Charles Maurice de Talleyrand Perigord was an intellectual, flawed, relational, ambitious, epicurean, ordained, ironic leader. I am all those things, for better or worse and to greater or lesser degrees, as well. I use him as an alter ego not because I aspire to be like him, but because I already am. Like him, I want to be in the middle of things, doing important work. I hope to do so as successfully as he did, and with at least a bit more integrity.