There are good leaders who actively guide and bad leaders who

Hear the words of Shiv Khera, a teacher of men and motivator of souls, who declared: “There are good leaders who actively guide and bad leaders who actively misguide. Hence, leadership is about persuasion, presentation and people skills.” In these words lies a truth both profound and dangerous: for leadership is not neutral. It is not a mantle that sits quietly upon the shoulders of those who bear it. It is a force that moves men, that sways nations, that builds or destroys depending on the heart of the one who wields it. A good leader can shape destinies toward light; a bad leader can plunge thousands into darkness.

The ancients understood this double edge. Did not Plato warn of the demagogue, who could move the masses with honeyed words yet lead them into ruin? And did not Aristotle declare that the highest calling of a ruler was not mere power, but the ability to guide men toward virtue? Thus we see that persuasion—the power to move hearts—can be a sacred gift or a deadly weapon, depending on the character of the one who speaks.

History gives us two mirrors. Consider Winston Churchill, who in Britain’s darkest hour stood before his people and declared, “We shall never surrender.” His words were fire, his presentation thunder, and his courage stirred the hearts of millions to endure. He actively guided, lifting his nation from despair into defiance. Yet contrast him with Adolf Hitler, who also had persuasion, who also swayed crowds, who also commanded with people skills—but who used these gifts to misguide, to destroy, to unleash horrors upon the earth. The same tools—voice, vision, and persuasion—produced glory in one and catastrophe in the other.

Thus Khera’s words ring clear: leadership is not merely about position, but about influence. A leader’s role is to touch the minds and souls of others, to inspire them to act, to believe, to sacrifice. But the great danger is this: people follow not always because the leader is right, but because the leader is convincing. A skilled persuader with no moral compass becomes a tyrant. A skilled persuader with integrity becomes a savior. The distinction is not in the tools of leadership, but in the heart behind them.

And so the true test of leadership is not whether one can command, but whether one can guide toward truth. Persuasion must be yoked to justice, presentation must serve honesty, and people skills must build dignity, not deception. Without this alignment, leadership becomes misguidance, and those who follow fall into ruin. The weight of leadership is therefore immense, for it demands not only skill, but also virtue.

The meaning, then, is this: leaders are not remembered by their charm alone, but by where they lead their people. The great leaders of history did not simply persuade; they persuaded toward the good. They did not simply present; they presented the truth. They did not simply connect with people; they lifted them higher than they thought they could rise. This is the essence of good leadership—to use the gifts of influence to guide, not to misguide.

The lesson for us all is clear: if you would lead, build your skills of persuasion, presentation, and connection, but anchor them in integrity. Learn to move hearts, but only toward justice. Learn to speak with fire, but only in the service of truth. Learn to touch lives, but only to lift, never to exploit. For as Shiv Khera has declared, there are good leaders who guide and bad leaders who misguide—and the difference lies not in their power, but in their purpose.

Therefore, let your practice be thus: cultivate the skills of influence, but purify the heart that wields them. When you speak, speak with truth. When you guide, guide with honor. When you lead, lead toward light. For leadership is not merely about power over people—it is the sacred art of guiding souls. And those who master this art with virtue will not only lead well, but leave behind a legacy that time cannot erase.