I read your post and this article from the NY Times in the same hour and I feel like they're related.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/16/opinion/whos-the-decider.html?smid=fb-nytimes&amp;WT.mc_id=OP-E-FB-SM-LIN-WTD-111611-NYT-NA&amp;WT.mc_ev=click

At some point as leaders we have to actually lead, to step outside of projected results or poll results or anything else and actually take a risk.  It is the risking that reaps the rewards and sometimes the failures.  And it is the one taking the risk that IS the leader.  The rest are actually followers.