The Transformational Leader

3Rethinking the Fundamentals of Leadership

To handle yourself, use your head;

To handle others, use your heart.

—Eleanor Roosevelt

I FIRST CONFRONTED the truth about this leadership crisis while working in my office. As I stared at the countless books lining my shelves, I was drawn to those dedicated to the theory and practice of effective leadership. Amid the echoed voices of the past and present, a glaring truth hit me: our understanding of leadership, with all its traditional wisdom, is inadequate in such a rapidly evolving world. A crisis was simmering, and it demanded attention. The future, our future, hinged on our ability to redefine the very essence of leadership. At that moment, I knew we needed to rethink everything, and the clock was ticking.

Despite heart-wrenching events that've shaken us to our core in recent years, we must recognize a pivotal truth amid persistent challenges and unpredictability. Not only is deconstructing this leadership crisis within reach, but it's necessary. We cannot simply sidestep the problem, continuing our lives with the wishful thinking that someone else will solve it, or even more tragically, under the belief that the situation is beyond all hope.

Whether it's Pittsburgh or Paris, Baltimore or Bombay, people worldwide shape our future each day. Even the seconds I spend writing these words and the moments you invest in reading them mold the landscape of our collective future. Time is endless. Like it or not, today will transition ...