This one is for all you Bugs Bunny fans out there! One of my favorites of Bugs’ many antagonists is Marvin the Martian. Just the thought of that brush on the top of his helmet, those glaring eyes and his funny “alien” voice makes me smile.

Even though his mission was to blow up the earth with his Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator, since the Earth blocks his view of Venus, I think Marvin was basically a good Martian in his heart.

His first line on encountering us earthlings was always “Take me to your leader”. It seems even outer space citizens are searching for leaders on Earth.

The interesting thing is, so are the people who report to you. If someone asks them to “take me to your leader”, would they think of you?

We need to always be mindful that people may report to us because we have positional authority. But they follow leaders, not positions.

If Marvin were to ask them to take him to their leader, would they lead Marvin to you, or to Bugs?

A couple of weeks ago I saw a video segment where President Obama was visiting a town meeting somewhere in America. The video showed a highly emotional young man breaking down into tears in thanking Mr. Obama for just being there, as though the very presence of the President would start making things better for him, and for us.

Is it any wonder that people are searching for feeling “high hopes”, or looking for heroes amid the rubble of fallen politicians, CEOs, bankers and the like.

As leaders, we need to avoid the hero worship that some would like to bestow on us. These are times that call for steady, consistent practice of time honored leadership principles. Crises come and go, while good leadership is always the same.

The issues we face today will be solved like they always have, by leaders who care for their people and inspire trust; who let their teams know where they are going and helps them obtain the skills to get there; and who remembers to ask their people to come along, to be a part of the team.

Simple, solid leadership, just like it has always been, just like it will always be.