The hypothesis is that there is a dearth of global leadership - the likes of which we saw over the yester centuries, where men were inspired by a vision to reduce suffering of fellow men by freeing them from oppression inflicted by other fellow men or a combination of circumstances. Think: George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, ML King, etc. I further hypothesize that this chasm in leadership is due to the nature of the problems that require solving, that have shifted since. The problems that plague this world today, require a different approach to solving and aren't fit to attract the leaders of yester years.
The thought began when we started speaking at home, about someone we knew .. a man, enthralled with a vision to make something happen, followed it through and created a legacy that will be remembered for a long time. The vision took several years to come true, several barriers that needed to be overcome, health challenges, naysayers to be endured - this visionary persisted.
History has recorded several heroes, leaders - portrayed as selfless, tenacious in the pursuit of their vision, in their quest towards a purpose, liberation for the masses - leaders such as the founding fathers of the US, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela. History has recorded many more and the modern ones that may go down in history as leaders - Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Mao Tse-Tung.
The common trait that I hypothesize that they all possessed, is the desire to help their fellows, followers break the shackles, achieve what was then the unbelievable, create a vision for the future, lead with bravado and cut a pathway toward the future.
Starting with who is familiar to me - Gandhi, once he set off on his experiments with truth in South Africa, the nonviolent movement, went on to lead the Indian subcontinent to freedom from three centuries of British colonization. Granted there were barriers, but he held to the steadfast belief and vision of a free India. A vision that led to sacrifices, jail sentences, physical & mental agony - a not so dissimilar story in the case of ML King & a similar case of Nelson Mandela.
But, today, it feels like there is a global leadership crisis - the oppressors aren't easy to create a crusade against ... there aren't nearly the likes of Gandhi anymore .. the suffering hasn't subsided - the african nations are mutilated by ethnic cleansing, genocide, poverty, famine, blood diamonds - some of which take root in corruption and even deeper, greed for each other's meager possessions. Asian nations, despite their growth spurt, are racked with corruption, disparity in income distributions, high inflation, rocketing population growth - a combination that is likely to be explosive in the future years, if left unaddressed.
The emergence of leaders like Muhammad Younis, Anna Hazare, with seeming solutions to the largest of the emerging world's problems, have been like short meteor showers in a dark sky for leadership in the last few decades. These leaders are short lived in their rise to the pinnacle and quick drop to the obscure abyss - barely able to state a platform, leave alone lead a crusade ..
Yet, the emergence of philanthropy among the wealthy capitalists - spurred by Bill Gates & Warren Buffett appears to be a ray of hope in this dark night's sky - they have tackled head on problems, so simple, fundamental, yet impactful such as providing clean toilets, polio vaccinations in the third world countries, it feels like this may very well be the new model for leadership. Achieving economic growth and improving the basic quality of life may very well be the oppressors that these modern day leaders crusade towards.
Providing solutions to the basic needs and amenities of life may well be a start. Again, it doesn't teach a man how to fish. However, a happier man is less likely to rob his neighbor and even less likelier to kill for his goat.
Will this be the new leadership model for the future? Where guarantees of basic well-being and incentives that lead to economic prosperity be inspired by philanthropically minded capitalists? Can they be incentivized to do more? Will such initiatives create a band of brothers who can inspire each other, break barriers, improve the quality of life, for fellow human beings? We'll remember them as successful capitalists - Will we remember them as the new Leadership role models for us to follow in the years to come ...
The thought began when we started speaking at home, about someone we knew .. a man, enthralled with a vision to make something happen, followed it through and created a legacy that will be remembered for a long time. The vision took several years to come true, several barriers that needed to be overcome, health challenges, naysayers to be endured - this visionary persisted.
History has recorded several heroes, leaders - portrayed as selfless, tenacious in the pursuit of their vision, in their quest towards a purpose, liberation for the masses - leaders such as the founding fathers of the US, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela. History has recorded many more and the modern ones that may go down in history as leaders - Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Mao Tse-Tung.
The common trait that I hypothesize that they all possessed, is the desire to help their fellows, followers break the shackles, achieve what was then the unbelievable, create a vision for the future, lead with bravado and cut a pathway toward the future.
Starting with who is familiar to me - Gandhi, once he set off on his experiments with truth in South Africa, the nonviolent movement, went on to lead the Indian subcontinent to freedom from three centuries of British colonization. Granted there were barriers, but he held to the steadfast belief and vision of a free India. A vision that led to sacrifices, jail sentences, physical & mental agony - a not so dissimilar story in the case of ML King & a similar case of Nelson Mandela.
But, today, it feels like there is a global leadership crisis - the oppressors aren't easy to create a crusade against ... there aren't nearly the likes of Gandhi anymore .. the suffering hasn't subsided - the african nations are mutilated by ethnic cleansing, genocide, poverty, famine, blood diamonds - some of which take root in corruption and even deeper, greed for each other's meager possessions. Asian nations, despite their growth spurt, are racked with corruption, disparity in income distributions, high inflation, rocketing population growth - a combination that is likely to be explosive in the future years, if left unaddressed.
The emergence of leaders like Muhammad Younis, Anna Hazare, with seeming solutions to the largest of the emerging world's problems, have been like short meteor showers in a dark sky for leadership in the last few decades. These leaders are short lived in their rise to the pinnacle and quick drop to the obscure abyss - barely able to state a platform, leave alone lead a crusade ..
Yet, the emergence of philanthropy among the wealthy capitalists - spurred by Bill Gates & Warren Buffett appears to be a ray of hope in this dark night's sky - they have tackled head on problems, so simple, fundamental, yet impactful such as providing clean toilets, polio vaccinations in the third world countries, it feels like this may very well be the new model for leadership. Achieving economic growth and improving the basic quality of life may very well be the oppressors that these modern day leaders crusade towards.
Providing solutions to the basic needs and amenities of life may well be a start. Again, it doesn't teach a man how to fish. However, a happier man is less likely to rob his neighbor and even less likelier to kill for his goat.
Will this be the new leadership model for the future? Where guarantees of basic well-being and incentives that lead to economic prosperity be inspired by philanthropically minded capitalists? Can they be incentivized to do more? Will such initiatives create a band of brothers who can inspire each other, break barriers, improve the quality of life, for fellow human beings? We'll remember them as successful capitalists - Will we remember them as the new Leadership role models for us to follow in the years to come ...
