I recently received a letter from a State Representative. The letter was a response to a note that I sent regarding my concerns about health care and small businesses. I sent the note to five public officials. Only two responded (which is a leadership topic in and of itself.)

This particular note was the better of the two. The other one was a generic form letter assuring me that the official cared about health care.

This leader specifically addressed my concerns.

He told me that he chose not to vote for the particular tax bill that was proposed to fund health care programs in my state. He explained that the tax bill would create a greater hardship on a small business than would the current cost of health insurance.

I was initially impressed. He read my letter, understood my specific issue, and took the time to respond. Isn’t that what we want from our elected officials?

Then I realized something, he wasn’t really leading, not fully at least.

I often see “leaders” who seem to make a career out of pointing out what won’t work. We often perceive this as a demonstration of their incredible knowledge or expertise in the subject. After all, they can see all of the problems with the solution, they must know more than the rest of us. Maybe they do.

However, the difference between a leader and a regular person isn’t what they know. It’s what they do.

Leadership is much more than just knowing what won’t work.

A good leader solves problems too.