Interesting article and discussion.  I never interpreted GEN Patton’s quote the way the author does.  I always saw the quote as saying leadership, to some extent, is a role you’re playing – a performance you’re putting on.  I took it as a way of seeing leadership as less about innate abilities/qualities – and more about how you see the part you’ve been given, then do your best to meet it’s requirements.

Some of the same insights end up being true – needing to be careful of the image you project and the example you set – but the core tenet is different.  That is, it’s ok to have a private and a public/professional persona – to some extent that’s always necessary.  Nobody exemplified this better than ‘old blood and guts.’  It’s definitely a challenge in the social media era but I think still necessary.