Mikhail Gorbachev says, "The World Lacks Leadership"
Ralph Davison, Jr., Ph.D.
Headmaster
Greensboro Day School
The world lacks leadership. That was the major message Mikhail Gorbahev gave during a recent speech.
The world needs effective leaders more than ever. What is a model of effective leadership? How is it changing and where will this next generation of leaders come from?
When asked students described historical leaders as: royal, dictatorial, despotic, democratic, inclusive, charismatic, responsible and revolutionary.
When asked what an effective leader for today might look like, students responded that he or she must be a: guide, conductor, manager, legislator, one who embodies ideology, a hero, a mystic, a person of authority, influence and power, and one who governs well. Dr. Robert M. Franklin, Presidential Distinguished Professor of Social Ethics at Emory University said in a recent speech to the Southern Association of Independent Schools in Atlanta that he believes our national and world long for leaders who: embody truth, justice, goodness and interdependence.
Dr. Franklin cited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., saying that truth, crushed into the ground, will inevitably rise again. Franklin also insisted that we all are increasingly interconnected with other people in this shrinking world of ours, and we have a responsibility for the common good. Leaders must lead in a way that lifts up truth, justice, goodness and the interdependence of all people. They must work for the common good, not just for a small circle of people.
Some additional key principles about leadership:
- A leader must have supporters. Unless we can articulate a vision and help others to embrace it, we cannot lead anything.
- She/He who bears the ultimate responsibility must have the ultimate authority. That is only reasonable and fair. But that authority must be dedicated to the common good.
- An effective leader gains power by giving it away. This leader identifies talented people within an organization, mentors them, and gives them responsibility and authority consistent with the organizations mission. None of us is smart enough to make all of the decisions all of the time.
If we have any hope of reforming large social entities, we must start by reforming ourselves. We must live lives that embrace truth, justice, goodness and interdependence; then commit ourselves to share with others what we love and value. We must have the courage and skill to create social visions that embrace these values, and then encourage supporters to embrace them as well. In doing so, we will encourage leaders to grow by support rather than dictation; by example rather than mere words.
The world needs effective leaders more than ever and that new leadership is coming from the current generation of young people. I think the future will be very exciting if our generation can model effective leadership towards a commitment to truth, justice, goodness and interdependence.
