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Do We Have a Leadership Crisis?

A startling 86% of respondents to the Survey on the Global Agenda agree that we have a leadership crisis in the world today.

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Harvard Business Review: “These results are not surprising. They express a discontent similar to that captured by Edelman’s annual survey of popular trust in business and government leaders. And they echo the battle cry of pundits the world over: We need more and better leaders to tackle the pressing issues of our times.”

“The picture such data and opinions keep painting for us is that of a leadership vacuum—a dangerous shortage of strong and effective leaders that universities, governments and corporations are struggling to fill. Or are they?”

“Compare that picture with the growth of the ‘leadership-industrial complex.’ That is, the sprawling global industry encompassing educational institutions, publishers, magazines, start-ups, think-tanks, foundations, agencies, corporate universities, consulting firms, training outfits, freelancers and so on (of which I am, of course, a member) dedicated to the construction and maintenance of leadership—the models and images of what leaders and leading look like; and to the development of leaders—the selection, instruction and endorsement of those who aspire to lead.”