Leadership vs Relationship

Was having a conversation with a good friend of mine and he asked me a question pertaining to the leadership of romance of the three kingdom, and honestly that caught me thinking.

1. Why would the followers of Liu bei faithfully follow him despite knowing that he is pretty soft in his character?

2. Why would the followers of Cao Cao willing to die for him despite knowing that he is a crude and unscrupulous man?

3. Why would the followers of Sun Quan follow him knowing that he owns probably 50% (each) of the abilities of what Cao Cao and Liu Bei has?

Well.. my take would be; RELATIONSHIP PRECEDES KINGSHIP / LEADERSHIP.

Probably somewhere down the road, these leaders have influenced, loved and met the needs of their followers. Thus despite the flaws in them, the followers still love them and willing to lay down their lives for them.

Conclusion:
To build a kingdom is never about trying to drive an event or rule like a tyrant, but to humble ourselves and build that relationship with our followers.

Kingdoms comes and go but relationships stays!!