Editorial: A Crisis of Leadership
As the world faces simultaneous and unprecedented challenges, the willingness to lead seems to be a scarce resource.
«Europe needs better leaders». Approximately this is what the chairman of the Schuman Foundation, Jean-Dominique Giuliani, wrote in the forward of the foundation`s 2016 edition of the «State of Europe Report». The Brussels and Paris based think tank promoting the values of one of the European Union`s founding fathers, Robert Schuman, was pointing at the increasing tension within the European Union already strongly felt five years ago.
Brexit, the challenge of the 2015 wave of migration from Syria, the climate crisis and the rise of populism was on the table of decision-makers back then. Today, we may add at least a few more: the Corona-pandemic and the increased tension between China and the West and between Moscow and the West. On the latter, French journalist and founder of the Rue 68 magazine, Pierre Haski told the Deutsche Welle podcast «Inside Europe» last week that in his opinion, we are entering a second cold war. In this situation, «…Europe is not able to play a significant role in the world anymore (…) Europe is being slowly marginalized in many respects.» If not a perfect storm in the making, we may at least be in for a very foggy night.
A comprehensive survey done among 11,000 millennials across the globe in 2016 by Manpower Group, left us with sobering results on the next generation`s willingness to take the lead and work to solve our common problems. Only two percent of them want to lead others, only five percent wishes to own their own company and only one percent show a willingness to lead global companies. Although millennials very much want to improve the state of the world, the same survey showed that most would want an increase in wages if changing jobs. When the rubber hits the road, paying the bills matter. Five years later, with unstable political situations and shocks on the electricity bills across the European population, the results of the survey would most likely be showing the same trends today.
In this situation, this publication thinks two things are needed. One is a virtue, the other is a skill. First, we need to build more courage. In order to face the challenges described above, and undoubtedly those to come in the decades ahead, it will take resolve and a willingness to serve to jump to the front and lead – whether in politics, civil society or in business. As communities of Europeans, as families and friends, this trait is one to foster among our children and our youth.
The second is a skill. The ability to think out of the box, to create and shape our environment is something we all – albeit to varying degrees – are born with. We believe it´s God-given. We can all develop them. We need entrepreneurial leaders who not only reproduce the ways of the past, but who may find new paths to the solutions we need tomorrow.
We may not feel that our efforts make a difference. The challenges mentioned may leave us with a sense of being overwhelmed. Yet good leaders are not bred in solitude. We all know someone younger to encourage. To support. To cheer on. To mentor if you can. And all of us may find a way to show leadership where we have some influence. The world may just move a little in the right direction, if we each dare to step it up, just a tiny bit.
