I was recently thinking about the importance of leadership and what an essential element of success it is in all aspects of life; whether it’s business, politics, or any human activity that requires action towards a common goal.

And although leadership is a trait that few people have, it can make all the difference.

Leadership can be the reason for average performers to rise to the occasion or cause a flawless structure to fall apart when it’s absent.

But do you know why leadership skills are so critical? Because they can also help you define your set of values and live according to them.

That’s why in today’s “Sunday Essentials”, I will share a personal story with you. It is derived from my professional career in political communication and proves how leadership creates a set of values that can guide you along your journey, whatever that is.

A few years ago, I was working with a prominent Greek politician (we will call him Y), helping him with content creation and management.

As usual, he held daily interviews, which provided useful original material that was then used on social media, in press releases, or in other forms of communication.

So one time, during a radio interview, Y made a polarizing comment that could easily lead to negative publicity if it was published. Also, the statement referred to a topic not relevant to what dominated the political agenda of that period.

As a communications specialist or press officer, a simple first rule that you should always follow is this:

Maximize positive publicity while minimizing negative publicity

His comments were made during a live interview, and they couldn’t be retrieved. But the dilemma for the communications team was the following: Do we publish those comments on social media or not?

I was totally against that. And my reasoning was simple:

He might have made that comment during a live interview, but the role of a communications team is to protect him from negative publicity. So, that statement shouldn’t be shared on his social media. If the media notice and decide to publish a negative news story, we will deal with it. But there is no reason why we should be the ones to post it first. Also, the fact that the comment referred to a topic irrelevant to the political agenda should be an additional argument against making a mistake by publishing the statement.

There wasn’t a consensus on what we should do, though, so he had to make the final decision.

The team approached him, and I also explained my rationale. To be honest, I was convinced he would disagree with publishing those comments on social media.

But to my surprise, he turned to me and said:

“Christos, I believe in what I said. I didn’t make a mistake. So, the statement should be out there”.

And then, when everyone left, he added: “When you truly believe in something, you should always stick to it.”

I stood there for a couple of seconds, and then I left, saying nothing.

Do you know why?

Because although I disagreed (and still do), I can’t help but admire professionals—and even more politicians—who live by a well-defined set of values.

That’s the power of leadership. It’s not about giving orders. It’s about paving a path and inspiring others to follow you.