The plastic leader

The soccer World Cup Finals yesterday in Germany provided a rare opportunity to experience a leader express himself! In the most unlikely way, Zidane head butted Italian defender Marco Materazzi. Materazzi & Zidane had some verbal exchange that ended in the head butt and a Red card for Zidane. Whatever words or actions of provocation Materazzi may have offered Zidane’s reaction was strange. There was severe criticism of Zidane’s actions by the commentators, media and everyone else.

I wondered who defines what is right and wrong? Also if a leader is expected to be passionate shouldn’t we expect more than a just a classic somber person? A leader is human how is he or she to express his or her response? A pacifist leader is not considered iconic in today’s world. We may revere Gandhi, Mandela, Mother Teresa, Aung San Kji, Dr. King, etc. but I would like to hear one pacifist leader from business and Sports today!

Would we like a plastic leader with predictable responses, predictable expressions and predictable features or a real human?

I for one am human and like to be myself! Cheers to Zindane.

BBC link