A few weeks ago, I was caught up in a pretty fierce debate with one of my colleagues, fueled by a few bottles of soju, over what exactly  is a good leader, and the scope of good leadership. 

She felt that in a way, there are no such things. Moreover, we should brace for less-than-satisfactory results even if a leader is a proper visionary who sets the best kinds of examples and works ceaselessly to shepherd the crowd.

For no matter hard one tries, is it possible to make a horse drink the water if it is not thirsty? And who could we blame for that predicament?

I, on the other hand, argued that a true leader must be responsible for everything and anything, even the shortcomings of those he or she is in charge of. I also contended that a leader should never take no for an answer from his or her charges, and keep pushing for better results.

In hindsight, my ideals seem too far-fetched.

Still, I refuse to back down completely since a successful organization, a successful government and a successful nation all hinge on how powerful and effective the leadership is.

But the qualities of a good leader do change with the times. And these days, it seems like we are looking for someone more flexible ― someone who can offer what the people want.

See, the horse may not be thirsty, but it may want something else, such as to get its back scratched or its hooves repaired and so on.

And right now, it seems like one very wanted type of leadership is one of compassion.

I remember very clearly when Archbishop Kim Soo-hwan passed away some years ago. His death was mourned by many, mainly because his words of wisdom and encouragement served as a guiding light for many despondent Koreans. They gave the people hope to go on.

But more often than not, true leaders are ahead of their times, while others are way behind.

One such man seems to be the mayor of Osaka, the second-largest city in Japan.

Toru Hashimoto is still in his 40s, and considered a relatively young man compared to his colleagues in one of the world’s fastest-aging countries.

So for him to announce the termination of his political career was quite a sacrifice.

But that’s what he said he would do, confirming an earlier promise he made that he would retire from politics at the end of his mayoral term.

This was following a vote by the people of Osaka who vetoed his proposal to completely overhaul the city’s administrative system.

Right now, the city is governed by three separate bodies with various overlapping duties.

Hashimoto said by combining and streamlining them, the city government could become more efficient. He thus put the issue up for a public referendum.

I personally believe his vision was correct. I lived in Osaka for about a year, and I was surprised at the lengthy red tape that is part of every single administrative move you make in the city.

Guidelines from the three separate entities would be handed down at various points in time, and it was extremely difficult to figure out who was in charge of what.

But the mayor was up against stacked odds. People ― especially Japanese people ― don’t like change, and moreover, they don’t want change that could lead to layoffs.

Nevertheless I felt that, yes, this is the kind of issue you could bet your political career on, although we will have to see whether Hashimoto will carry out his promise and not tiptoe back after a few years in oblivion. The stakes he played for were much easier to identify with than, say, putting your career on the line for replacing the leadership at a political party with your people and not your opponent’s.

Nobody has the answers in who or what makes a good leader. All I can hope for is that we can recognize a leader for his or her worth when we see one.

By Kim Ji-hyun

Kim Ji-hyun is The Korea Herald’s Tokyo correspondent. ― Ed.