When our founding fathers gathered over 200 years ago, they wisely constructed a charter for our great country whereby a critical balance was achieved. Three branches of government, none of which with unilateral, absolute power, were required for any kind of sustained governmental action. It has worked well for these 200 years.

But do we still need it?

Think about it. Companies are all moving away from “command and control” management structures. We have “collaborative environments” and “self-managed teams” of folks who appear to Just Get Along and operate without any Draconian Rule-Givers at the helm. So why not also for our government? Do we really need a President? A figurehead? Can’t the Congress simply run the show? After all, they’re the ones who pass all the laws anyway, right?

Wrong.

Leadership, like management, is not a sideline. It can not be shared. It must be focussed, ideally into the persona of one unique individual. Because leadership is not simply about making rules, or enforcing authority, or projecting power. It is about setting the tone, creating a culture, instantiating a DNA into a company, a group, and yes, into the very Country in which we all live. Our lives need meaning. Our jobs need purpose. Our company needs leaders to point the way. And we all need a single, forceful yet deliberative, President at the helm. No group, no matter how benevelent or cooperative, can hope to influence in the same way a single, charismatic, visionary leader can. It doesn’t work that way. We don’t work that way.

So, on this President’s day, I submit our Union is strong not in spite of our Presidents, but because of them.

Three groups. One legislative. One administrative. One executive. But by no means equal. The executive leads and the others [after due deliberation, checks and balances] follow and support. The model is a good one. And it mostly works well.

Now I would NEVER suggest that American companies organize around this model. In many ways, it works best to slow things down and short-circuit swift action. But for a country that is mostly OK, like ours, that’s exactly what we want.

Do we still need Presidents? You bet. In fact, we need great ones now more than ever.

Happy President’s day.