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Leadership is the ability to persuade others toward actions of one's own choosing. A person, who employs this ability often, or formally, is known as a leader. There are several different types of leaders, and it's not uncommon for a group to have multiple leaders arranged in a hierarchy. Among the survivors, Jack is the de facto leader; however, within a group of such variegated viewpoints and personalities, a certain amount of challenging and subverting is to be expected. Among the Others, the ultimate hierarchy is currently less clearly defined, but characters such as Ben and Juliet seem to hold more influence than the rest that we have been seeing. This article explores various Lost characters strengths as well as weaknesses as leaders.
| “ | "Everybody wants me to be a leader, until I make a decision they don't like." -- Jack Shephard | ” |
Jack
Jack Shephard, leader of the Losties (promotional still)
He is the most educated of the castaways, one of the few with a post graduate degree. Jack was chosen as the group leader for his ability to act with a clear head amidst a medical crisis, such as the immediate aftermath of the crash of flight 815. During that incident, he was able to lead both by example and direction. By treating patients quickly, and delegating responsibility to others where he needed assistance, Jack earned the respect of his fellow castaways. He was always reluctant to assume leadership, thus prefers to lead passively by encouraging people to self-motivate, and dealing with them one-on-one. He will address the group as a whole during times of trouble, but only when asked. His perspective on leadership is addressed in "Exodus, Part 2", when he petulantly tells Kate in the two hour finale of season one, "Everybody wants me to be a leader until I make a decision that they don't like."
Favorable leadership qualities
Self-Assuredness: As a surgeon, Jack is used to making life or death decisions, often on the spur of the moment. In these situations, hesitating to second guess can be fatal, so Jack has learned to choose an option and follow it through. Despite the fact that this occasionally leads to over-confidence, and sends him in the wrong direction, confidence is an appealing trait to people seeking leadership.
Social-mindedness: Jack's view of morality tends to favor the well-being of the group over the individual, including himself. His tendency to undervalue his own contributions can occasionally be problematic, as he is always the first to undertake any mission that might be dangerous, and has had to be reminded on more than one occasion that keeping the only doctor on the Island safe is beneficial for the entire group. This gives the general perception of heroism, and causes most of the survivors to view him favorably. The major exception to this is Sawyer, who tends to value the individual (including, but not limited to, himself) over the group, and causes a major point of friction between the two.
Charisma: Jack's physical attractiveness, macro-managerial style, approachability, and normally easy-going nature, and tendency to wear his heart on his sleeve make him an easy candidate. People generally like and respect Jack, often from a first impression. Even people he has had rivalries or disagreements with have come to the point of befriending/ following him.
Unfavorable qualities
Stubbornness: Jack's determination to see things through can cause him to push himself too hard. Unrested, Jack becomes irritable and sometimes irrational. At one point Kate actually crushed sleeping pills into his juice, to force him to sleep. Jack has been told on several occasions by his friends, father, and even enemies, that he doesn't know how to let go. It's important for a leader be able to recognize the occasions where losses must be cut. In Through The Looking Glass, he refused to listen to Ben and Locke's pleas not to contact Naomi's rescue ship. As we've seen in that episode's flashforward, he now regrets this decision. The last line of season 3 is Jack telling Kate "We have to go back!" as she drives away from LAX.
Emotional and violent responses: While a heart-on-your-sleeve approach to life is often viewed favorably as honesty, such passion can cause a person to feel first and think later. Jack is an incredibly bright man, but his short temper can cause him to escalate already tense situations, rather than defuse them. This includes moments where he feels that his decisions or authority are under question, and can turn a simple disagreement into a violent brawl.
Bad interpersonal skills: Even as a doctor, Jack had a horrible bedside manner. He doesn't think enough about what he says or how he could say it in a better way. As another example, during his captivity on Hydra Island a better leader would have used his imprisonment to learn more about the Others and try to use the situation to negotiate with them. Jack's anti-social confrontational behavior while captive did nothing for him or more importantly for the people he was leading. He also tends to ignore the abilities of his friends in favor of getting his way(e.g. ordering Kate to stay behind in The Hunting Party even though another tracker and another gun would have been a good idea considering the situation).
Addictions: Jack has various problems with alcohol and substance abuse when under stress.
