What does it mean to be a leader? Leadership is how a person can influence others to achieve a goal. Leaders do this by applying their leadership qualities, such as beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge and skills. Two really good leaders with their way of thinking about how a country should be run. Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli both have the ability to run a good country. They have many similarities but also have many differences that distinguish them from each other. Our country needs someone who is loyal to the people and trusts them. A president is a leader and is someone who others trust and rely on to make the right choices and decisions for his country. The American people should have a good relationship with the leader. I think Lao-Tzu would be a better president than Machiavelli because he puts his trust in the people and does what is best for them. Lao-Tzu wants a good relationship with people. A leader should be loved and not feared. Machiavelli thinks it is better for the leader to be afraid of the people. Machiavelli says: "I answer that one would like to be both, but since it is difficult to join them, it is much safer to be feared than loved when one of the two must be wanting." (Machiavelli 44). If you govern with fear, people will not respect or like you. People simply do what the leader wants because they fear the consequences of not doing so. If I was in a relationship with my boyfriend, I would want to have a good relationship with him. If my boyfriend abuses me and threatens to hurt me if I ever leave him, of course I would listen to him and do what he says. I don't want to get hurt. I don't want my boyfriend to abuse me physically or mentally in any way, so I would listen to him. He put that fear in my mind so I would do what he says. If someone told me that if I left my boyfriend and was sure that nothing bad would happen to me, I would definitely leave him. I don't want to be around or associated with someone who abuses me. I prefer to be with someone I respect and have a good relationship with.