Leadership is relative : Caesar could make Antony obey him, but no one else could. Most people feel that politics is difficult, and that they had better follow a leader-- they feel this instinctively and unconsciously, as dogs do with their masters.
Source: Power, a new social analysis, 1938, by Bertrand Russell
More info.: https://russell-j.com/beginner/POWER02_120.HTM
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We often hear people say, "That person has leadership." However, as Russell points out in Today's Words from Russell, the presence or absence of leadership is not an absolute quality, but a relative one.
For example, President Trump appears to be demonstrating leadership in today's United States by mobilizing many supporters. However, if there were a change of administration and the Democratic Party came to power, it would become much more difficult for him to exercise that leadership in policymaking.
Moreover, even if the Republican Party remained in power, it is hard to imagine that he would be able to demonstrate the same kind of leadership if he had been born in Japan, under the political culture and institutional framework of that country.
In this way, whether or not someone is perceived as having leadership depends on a variety of factors -- historical period, culture, institutions, social values, and more.
Therefore, as Russell argues, it is very important to recognize that leadership is a relative concept.
Nevertheless, many people tend to regard leadership as if it were a fixed, inherent trait. Such an assumption can lead to misjudging people or to the selection of inappropriate leaders.
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