizens’ views of candidates both before and after periods of political upheaval, including campaigns, wars, natural disasters, and episodes of economic boom and bust. Noting important shifts in voters’ knowledge and preferences as a result of these events, he finds that, while citizens do assess politicians based on their performance, their policy positions actually matter much less. Even when a policy issue becomes highly prominent, voters rarely shift their votes to the politician whose position best agrees with their own. In fact, Lenz shows, the reverse often takes place: citizens first pick a politician and then adopt that politician’s policy views. In other words, they follow the leader. Based on data drawn from multiple countries, Follow the Leader? is the most definitive treatment to date of when and why policy and performance matter at the voting booth, and it will break new ground in the debates about democracy.

A boy and his animal friends play a game of follow the leader until a tiger shows up and wants to play too.

Most leadership models start with trying to identify what great leaders do. In Follow the Leader, global speaker, consultant and leadership expert Emmanuel Gobillot answers a much more fundamental question to anyone wanting to become a great leader: 'what do great followers want?'. In this fast-paced and well-researched book, he identifies the key elements of leadership success and the proven pathways to developing the charisma we all seek in the leaders who truly inspire and motivate us. He breaks down the all-important 'charisma' into eight critical elements, explaining how each component works and offering practical development steps for each. Getting these steps right will transform good leaders into magnets for great followers, harnessing an unstoppable power for business achievement.

A boy guides his younger brother through a game of follow the leader--until the little one insists on reversing roles.

After he is accidentally blinded, Jimmy must make many adjustments including using a guide dog

We the Leader represents a seismic shift in the evolution of leadership theory and practice. By implementing this innovative practice built on diversity, equity, inclusion, any organization can drive consistent winning results with ingenuity and speed. Leadership is collective art. That’s the guiding principle behind Jeffrey Spahn’s approach to creating sustained innovation within organizations. Spahn has guided myriad companies toward a more solid leadership foundation, and in this eye-opening guide, he shares his most powerful wisdom and shows you how to apply it to your own business. Moving beyond the traditional model of top-down leadership, Spahn has created a foundation for an organizational culture that benefits from collective energy, curious conviction, and solid, actionable goals. You’ll find enlightening guidance on such principles as: Collective flow—being driven by an energy beyond the limits of individuals Panarchy—navigating the emerging terrain of collective leadership Simultaneity—accessing collective flow by leading and following in the same action Consilience—embracing opposing viewpoints as an opportunity to make a difference through differences Filled with case studies of Spahn’s work with industry-leading companies and an effective decision-making process rooted in these principles, We the Leader represents the next step in the evolution of leadership—a fresh-eyed new way forward for your organization.

Carter, for example, emerges as "the median president": average in activity, success in Congress, and public support. Follow the Leader shows that presidents often do make Faustian bargains on behalf of their popularity, but they get surprisingly little in return. For example, while it is true that the use of force by the United States abroad has followed bad economic times at home much more frequently than would be expected by chance, the use of force itself does not boost a president's popularity. In fact, foreign policy activities show a variety of different effects. There is an uneasy balance at best between being liked and being president. Conventional wisdom suggests that popular presidents are strong leaders. But Brace and Hinckley demonstrate that things are not so simple. Indeed, presidents who structured their agendas solely on the basis of public approval would often be making choices the American people would not support.