Recent speculation about who will fill the newly created post of EU president has highlighted once again the extent to which the concept of leadership has been hijacked.

Regardless of party or national politics, the decision facing the EU has been presented as a stark choice between an attention-grabbing former UK prime minister, Tony Blair, and a low-profile, dull technocrat, such as Belgium prime minister Herman Van Rompuy. That Van Rompuy is currently regarded as the favourite candidate for the post suggests that other factors are influencing the struggle and the technocrat may yet win the day. And it's about time, too.

We should pull ourselves out of the nasty habit of judging leadership potential on the grounds of meaningless criteria such as the ability to turn heads. So what if a candidate has the Beckhams' mobiles on speed dial or can pop onto the GMTV sofa with a charming grin and a decent soundbite? Capacity to do the job should be the only thing that matters. Let's not worry about how many standing ovations a candidate has enjoyed from Congress, but let's look instead at their ability to set out a clear vision and direction and get everyone aligned behind it with a sense of purpose. That should be considered more important than the ability to spot a good photo opportunity.

That we don't yet have a clear job description for the post makes it tougher still to find the right president. All the candidates will be well connected and experienced politicians. Not all will have the same level of charisma. But if the role of European president is to have the sort of authority that those who worked so hard to see the Lisbon Treaty ratified crave, then authority must be vested in the role itself, not in the celebrity status of the first holder of that post. The title itself must be enough to ensure a place in the diaries of fellow world leaders.

We must avoid the mistake of equating fame with effective leadership. I have no idea what happens in the political backrooms of Europe and around the world, but I'd guess a skilled, low-key diplomat would be likely to get quite a lot done. While the decision will ultimately be based on some strange European political groupings, the debate should at least focus on more than who scores the most celebrity leadership points. 

Richard Cree

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