Locke
John Locke stepped in as leader when Jack was captured (promotional still)
Locke emerged as a leader by establishing himself as the most competent hunter in the group. His fatalism gives him an inspiring confidence; however, it also leaves him looking for signs and omens, and he often refuses to explain himself. He'll generally avoid this pitfall by not explaining himself, preferring a mysterious smile. His usefulness makes others overlook this, but has caused some friction between himself and Jack, who strongly believes in determinism over fatalism. Locke tends to influence people on a one-on-one basis; however, he did very briefly step into a more formal leadership role after Jack's capture by the Others, to address the group with a rescue plan. However, his motives have been called into question based on his actions during the rescue mission.
Favorable leadership qualities
Usefulness: John Locke knows how to follow footprints and has a sense of direction even in thick brush. Locke's skills at tracking, hunting, and cleaning make him an indispensable member of the group. He alone has been able to quite literally bring home the bacon, and this has earned him a great deal of respect. Though Locke's skills were never disputed by any of the castaways, it is not very clear in seeing how much tracking hunting and cleaning he did as an indispensable member of the group of survivors of flight 815 (the castaways) after the Hatch was discovered to contain its own food supply (and the subsequent pallet drop). While acting as leader, dealing with Eko's death, he told Charlie and Hurley separately from rest of the group to act as a calm example to them.
Confidence: Locke's faith in the Island often gives him a confidence that other members of the group consider reassuring. For example, Charlie once called Locke "The one man I would put my absolute faith in to get us off this island." However, during periods where he can't find any omens, Locke becomes frustrated and seems to lose his sense of direction.
Personal guidance: Locke has a gift for offering unsolicited advice in a way that people listen to. He helped Charlie quit heroin, made Claire feel useful while she was pregnant, convinced Boone and Shannon to let go of each other, and admonished Walt to respect his father, Michael. This leaves the people he has helped with a respect for him and a sense of indebtedness.
Unfavorable qualities
Dishonesty: Locke has repeatedly been dishonest with other people as to his intentions and motives. He hid his discovery of the Swan. He secretly attacked Sayid when he tried to locate the distress signal. He took C4 explosives from the Flame without telling anyone else. Locke made two memorable speeches to his fellow castaways. But in both speeches he lied or manipulated those listening. In "...In Translation" Locke accuses the Others of burning the first raft and stirred up people against them while in reality he strongly suspected that Walt had burned the raft. He later was able to get Walt to confess but never corrected the impression he made. In "Further Instructions" Locke quiets unrest about the capture of several people by the Others by promising to save them. But afterwards he seems to follow an entirely different agenda.
Disregard for the lives of others: Locke has shown a lack of concern with the lives of others on the Island. After leading Boone to his death, he rationalized his actions by claiming that the Island demanded his death so that he (Locke) could fulfill his destiny. He murdered Naomi in "Through the Looking Glass" as she attempted to contact her boat with her satellite phone as well, believing for his own reasons that they were not supposed to leave the Island at that time. Since "The Beginning of the End", he has complete disregard, even going as far as putting a hand grenade in Miles' mouth when Kate "breaks the rules".
Anger: When faced with questions about his decisions, Locke has has often resorted to angry tantrums. Rather than defend what he has done, he often points to the actions of others (for example Jack) to complain about their decisions. He also nearly destroyed the Island (if not all life in the world) in his angry attempt to prove that the button at the Swan did nothing.
Solitary Nature: Locke has a tendency to be a loner. It's difficult for him to lead when he simply isn't around.
Unconventional attitudes: Locke's eagerness to adapt to life on the Island, his suitcase of big knives, and his creation of a seemingly new religion all combined to give the Losties an initially uneasy feeling about him. He won many of them over on an individual basis with varying degrees of difficulty, however, and his contributions of fresh meat went a long way towards assuaging people's doubts until the death of Boone.
Blind faith: Locke's faith in his own greatness and destiny is beyond the rational. It translates into blind faith in what he thinks the Island wants, in omens, and in dreams is fervent enough to sometimes blind him to other dangers. There's also the chance that he's simply misinterpreted the signs, which can potentially put himself and others in danger. Two people have died so far, Boone and Eko, from accompanying Locke on a quest initiated by a dream. While he was not directly responsible for either death, it isn't a stunning track record. Its also unclear if he is following the Island out of faith or out of fear that it won't exert its healing effect on him, leaving him paralyzed again.
