Good and bad leaders

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The president of the United States of America, whomever he or she may be, ought to act in a manner that aligns with the job they hold. Moreover, when that position is regarded as the most powerful one in the free world, their responsibility is to be extremely careful about their public utterances. They must ensure, as far as possible, that their public and private behaviours do not put the office of the President of the United States in disrepute. This is what most well-thinking Americans and global citizens ought to expect of that individual, and rightly so.

Any president of the United States who speaks publicly with reckless abandon and does not hold the utmost respect and regard for the US Constitution, for their presidential oath of office; who places themselves above US and international laws; say and/or does things that demeans and degrades the office; blatantly and knowingly lies, whenever and wherever it suits them to do so; and is a convicted criminal does not deserve to be president or, for that matter, lead any public or private entity.

The best leaders, whether of a company, church or country, first and foremost, should lead by example. The worst leaders, irresponsibly, irrationally and impertinently do and/or say things that embarrass and damage the entity or entities they lead. Such individuals are not leaders but, more often than not, fit the description of loathsome characters, loose cannons, and liars.

PATRICK GALLIMORE

pagalley@protonmail.com