Never. Even during the most difficult and troubling times, leadership is all about providing a compelling vision for a better future. No pessimist can make the case for that. I was reminded of this recently in reading the new Marcus Buckingham book, "The One Thing You Need to Know," our Readers' Choice pick this month, as well as the John Gardner speech I referred to earlier this week.

To quote Gardner again seems appropo.

I can tell you that for renewal, a tough-minded optimism is best. The future is not shaped by people who don't really believe in the future. Men and women of vitality have always been prepared to bet their futures, even their lives, on ventures of unknown outcome. If they had all looked before they leaped, we would still be crouched in caves sketching animal pictures on the wall.

But I did say tough-minded optimism. High hopes that are dashed by the first failure are precisely what we don't need. We have to believe in ourselves, but we mustn't suppose that the path will be easy. It's tough. Life is painful, and rain falls on the just, and Mr. Winston Churchill was not being a pessiment when he said, 'I have nothing to offer, but blood, toil, tears and sweat.' He had a great deal more to offer, but as a good leader he was saying it wasn't going to be easy, and he was also saying something that all great leaders say constantly--that failure is simply a reason to strengthen resolve.

Nothing is ever finally safe. Every important battle is fought and re-fought. We need to develop a resilient, indomitable morale that enables us to face those realities and still strive with every ounce of energy to prevail. You may wonder if such a struggle--endless and of uncertain outcome--isn't more than humans can bear. But all of history suggests that the human spirit is well fitted to cope with just that kind of world.

That feels right to me.