Great Leaders vs. The Rest of US

It is extremely difficult for leaders to find a balance between expressing their personalities and effectively managing those of the people they aspire to lead or at least influence. Yet the ability to strike that balance - and to preserve one's authenticity in the process - is precisely what distinguishes great leaders from other executives. Authenticity is not the product of pure manipulation. It accurately reflects aspects of the leader's inner self, so it can't be an act. But great leaders seem to know which personality traits they should reveal to whom and when.

Harvard Business Review Dec05