Sayid
Sayid has a cool head in crises (promotional still)
Sayid's military experiences, critical mind, and technological skills have caused him to emerge as a leading personality within the group. He is one of the few people on the Island who can calmly disagree with Jack by using reason, which seems an odd counterpoint to his skills with physical torture. Sayid seems content with a secondary leadership role, allowing Jack to make most of the decisions, and advising only when he strongly disagrees.
Favorable leadership qualities
People skills: When motivated, Sayid is good at working with a group. He knows how to talk to people and he knows how to convince as a leader. He has on multiple occasions been able to convince Jack to calm down and think things through.
Military bearing: A military bearing implies that a man has seen hostile action and survived, which can be very reassuring to a frightened group of people. Also, people tend to instinctively obey someone who naturally speaks with authority.
Level-headedness: Sayid's ability to remain objective during crisis has made him a respected voice of reason, and an asset in discussions of tactics. It also makes him one of the few people who can influence Jack when he behaves irrationally.
Technological skills: Sayid has demonstrated the ability to create radios, transceivers, receivers, triangulation antennas, and S.O.S signals out of spare parts from laptop computers, cell phones, and car batteries. If the Island allows signals to escape, he is the Losties best chance of sending a message to flag down a passing ship from the outside world. He was also able to delay disaster by fixing the computer in the Swan after Desmond accidentally shot it.
Unfavorable qualities
Solitary Nature: Sayid, like Locke, is a bit of a loner. While he's among the group more than Locke, he obviously values his solitude, and often ventures to secluded beaches or jungle clearings away from the main group. This separation runs slightly against Jack's policy of "Live together, die alone".
Cultural barriers: Sayid's Iraqi heritage poses a slight problem in associating with the rest of the Losties, in that they simply haven't found a common comfort zone yet. For example, Hurley made a cultural reference to a song, but then has to wonder if Sayid even got the joke (he did). There was also some initial racially-driven mistrust, but that seems to have been largely overcome. (Sawyer, who in the first season attacked and accused him, partnered with Sayid in season 3 to deal with Juliet.)
Coldness: Sayid's willingness and training to torture people for information could be a real asset to the group under the right circumstances, although he has yet to successfully extract any information from his two attempts on the Island (Sawyer and Ben). It's also a reason for people to approach him cautiously, and a natural impetus for a certain amount of fear.
Self-doubt: Sayid's experiences as an intelligence officer have created a certain amount of weakness and moral doubt within his character. He constantly questions himself in his actions toward other people. He has the ability to act in an utterly authoritative way, but seems to associate being strong with being the person he was while in the Iraqi Republican Guard.
Passive: Sayid is unwilling to assert himself in a leadership role much of the time. While he is often the most level-headed person in a group and often displays sound leadership qualities, he is unwilling to assert himself when challenged. He allows others to run over him. For example, he continues to active passively around Locke who has admitted to clubbing him in the back of the head during the attempt to triangulate the distress signal. As another example, he did not confront Locke on multiple occasions on the long journey to the Barracks even after it was clear that Locke was following a hidden agenda.
Sawyer
Sawyer's resourcefulness gives him a great deal of influence. (promotional still)
Sawyer has never tried to take direct control of the Losties. He has, however, taken steps to increase his own influence. By taking control of the majority of goods available for trade, Sawyer established himself as an economic leader early on. When he felt that too many decisions were being made by Jack and Locke, Sawyer executed a long con, using Kate and Charlie, to steal the guns. Sawyer acted as leader in one episode ("Exposé") and was "assigned" by Hurley to be the temporary leader to the beach camp in the following episode ("Left Behind"). Sawyer surprisingly seems to take pride in his new role, and when he sees Jack return to the camp, a look of disappointment comes over his face, as he knows his leader days are likely over. ("One of Us") From ("The Shape of Things to Come") onwards, Sawyer showed great qualities of bravery, altruism and determination to the point of risking his own life, which granted him the status of leader of the barrack's survivors group. His new attitude and values create a huge contrast with the man he was before the crash.
