“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to get through this thing called life.” —Prince

I'm pretty sure you never considered Prince a poster child for leadership, but his uncanny ability to hear would have made him a great one. By the time he hit his stride in the summer of 1984 with the release of his album, Purple Rain, Prince's music had acquired the power to point millions of fans to something larger than themselves —a power which derived from Prince's expertise in the rare art of deep listening. Perhaps most crucially, Prince's music has helped people from all walks of life magnify their own sense of what's possible. If the hallmark of great leadership is the capacity to empower others to feel that their own dreams are achievable, Prince clearly possessed the makings of a true leader.