Recipes on leadership

An old and experienced politician once gave advice to the scion of a political family on how, and with whom, he should govern. But the crucial advice came at the end: "You won't rule only with those you want to hang out with and eat sushi in the evening." It sounded a bit shallow then, but over time I realized it is not really. 

Every prime minister has to balance on a tightrope. He cannot rule without having people around him who tell him things as they are and who listen to what society really thinks. But, at the same time, he must ignore them when he decides within himself that something must be done, regardless of the political cost. Americans have a perfect expression for those who ensure that a leader has a clear picture of what is going on, the so-called reality checkers. You won't get far without them.

Former PASOK premier Costas Simitis did not understand the...