Favorable leadership qualities
Resourcefulness: In the first days after the crash, Sawyer was often found scavenging the wreckage of the plane, while the other survivors were waiting on the beach for rescue. He took anything he felt useful or valuable and kept them in his stash. By taking such an early lead in the scavenging, Sawyer was able to amass a larger amount of goods for barter than anyone else, and established himself quickly as an economic leader.
Charm: His experience as a conman has taught Sawyer an easygoing manner that people, especially women, trust to the point of betraying people they care about.
Strength: Sawyer has the strength to stand up to anyone who challenges him, gets in his way or who crosses him. He will always stand up for himself and not be pushed around.
Insight: Sawyer has a gift for reading people, probably from his previous career as a con man. He can get a thumbnail impression upon first meeting someone, and/or can analyze clues to get a very keen sense of who they really are. (Notably, he shares this ability with Sayid.)
Unfavorable qualities
Self loathing: As Kate has mentioned, Sawyer's apparent need to punish himself for the murder of Frank Duckett, and self loathing for becoming the conman that ruined his parents' lives (even to the point of taking the man's name), causes him to push others away.("Confidence Man")
History: When he acts as leader, his past behavior causes people to question his motives and have little trust in him. Having influenced Charlie to abduct and beat Sun also work against him. ("Exposé").
Economic Unbalance: While Sawyer's disproportionate stash gives him a great deal of economic power in trade with his fellow Losties, it has also caused him a great deal of grief, as he must constantly fight to protect his property ("Confidence Man"). It's also been viewed as hoarding by his fellow castaways, and caused a great deal of mistrust.
Boone
Boone Carlyle; good hearted, but young and rash (promotional still)
Boone Carlyle was another early, if self-nominated, candidate for leader. He quite obviously cared a great deal about those around him, and had a form of prior leadership experience - a fact that he brought up early and often in his first days on the Island. His youth often got in the way, however, as he was prone to rash decisions and the mistakes of inexperience.
Favorable leadership qualities
Prior Experience: Boone's pre-Island experiences as the Vice President of a bridal-wear company gave him a confidence in his own decisions, which can be an attractive quality in a leader. Unfortunately, Boone's head-first approach either leads him to make the wrong decision, or to make the right one, but get in over his head.
Able to make decisions: Boone is able to see problems and to take immediate action to fix the problems.
Courage: As Sayid said at Boone's funeral, Boone was a courageous young man who put others above himself. When he spotted Joanna in trouble in the water, his first instinct was to swim out himself and get her. After he nearly drowned in the attempt, his first thoughts were still of her well-being.
Unfavorable qualities
Upbringing: Boone's greatest drawback was his age. At 22, he was simply too young, too sheltered, and too wealthy to have the experience necessary to lead a group of adults. He had likely never led a group of people he had to treat as equals or attempt to convince them of anything.
Inability to ask other people for help: Boone had several foibles early on in which he made choices, albeit with good intentions. As the water supply began to dry up during the early days on the Island, Boone took the water with the intention of organizing the rationing of the remainder but failed to tell anyone else what he was doing. A panic started when the fact that the water had gone missing was noticed and the situation rapidly got out of his control. When Shannon's asthma started acting up, Boone took it upon himself to raid Sawyer's stash for her medication, rather than ask Sawyer for it, or ask anyone else for help. These two incidents both earned him beatings.
Gullability: Boone will often follow other's instructions blindly and without question as was seen in the Pilot when instructed to find a pen. He also followed Locke's instructions when he convinced Boone to climb to the plane, an incident that lead to his own death.
Ana Lucia
Ana Lucia made most of her decisions as an autocrat. (promotional still)
Ana Lucia's career as a police officer gave her an authoritarian edge and this, coupled with her indomitable disposition, her controlling nature and her innate will to survive, gave her the qualities she needed to emerge as leader of the tail-section survivors. Ana Lucia became the de facto leader of the tail-section survivors and albeit she was not always the most popular or most compliant leader, she did manage to ensure her followers' loyalty for the first 48 days on the Island. When the tail section survivors merged with The middle section survivors, Ana Lucia forfeited her role as leader.
