Leadership per se is either effective or ineffective. There are no universal criteria for good or bad leadership, and the quality of leadership should not be confused with the motivation or objectives of the leader. Once leadership is deemed effective or ineffective, judgment about whether it is good or bad rests on an unpredictable mix of situational and subjective criteria. Like anything else, leadership comes with associated costs and unintended consequences. The limits of tolerable costs are largely determined by the value and priority of the leader's objectives.