<p>This talk explores how visual images of leaders impact our perception and emotional response to them. Our reactions to leaders’ pictures reflect and shape our implicit ideas of leadership. People’s perceptions and feelings about leaders are often so strong that, like the prisoners in Plato’s cave, they only see shadows of reality. Even when people recognize that their perceptions are biased or inaccurate, they are often uninterested in verifying what they think they see, as the image is what they believe ought to be true. In the age of social media, some prefer to chain themselves to their cell phone caves to watch the shadows of reality created and endorsed by like-minded prisoners. This situation makes one wonder if people get the leaders they deserve.</p>