Favorable leadership qualities
Background: As a police officer Ana Lucia would have been exposed to dangerous situations and would also have had some experience in crises or life-or-death situations. This would have given Ana Lucia some sort of preparation for her role as leader of the tailies directly following a plane crash. It also gave Ana Lucia a dominant, if somewhat overriding, confidence in dealing with other people.
Confidence: A frightened group of people will naturally gravitate towards someone who is confident and can talk openly with self-assurance and authority. This makes people feel safe, as if someone else can take care of them or take control of their situation.
Procedural Knowledge: Ana Lucia utilized many skills in ensuring the safety of herself and her group. She was the first to suspect a spy amongst her group, she led her people away from the beach for safety’s sake, she constructed a pit in which to hold those she suspected of betrayal, and she endangered herself by attacking Goodwin when they were both alone ("The Other 48 Days").
Unfavorable qualities
Authoritarianism: Although not a true dictator, Ana Lucia employed very authoritarian governance over her group. She would rarely comply with the groups wishes (only when she had to) and would at times carry out tasks without consulting the other members of the group (throwing Nathan into the pit ("The Other 48 Days")). She had no real qualms dropping members of the group when they interfered with her goals (she abandoned Eko when he went to look for Michael ("...And Found")). Eventually, due to her overbearing nature, members of the group (Libby and Bernard) abandoned her ("Collision").
Emotional Coldness: Ana Lucia maintained a very stoic and aloof standing in the group. She refused to cry for forty days ("The Other 48 Days") and was emotionless about Donald's deteriorating health, and was unconcerned with leaving an injured and dying Sawyer behind in favor of speeding up their journey to the main camp. In a certain respect her mostly emotionless manner probably gave her an air of confidence and self-assurance however it most likely prevented any of the survivors from becoming very close to her.
Vengeful: Ana Lucia has been known to carry out vengeful acts, such as murdering Jason McCormack ("Collision"). Although when she was an acting leader, Ana Lucia didn't often display these retributive behaviours, they still constitute an inherent part of her personality, and as such don’t make for good leadership qualities, as they involve somewhat selfish and potentially dangerous activities.
Ben
The Others work in an atmosphere of fear (promotional still)
While it's difficult to know the exact structure of the Other's society, because of their aptitudes for deception and secrecy, it has become apparent that Ben is an important player. While he may or may not carry the final authority on all matters, it's obvious that he holds a great deal of sway over those around him. One example of Ben's ability to control the other Others occurs when he uses his power to stop Juliet from being sentenced to execution after she murders Danny Pickett. ("Stranger in a Strange Land").
Favorable leadership qualities
Intelligence: Ben is a very smart person. His plans are usually very well thought out and are easily understood by those he asks to implement them. To those at a distance from him who don't directly see the deception and manipulation, he appears to be a very good leader.
Manipulation: Ben is highly skilled in the art of deception, and an adept observer of people. He has the abilities to control the information people receive, and to influence the way they perceive outside information. Because of this, he can influence the actions of others in his own favor, even when they are actively rebelling against him.
Jacob: Being able to see and talk to Jacob gives you (presumably) considerable respect.
Strength: Ben maintains an aura of strength in his leadership. He never gives in to the demands of other people or appears weak.
Fear: Most of the Others appear to fear Ben.
Mystery: Ben seems to have a control over the Others with an aura of power and the unknown. Those below him have no idea just what he might be capable of.
Unfavorable qualities
Fear: The problem with leading through fear is that while its possible to get people to think what you want as a leader through fear, its not always possible to get them to do what you want. A system based on fear also works against any sense of trust throughout an organization.
Manipulation: Eventually, a leadership situation will require trust in the leader. Ben has created a situation where the people closest to him and that he depends on the most as leader don't trust him. This includes his own "daughter."
Depends too much on appearances: Ben's leadership is dependent, to a large extent, on his maintaining an image of strength and honesty with the group as a whole. Because of this, he is in a position where he cannot afford to make a single mistake or show a sign of weakness.
Over plans: Ben can be given to over-elaborate planning which can end up backfiring on him. For example, his plan on Hydra Island to break Jack rather than simply negotiate with him would have taken so much time that he would have put his own life at very serious risk. The plan was also so complicated that it didn't work anyway.
