On NPR this morning, there was segment about talking with an Obama supporter and a Clinton supporter on the essence of their respective candidates. This was after both candidates had appeared in Youngstown, Ohio, recently.

The Clinton supporter cited one of the "c" words: Competence

The Obama supporter cited another of the "c" words: Charisma

And nowhere in the discussion did either supporter talk about another "c" word: Character

I wondered about how leaders are picked in business (or rather, how power correlates to these traits.)

A colleague who I told this story to reminded me that people tend to focus on what’s there but not what’s missing.

Good food for thought.