We Need to Build Bridges Through Responsible Leadership

The 6th President of the United States of America, John Quincy Adams famously said “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”.

If we look at the world right now, at this very moment wherever you are as you read this you may agree that the world is going through a chaotic and tense period. Cold warlike sentiments between two-world leading powers, political misunderstandings between Asian and western countries, wildfires, droughts, extreme climate change, massive social media disinformation campaigns, a repeat of the USA’s military campaign in Vietnam, and finally, we are still living through an ongoing pandemic.!

Ironically, everything mentioned here has already happened before and has been recorded in history. Cold wars between two superpower countries, political misunderstandings between Asian and western countries, indications on climate change, misinformation campaigns without the internet, and a pandemic. It would almost seem that we humans did not learn anything from experience. Contrary to the belief that experience in life is the world's best teacher. So, what did we or what do we still lack?

In every country, we have had and will continue to have inspirational leaders, a talented and hardworking workforce, innovation, and creativity and yet we seem to fall short of something. Leadership. Transformational leadership. The majority of the leadership we have today, whether it is at corporations, countries, are mostly transactional leaders. Transactional leadership is definitely required but should not be the bedrock of leadership.