Every businessperson knows a story about a highly intelligent,highly skilled executive who was promoted into a leadership position only to fail at the job. And they also know a story about someone with solid—but not extraordinary—intellectual abilities and technical skills who was promoted into a similar position and then soared. 

Such anecdotes support the widespread belief that identifying individuals with the “right stuff ” to be leaders is more art than science. After all, the personal styles of superb leaders vary: Some leaders are subdued and analytical; others shout their manifestos from the mountaintops. And just as important, different situations call for different types of leadership. Most mergers need a sensitive negotiator at the helm, whereas many turnarounds require a more forceful authority.

每个商人都知道这样一个故事：一位高智商、高技能的高管被提升到领导岗位，但却未能胜任工作。他们还知道一个故事，关于一个拥有扎实但并不非凡的智力和技能的人，他被提升到一个类似的职位，然后一飞冲天。

这些奇闻轶事支持了一种普遍的看法，即用“合适的东西”来确定个人是否是领导者，这是一门艺术，而不是科学。毕竟，优秀领导者的个人风格各不相同：有些领导者沉默寡言，善于分析；有些则在山顶上高喊宣言。同样重要的是，不同的情况需要不同类型的领导。大多数并购都需要一位敏感的谈判者来掌舵，而许多转机则需要更强有力的权威。