Most leaders understand that once they go into that role called "Leader" there are many problems that come with that role.
Many of these problems have nothing to do with the person necessarily. The person becomes identified with the role.
That's the way it is with many roles.
As we have noted in previous discussions of role-playing, that some friends who are perfect friends for these people in some roles, are not necessarily any more perfect friends for them in the new role.
Hillary Clinton, for example. Some friends perfect for Hillary Clinton at Wellesley are not necessarily perfect for her as lawyer role as senator role, and should she become president, not necessarily the perfect person for her as president.
Some friends can continue with people throughout the roles that they play. Others, although they value these friends, are not necessarily the perfect people in the different roles.
This is the same with Oprah Winfrey. Some people appropriate for her best friends as a child on the playground are not necessarily the appropriate people to be her friends as a high profile public person and the type of requirements that she has for people who are her friends now.
Some of these people might continue to value Oprah Winfrey, remembering the childhood friend, but they know very well that they are not the right people to be accompanying her to Africa to do the type of work that she is required to do now. Some of them understand this, and when she says do this and do that as her friend now, many of these friends would not be qualified for the type of work that she is doing now. They are qualified to be a friend of hers, but they are not qualified for the type of work that it is necessary for her to do now. Some friends know and understand that. Some friends don't know and don't understand that. The friends that know and understand that do what they are qualified to do. Maybe they are only qualified to give money to her causes.
Some of her friends are not qualified to be high profile public people like she is. In fact, there role would probably be very destructive, whether they want it to be or not. So she has to find friends who are qualified for that role.
Of course, people can work with their friends to help them to meet the qualifications that come with certain roles. They can have workshops and experts to meet with them, to discuss this person and their new role, to discuss the various things that their friends have to know and learn now, such as how to understand and deal with the media. How to understand the public world and public roles.
For example, if you have a friend who becomes president. There are many things in this new roles that many friends probably don't have a clue about. Suppose a president witnesses their best and dearest and longest friends rejecting them because of the media and the press. The president and the professionals who work with presidents are not going to reject some president easily because of the media. These are professionals. Some of them are also professional friends. Some of them are just professionals. Those who work on the staff of many presidents are not necessarily going to reject a president because of the media. Professionals in this world understand how to be professionals. They are not necessarily the best friends in the personal sense of friendship. But they are best friends in the professional sense of friendship.
Of course public figures are concerned when their best and dearest personal friends don't understand enough about the media, the press, the public world, public roles, and are that naive. Should they scold their friends? Of course. However, they would nevertheless have to be educated to understand that new role and that new world.
Some people do not even consider public roles because they witness this too often. They don't consider public roles and public careers for precisely this reason. They don't necessarily consider the fault their friends, because they value them very much, but certainly they are not interested in having public careers that can disrupt and corrupt honorable friendships so easily.
Some public figures continue they careers and go to war with all of their good friends if it's necessary. Others draw a line at that. They understand what is going on. If their friends understand also, and are professional enough, then they continue the careers. If the people they value don't understand, then many draw a line on their careers right there.
Those who have friends who are in the public world themselves, and who are used to playing these roles, who understand the press, the media, and the whole public role-playing including the leadership role on the professional level, most of the time these types of friends continue longer, including with all the scandals, real or imaginary.
