Burnout is a condition associated with exhaustion, stress, pessimism, cynicism, withdrawal and a bunker mentality. These symptoms are worrying in an individual, but can be disastrous in world affairs. In the run-up to the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, there is a distinct sense of burnout in the air. I hope that this year's Meeting will help to form a new model of leadership capable of overcoming this malaise.
After a year characterized by major upheavals, many feel like we are watching a global system disintegrate: financial and debt crises, unemployment, political paralysis, social inequality, food and energy crises, and the list goes on. Faced with so many simultaneous and interrelated problems, our leaders are stretched to their limits. At the same time, the systems and safeguards that underpin our existence as a global community are struggling to cope with today's complex set of risks.
The usual reaction to all this is to call for stronger leadership. Yet events during the past year have shown, time and again, the limits of leadership in its traditional form. Preoccupied with domestic concerns, rushing from one crisis to the next, leaders have made little tangible progress. Instead, we have mainly witnessed short-term fixes in a rapidly unravelling world. No wonder, then, that ordinary people are losing trust in our leaders. The various "Occupy" and "Spring" movements around the world are signs of this understandable frustration and distress.
There is an urgent need to act. As well as finding new models to collaboratively address all our global challenges, we also need to form a new model of leadership that is effective in the modern world: leadership that emphasizes both vision and values in order to overcome the current challenges. It is this combination that can provide leaders with a compass to guide their decision-making.
Vision is needed to interpret and deal effectively with a globalized world. Technological progress, interconnectivity and the dispersion of power have all contributed to a complex new reality, which requires clear sightedness. Vision is also vital to enable leaders to glimpse the opportunities that lie ahead and rigorously pursue them, rather than succumbing to the paralysis of burnout.
Values are needed to create trust and underpin any action taken. But the values of true leadership must go deeper than short-term shareholder profit or the next election poll; only then will there be a real connection, and meaningful interaction, between the people and their leaders. In today's world, both power and information are widely dispersed, and therefore decisions can only be implemented if people understand the rationale behind them. Vision provides the long-term reason and values provide direction and purpose.
It is telling that, despite the dire economic outlook, we have reached record participation numbers for our 2012 Annual Meeting in Davos. This demonstrates the fact that leaders feel the need to come together in order to collectively and collaboratively address the daunting global challenges that lie ahead of us. Davos provides a real opportunity for leaders from business, government and civil society to hone a collective vision and build collaborative values. This Annual Meeting in particular will be important if we are to replace our current radar system of short-term, situational crisis management, with a compass providing clear direction and guidance based on long-term values.
The main topic on the top of everyone's minds in Davos will inevitably be the rebalancing and deleveraging that is reshaping the global economy. But let us not forget that the purpose of the Annual Meeting is also to ensure that leaders exercise their responsibilities with moral integrity, and that the entrepreneurial spirit is harnessed for the public interest. The theme of this year's Annual Meeting is "The Great Transformation: Shaping New Models", precisely because we are in an era of profound change that urgently requires new ways of thinking instead of just more business-as-usual.
Leadership based on vision and values will go a long way to regaining trust and beating the burnout, but only if leaders themselves can prove through concrete actions that social responsibility and moral obligations are not just empty words.
Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum.
Sharan Burrow: The World's Next Top (Economic) Model
The world is in a CREDIT recession, NOT a CYCLICAL recession. There's only one solution and it's a painful one: deleveraging, paying down the debt which is now choking off business growth. And that solution entails hardships that NO leader wants to suggest, recognizing that it runs counter to the prosperity that their constituents demand.
As poignantly and presciently described in the 1997 book, "The Fourth Turning", the current crisis will resolve itself as have the others before it...but not for another ten or fifteen years. The only question is whether we survive it in a manner that moves us ahead of where we've been or moves us back. Only time will tell.
Re-balancing and de-leveraging is simple. You have two choices: Tax or inflate. Nothing else is going to pay off the huge debts that the developed economies have racked up over the past two decades of bubble economics and spendthrift governments. Yes, that does mean that most everyone will have to pay more in taxes, and yes, that's not without repercussions to economic growth. Well, it would be a welcome change for economic growth to be on a sound economic footing, based on meeting the needs of all citizens, instead of just pumping more fuel into the rent-machine that is Wall Street.
