To succeed in life, you need three things: a wishbone, a backbone and a funnybone.
Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be.
Brigan was saying her name, and he was sending her a feeling. It was courage and strength, and something else too, as if he were standing with her, as if he'd taken her within himself, letting her rest her entire body for a moment on his backbone, her mind in his mind, her heart in the fire of his. The fire of Brigan's heart was astounding. Fire understood, and almost could not believe, that the feeling he was sending her was love.
The leadership instinct you are born with is the backbone. You develop the funny bone and the wishbone that go with it.