Comment for Cross-Country Check-up: What do Canadians want and expect from a political leader?

Thought I'd add my two cents to this. What makes a great political leader?

I can't speak for other Canadians, but I have several things that I look for in a political leader, and I hope that others agree. I have seen some great comments here about charisma, honesty and integrity, and particularly about us demanding more of ourselves so that we can do the same for our leaders.

I wanted to add the following things that I'm looking for in a leader:

- A political leader is a manager of the most important organization there is in this country, a decision-maker, and a communicator (and I don't mean just someone who's good at sound bites, but actually listening to others and accepting good ideas).

- Someone who encourages others to collect the best available evidence, and will make decisions based on this evidence;
- Someone who listens to and engages with their colleagues and their constituents; and
- Someone who is willing to take tough and sometimes unpopular decisions and explain their reasons.

I hear about people who hate people who change their mind. I see no problem with changing a decision, especially if the evidence shows that the previous choice was less beneficial to their constituents than the new direction.