The Zeitgeist Is The Need For Leadership!

The need for, and relevancy of, leadership never fails. A constant, leadership has spikes and dips in relation to the events of the time. Like the sunrise, it is always there.

Today, our time is being defined by things like the Internet, terrorism, race relations, legalization of marijuana, degrading infrastructure, the financial crisis, climate change, education, and energy… to name a few. Leaders dealing with any of these issues understand the zeitgeist and are able to work effectively because of this understanding.

What I am suggesting is that the real zeitgeist is the need for leadership, and that there is the need for more of it at a higher level than ever before.

Why do we need more leadership? Well, it just took me about a minute to rattle off the list of items we as a society are living with (and the list hasn’t even scratched the surface). New leaders must understand the reality of all of these in aggregate.

Tall order?

Yes, but consider we are living in a time where with just a cell phone you can kick off enough social unrest to overthrow a government. I sense in the near future we will be able to solve for things so big that it's now incomprehensible. All we need is the right leaders and more of them.

Where are we going find them?

Education. The USA maintains the highest quality, advanced education system in the world. People come here from around the globe, get educated, and then go home. Some become great leaders and start companies, creating jobs and taxable revenue somewhere else. We need them to stay. Or we need to provide affordable access to education for our home grown emerging talent. The cost of a college education is suppressing many bright minds and might just prevent some great leaders from forging ahead.

I tell young people all the time how I am wildly bullish on the future and how I want to live forever. Knowing I won't, I try to create a vision beyond the next car payment, tax hike or traffic jam.

Why?

Think of a world without pollution, where the cell phone seems like some third world, clunky, device and where there is no cancer. Think of living to or beyond the age of 120 easily. All of this is in reach, now! All we need is leadership. The science is in place or in development; the future is as bright as the North Star. We just need leaders to help us see it.

The Zeitgeist is the need for leadership.

My best, Chris