Juliet
Can Juliet be trusted? (promotional still)
While the source of Juliet's influence has yet to be revealed, it's obvious that she commands a certain amount of respect from those around her. She's the only character among the Others known to intentionally counter Ben. She's also the only person Sawyer took seriously when he surprise attacked the Others in the quarry to test their strength ("The Glass Ballerina"). However, what influence as a leader Juliet may have had on the Others may have diminished after she killed one of their own ("Stranger in a Strange Land"). They had her in front of many of the Others and were allegedly planning to execute her until Jack brokered yet another deal to give Ben further medical care, this time in exchange for saving Juliet's life. Ben opted to have her marked with a symbol that looked to have been branded or scarred into her skin in some way.
Favorable leadership qualities
Cool-headedness: Juliet's capacity to remain calm in extreme circumstances, like Jack holding a shard of glass to her throat, or apparent willingness to kill Kate, earned her some respect from Ben, Jack, and Sawyer.
Subtlety: She's been cautious about how she's undercut Ben's authority, which limits reprisal. Examples of this behavior include: throwing a book club meeting without inviting Ben, and using a book the rest of the group knows he wouldn't read; leaving Ben's x-ray out where Jack would obviously see it, before Ben was ready to reveal that information; and playing Jack a video that couldn't be seen by the security camera, in which she asked him to kill Ben, and make it look like an accident.
Unfavorable qualities
Subversive Tendencies: Juliet has shown a level of subversiveness that can imply a power-hungry attitude. Ambition is admirable, but pursuit of power itself is seldom a positive quality in a leader.
Dishonesty: Her proven skill in deception makes her untrustworthy. ("Stranger in a Strange Land") ("Left Behind") ("One of Us").
Amoral: She had no problem plotting to murder Ben or in trying to convince Jack to murder Ben during a medical procedure. She also engaged in a long, secretive affair with Goodwin.
Passive: In her life before and after the Island, she has been unwilling to directly confront authority figures who have power over her (e.g. Edmund, Ben).
History Of Betrayal: On at least two occasions, Juliet has betrayed her fellow Others. She shot and killed Danny Pickett after Pickett attempted to kill Sawyer, a crime she could have been executed for. She also told the survivors of the Others plan to invade the beach and kidnap the women from their tents. This action lead to the deaths of several Others in Through The Looking Glass. A leader should not turn on the people he or she is leading. Thus, it is worth considering that based on her past actions during the various previous episodes, it would tend to appear that at least in the perspective of the castaways that she would not seem to make as good as possible a leader to lead them. People have a hard time trusting her, and trust is an important quality in a leader.
Hurley
Can Hurley be a leader? (promotional still)
Due to his approachable, friendly nature, Hurley has been viewed favorably by most Losties since the crash. He has become slightly more assertive in his time on the Island, and his recent dealings with Sawyer.
Favorable leadership qualities
Friendliness: Hugo connects to people and talk to them in a way Jack cannot, which makes him much less intimidating than other traditional leaders. He seems to get along with all his island mates. The lone exception was when he got into a brawl with Sawyer in Dave after Sawyer had tricked him into believing that Dave was around. They seem to have moved on from the incident since then, and for the most part get along fine.
Manipulation: At one point, Hugo convinced Sawyer that he was at risk of being "banished" from the beach camp, due to his general antisocial and self-serving personality. With Hugo's guidance, Sawyer performed numerous minor selfless acts for others, in order to influence the "banishment vote". In the end, however, it turned out the threat of banishment was entirely fabricated. Hugo manipulated Sawyer in this manner not for his own personal gain, but for the good of the community, and for Sawyer's own well-being.
Empathy: Hugo understands that people require relief from stress - especially the stress of being stranded on a hostile, mysterious island. He constructed the golf course, and put together a group of individuals to repair the DHARMA van. Basic, physical survival is not enough - people also need to "just have fun" once in a while. In the specific instance of the DHARMA van adventure, he chose the most unlikely individuals to accompany him - people who are the most stressed (Charlie and Jin), or the most outcast from the rest of the group (Sawyer), sensing they severely needed a "morale boost" more than anyone else.
