Pardon me while I feel a bit philosophical...
Tao Te Ching - Verse 17: "Rulers"
The best rulers are scarcely known by their subjects;
The next best are loved and praised;
The next are feared;
The next despised:
They have no faith in their people,
And their people become unfaithful to them.
When the best rulers achieve their purpose
Their subjects claim the achievement as their own.
An underlying principle in Taoism is that objects aren't useful for what they are, but for what they are not. For example, a cup isn't useful simply because it is a cup, but because it is not full. People are similar, our understanding of what has happened and what we have done makes us into what we are, but it is what we have yet to learn, those things we are yet to do that is useful not only to ourselves, but to others around us, our communities, the world, etc.
Our leaders, whether it is a parent, or a governor, or the President should be held to a somewhat similar standard. In the case of elected officials, we choose our leaders based on what they have accomplished, their behaviors in discourse, and what we believe they will accomplish during their tenure. In other words we vote based on what a candidate is, with an expectation that they will fulfill their potential.
So it is important for leaders to be of substance, yet ready to be filled by the will of their people, with form, yet willing to submit to the minds of their electorate. Thus, a great leader is entirely of the people they lead, known only by an impression of accomplishment that is felt by everyone. Good leaders are known by name, and cherished for their victories. The crappy leaders are feared or despised, and their people abandon them, remove them from office, and so on.