People are born with leadership traits, but that doesn’t inherently make them a leader.  Thus leaders can’t be born, only made and the best are forged in the fires of failure.  It’s easy to lead in success, it’s exponentially harder to lead people in difficult times because it is in those times then true human nature is exposed and unfortunately it is human nature to look out for one’s self.  Some so called “leaders” capitalize on despair and reinforce for selfish gain under the guise of doing the right thing.  But good leaders work tirelessly, sometimes in the spotlight, sometimes in the shadows; ultimately adhering to simple rules like the golden rule and the promise that a rising tide lifts all ships.  Luckily, it appears throughout much of human history that the right leaders for the times eventually surface to the top, as we are still here today.  Since leader are made for the times and not born, we can all be leaders in some form.  The only question is, when that times come, how will you lead when the days are long and hard?