Reconciling the Leadership Crisis

The World Economic Forum published their Outlook on the Global Agenda last year.1 Working with a global network of 80 agenda councils, and publishing major reports weekly, it is an interesting group to watch.

In their top 10 of global challenges for 2016, “leadership crisis” ranks third. 86% or more of respondents on every continent think there is a leadership crisis. Why? Because leaders have not been able to resolve major global crises, such as climate change, economic distress, and extreme violence. Moreover, leaders themselves are plagued by corruption and they contribute to growing inequality of incomes and opportunities (p. 14).

As a result, confidence that government leaders will serve their nation and not abuse their power is well below the 50% mark, while confidence that non-profit leaders will serve just causes is relatively high. Business leaders rank just below these non-profit leaders, while religious leaders rank just above government leaders (p. 15).

The report then fields the key question, “what skills do our leaders need to win back the confidence of their populations?” (p. 16). The resulting (short) list is interesting but predictable. It includes items such as promoting social justice, empathy, and morality. Such qualities are indeed vital for leaders to empower their constituents to thrive.

What the report doesn’t ask, however, is why the current leaders, many of whom are of sterling moral quality and who are vitally concerned about social justice, did not succeed in moving ahead with these global crises. There is today no shortage of young as well as seasoned leaders, who aim to better the world. And undoubtedly, we need many more such leaders. But simply having just, moral, and passionate leaders will not necessarily resolve these global crises. For several reasons.

First, this proposal promotes a version of the ‘Great Man’ theory for leadership. Although leaders must be persons of high character and standards, more is needed than simply ‘great leaders.’ We should quit perpetuating the myth that the leader is the key agent and power in any setting. Instead, key leaders are highly dependent on the particular circumstances in which they assume the leadership role.

Leadership is in large measure dependent on context. Most leaders today with significant social and political responsibilities face an incredibly complex environment, with multiple formidable challenges that require perhaps generations of expertise and technological innovation, besides moral character and extreme diligence and discipline. Simply being an excellent moral leader is not sufficient to resolve such crises.

Second, key leaders are highly dependent on the group they lead. But groups are increasingly difficult to define, to identify. To which group do we belong? Our social world has become so fragmented, that it is difficult to find a good leader with whom many or most people can identify. We’ve discovered in Europe that economic challenges are not the primary definition of ‘us’. In the recent upheaval about Brexit,

I’ve been amazed to hear key politicians refer time and again to the economic benefit that staying within the EU would bring. Probably they’re right, but – to paraphrase a US presidential candidate of some time ago – “it’s not about the economy, stupid!” It is about national and cultural identity, it is about defining a group identity at national and even transnational levels that matter to people. In an age of superdiversity and increasing migration flows, the construction of cultural identities is a key issue, and many leaders don’t seem to catch on. No matter how skillful a leader, one person cannot be everything to all people.

Third, most leadership books and guru’s fail to acknowledge that evil is endemic. Evil is not merely an accident of human nature that we can polish away with some effort. Rather, it pops up in the unlikeliest of places and, as we have seen, can take absurd and incredibly cruel forms. Some leaders even thrive on promoting their version of evil.

The temptations of power (and abuse), of status and wealth (corruption), are live and real for many leaders, especially those who reach high public visibility and status. Even the most moral leaders need the checks and balances of delicate accountability systems to maintain their integrity – to say nothing yet of the moral integrity of their followers.

It reminds me, as Christian, that I’ve been entrusted first of all with a ministry of reconciliation. If I am to be an influential leader, I will never be more influential than when I succeed in helping people be reconciled with each other, with their situation, and ultimately with God. So “Yes,” there is a leadership crisis. But it is not solved by simply having a few more moral leaders, or by upgrading their skills package - although we direly need such capable leaders. It can only be solved when we participate with Christ in bringing reconciliation for whatever group we lead in whatever context we are placed.