The root of all of our problems is that it's very easy to construct an ideological framework which justifies the suffering of others, but very difficult to undertake a little suffering yourself, for the benefit of everyone. That's all a tax hike really is: Everyone pushes a little harder to make good on our promises. Foot a tax hike long enough, and maybe rich people might find there's no so much demand for government debt, and they might have to undertake some risk to earn their percentage of everyone else's work.
Every 20 years all wealth should be listed and divided equally among all of the world's citizens.
Or,
Assign ownership to all of the world's natural resources equally to the world's citizens.
Or,
On every year ending in a 0, all debt is to be forgiven.
Or,
On every year ending in 00, the citizens of the world re-establish local, state and national boundaries and governing systems.
Or,
All of the above.
revolutions, coups, and upheavals are messy...but necessary.
Occupy.
Klaus Schwab, host and founder of the annual World Economic Forum.
"Solving problems in the context of outdated and crumbling models will only dig us deeper into the hole.
"We are in an era of profound change that urgently requires new ways of thinking instead of more business-as-usual," the 73-year-old said, adding that "capitalism in its current form, has no place in the world around us."
The individuals who have descended upon Davos lead a life most of us can't begin to comprehend. When this many individuals land in private jets while dining on caviar I promise you the goal is not to figure out how they can have less so others can have more. Anyone who would choose the Soyndra/Government model (to name one example among many) vs. free markets has no interest in true liberty, instead willing to abdicate their personal freedom to benevolent elites like those in Davos. Capitalism may not always be pretty but I'll take it any day of the week over whatever "solutions" are proposed in Switzerland.
Capitalism has mutated into something that is impervious to reform. The only question is, with what will we replace it?
i would have like to heard the collective s response to that high sounding goal -----
i think the capilatist consensus would be something like ----public interest? ---ya right----i have bonus targets and shareholders want profits
Which is exactly why we here in America need to get our fiscal house in order. If we keep following Obamas model and do nothing but step on the gas as far as deficit spending goes will only lead this country to the road of ruin.
Taxing the rich to get $900 B over ten years which equates out to $90 B a year when we have monthly deficit spending of $120 B under Obama isn't going to solve anything. So taxing the rich is out as an idea to balance our books. It's our massive deficit spending and we are going to have to address it and sooner is much more preferable than doing what Greece has chosen to do.
You don't have to like that the GOP/Tea Party is right about this but you don't want to try what the Greeks are currently going through.
The very wealthy are the only ones who can actually afford to pay more, a small increase on their taxes will not be a burden for them. They have enjoyed great prosperity during this economic fiasco as they also have enjoyed the lowest tax rates in decades. Who exactly should foot the bill for the unfunded wars, tax cuts and medicare part D? The working class who have very little left or social security recipients? It's quite ridiculous that Boehner proclaimed social security/medicare/caid MUST be cut to pay for the wars, that there will be no tax increase to pay this debt.... those who have little left are expected to pay this debt because taxing the rich is out of the question? Seems backwards and totally upside down.
If every cut, no matter how small, is important in balancing the budget, why isn't every revenue increase equally as important?
How can spending NOT increase when the cost of everything continues to rise, we continue to spend unlimited dollars on wars and rebuilding what we destroy, providing health care to iraqi's, and on and on....while tax rates are lower than ever. Common sense should tell anyone, JUST cutting spending will never FIX this problem...it must be a combination that won't destroy what's left of the NOT wealthy.
Right now your gov't is taxing you to much. Over regulating you to the point where the environmentalists have been able to pretty much effectively stop anything and everything that would help our economy. The gov't sets up rules that require the states to hop through hoops if they want any of the money back that they send to DC.
Everything is on it's ear because of gov't. We need to end that and sooner is better.
Check out what T. Boone Pickens said, "Water is the New Oil."Careful what you wish for,you just might get it.The Water for profit private sector IS upon us.Thousand dollar water bills for Grammy.Can't pay?Sorry we take your house.Nice.
The thing about BS is OK until the Bull shows up.Yup "We're gonna need a bigger boat."Cause it's getting deep.Everyone needs someone at sometime to help.Private or Public it makes no difference.If not try a nice deserted island someplace and hope that some boat full of pirates don't land on your beach.
Our Forefathers made it clear that the Role of the Federal goverment was to Protect us and to establish trade between States that was Reasonable and Fair.The other parts about General Welfare seem to be a bit more subjective.If you wish to make it better put forth a valid proposal and let us see your wisdom.