Height does matter

Michael Bloomberg, the New York based businessman has spent $100 million of his own money running in Democratic Primaries. Sensing his rise and possible challenge to him, the mercurial Trump has started doing his usual character assassination. As height of meanness, the guy a champion of making tall claims about himself is mocking Bloomberg as "Mini Mike", alluding to latter's relatively short height.

At 5 feet 8 inches, which would be considered as a pretty decent height in India, Bloomberg stands short compared to Trump who is 6 feet 3 inches tall. In fact, all American Presidents since Jimmy Carter who was shy of 6 feet (5 feet 10 inch) - Ronald Reagan, both Bush dad son duo, Bill Clinton, Obama are 6 feeters. 

Size may not matter, but height does. Logically height shouldn't matter. But in reality, it does. A good height always attracts the opposite sex, adds to the stature and personality. It is an added strength, acts as additional advantage. 

One of the unwritten rules of leadership is a good height. Most company CEOs and strong leaders national leaders are reasonably tall. There are a few notable exceptions though. Napoleon Bonaparte had the height of a Lilliput. Hitler was a short man who stood tall surrounded by his mountain sized German generals. 

Closer to home, Lal Bahadur Sastri was a diminutive man with towering personality. General Zia Ul Haq of Pakistan who milked the Americans and kept India on tenterhooks was a short, shrewd guy amongst tall Punjabi and Pashtun dominated military. 

Trump's belittling of his rival, the Florida Senator Marco Rubio as "Little Marco" worked for him in the Primaries of 2016. The US President's strategy to define his rivals in a negative way and destroy them before they define themselves has worked well for him so far. It could work for him again, as defeating a sitting President is a tall order in American Presidential elections unless the incumbent has a bad economy to defend. Yet, height does matter in the real  world, like it or not.