Honesty: With the (surprising) exception of conning Sawyer into being a nicer person and convincing Sayid that Locke left him behind, Hugo seems to be incapable of lying or deception, at least, not convincingly. He will often volunteer information accidently, that others want to be kept secret. Unfortunately, this is both a Pro and a Con.
Unfavorable qualities
Inability To Instill Fear: Hugo commands no fear which means that he has to resort to other means such as kindness or pleading to get others to do what he wants.
Honesty: With the (surprising) exception of conning Sawyer into being a nicer person, Hugo seems to be incapable of lying or deception, at least, not convincingly. He will often volunteer information accidently, that others want to be kept secret. Unfortunately, this is both a Pro and a Con.
Mental instability/Stress aversion: Hugo cannot cope with stressful, life-or-death situations. He has a few mental hangups as well, which have caused him to react strongly and irrationally to other situations (ref: attempting to blow up the pantry in the Swan in "Everybody Hates Hugo", as well as attempting to end his own life in "Dave".
Michael
Michael could have been a leader. (promotional still)
Michael proved to be a useful leader when it came to construction and design.
Favorable leadership qualities
Experience: Michael was the only survivor who had done eight years of construction work. This proved useful, as he successfully orchestrated the rescue of Jack after a cave in, designed showers for the caves, and also built a raft in an attempt to get off the Island.
Casual: Michael has a casual way of communicating with people. This has led to people being able to trust him.
Unfavorable qualities
Walt: Michael was very posessive of Walt. He put his attempts to be a father to Walt above everything else and often came into conflict with other people over his attitudes as a parent.
Amoral: Michael made a deal with the Others to get Walt back. In the course of freeing Ben, he murdered Ana Lucia and shot Libby dead as well. He also led three survivors into a trap where they were captured by the Others.
Kate
Kate has, since the plane crash, been an important figure amongst the survivors. Though she has never acted as a leader, she has the skills and status which could allow her to become one. (It is also notable that the creators had intended for Kate to become leader after Jack's death in the Pilot.)
Kate's charisma and resourcefulness have given her a high-standing amongst the survivors (promotional still)
Favourable Leadership Qualities
Bravery: Kate is not a fearful person; she has willingly taken part in many dangerous activities (such as carrying dynamite on her back ("Exodus, Part 2")) for the good of the group. She is also not afraid of physical combat, and will use violence when she deems necessary (e.g. pulling a gun on Sawyer ("Pilot, Part 2")).
Survival Skills: Kate’s childhood spent learning to track, hunt and sail have given her invaluable and resourceful survival skills, which helps not only her, but also the rest of the group.
Relationships: Kate knows most of the leading members of the group on the Island including Jack and Sawyer. On top of this, Kate has formed strong bonds with other influential survivors (e.g. Sayid, Locke) which would be helpful in a leadership role.
Taking the initiative Kate is more than willing to act on her own initiative to accomplish her goals, rather than simply let others do her thinking for her(e.g. conning the phone off Jack, and searching for- and finding- Naomi after he brushed off her suggestion about the dummy trail. ("The Beginning of the End")
Unfavourable Qualities
History: When Kate’s criminal past was revealed ("Born to Run"), other survivors may have viewed her as untrustworthy and suspicious. Although her status amongst the group didn’t seem to be permanently badly affected, some survivors may view her warily.
Flightiness: Since her adolescence, even before she became a fugitive, Kate has shown signs of wanting to run away ("Born to Run"). Even on the Island Kate finds it difficult to settle and displays a rather evasive behaviour (e.g. lying to Jack about the significance of the toy airplane ("Whatever the Case May Be")). This flightiness would surely not serve Kate well as leader, as she would need a more direct conduct to lead well.
Relationships: Kate has begun to resent Jack and Juliet’s relationship, which could further alienate her from Jack and lower her status within the group.
Deceitfulness: Kate has been known to display deceitful traits. She once helped Sun deceptively poison her husband ("Born to Run"), as well as drugging Jack's juice in order to make him get some much needed sleep ("The Greater Good").
Indifference: Kate also seems happy to not have leadership role. Although she is at times involved in decision-making and is an active part of the A-Team, she is too indifferent or not ambitious enough to directly compete for a leadership role, therefore she is relegated to a lower rank which she seemingly willingly accepts.
