Transformative Leadership

Many of us would agree that our world is fast approaching tipping points relating to the environment, energy, and public health. Most political leaders, both within their own nations and in their dialogues with their counterparts around the world, are limited in the approaches they can take and solutions they can offer by short-term electoral concerns, opinion polls, the deliberate and fractious nature of the legislative process, and the inevitable politicization of any ideas they may propose. This is a simplistic way of saying that political leadership and the legislative process - in our country and others - cannot be the only tools we use to try to address the crises of our time. The problem is this: if, say, a democrat proposes a good idea, a republican feels compelled to attack that idea just because a democrat proposed it, and vice versa. The ensuing debate is not about ideology - or whether the solution to the problem is practical and appropriate - but is instead about political power and the need to maintain it.

In the absence of effective political problem-solving, the world needs to give birth to a group of truly transformative non-political thinkers and leaders. These are intelligent people - and gifted communicators - who can propose ideas, outside of the political process, that can ultimately be embraced, adopted, and implemented by the people without the need for legislation (which amounts to making things happen by force of law).

Government can and will remain a tool for addressing many of our most important concerns and for ensuring the continuation of a just, fair, and free society. But real change can only come from the public itself, and the public can only effect this change with the guidance of non-political leaders. This is the real "public option."

There is a reason we don't trust government to solve all our problems. It can't.

Our new transformative non-political leaders must come from business, academia, nonprofits, and post-government (where career experience can be of value). They have to stand up and speak. And the public has to acknowledge their standing by listening, learning, and ultimately doing.