There is a crisis today not just in the United States, but all over the world. The crisis is a lack of leadership in virtually all of out institutions and organizations. People want and need individuals who are honest, competent, forward-looking, and inspiring. They want and need leaders.

People want and expect their leaders to be credible and trustworthy. But how do leaders earn the trust and confidence of the people they serve? They do it by standing for the commitment to a common cause.

The world community is very diverse and it has very high expectations of its leaders. People today are more demanding and harder to please than at any time in history. Surveys show that the majority of people are very disappointed in the lack of leadership in all their institutions. In fact in most modern institutions the very notion of strong leadership has been shattered and cynicism has taken its place.

Make no mistake about it: people still need and want leadership now more than ever. They want leaders who hold an ethic of service and are genuinely respectful of the intelligence and contributions of the people they serve. They want leaders who will put principles ahead of politics and other people before self-interests.

Still, leaders cannot do it alone. Neither can companies, communities, or countries. Everyone, leaders and the people that they serve, share responsibility for getting extraordinary things done. Leaders need the energetic involvement of the people around them just as much as the people need the vision, courage, and conviction of their leader. Responding to the demands of a highly diverse population is a social challenge and a personal struggle. Respect must run both ways.

Think about the two issues that top the list of concerns for business leaders: they are improving quality and enhancing customer service. Regardless of the industry, sector, or region, these to have been the top two items on most surveys of critical business challenges so far in the 21st century.

Superior quality of products and services alone will not guarantee that businesses, public agencies, nonprofits, independent sector organizations, and communities will be successful in this new century, because the demands and expectations of people are constantly changing with time. It will be the quality of leadership that will allow these organizations to anticipate and commit themselves to meeting the requirements of future years.

The ambitions for high-quality products, services, and leadership share a common foundation: they are all supported by an even more powerful force that shapes peoples decisions to follow leaders willingly and remain loyal to businesses products or services. Business leaders must understand and strengthen this foundation if theyre going to be able to anticipate the future and be a successful leader.

The foundation is the customer, because it is the customer who decides if a product or service has superior quality. If a customer decides that a product or service meets their expectations, helps solve their problems, and satisfies their needs, they are much more likely to make another purchase from the same company. The same is true of leadership. If employees come to the same conclusions about their leader, theyre much more likely to support the leaders vision for the companys future.

Successful leaders look ahead at what the future will be like, especially if the visions theyve held in the past have been fulfilled. Leaders are highly skilled interpersonally, always asking questions, and listening to advice. They know their values, beliefs, strengths, and weaknesses. Most of all true leaders have a broad network of support from the people they lead.

Tragically, around the world today, people have lost faith in their institutions and the individuals who lead them. We see this on the news every night, we read it in the newspapers, and hear it on the radio. As we hear this people have to ask themselves an important question; have people lost faith in their leaders or in themselves?

An important quality of all optimistic people is the common belief that one individual can make a difference. Yet in todays turbulent and uncertain world people dont seem to be as sure about this as they once were. People today are not as sure as they once were that they can achieve any goal they set or be whatever they want to be.

Perhaps there is good reason. The extraordinary dislocations caused by the shifting economic, political, and social forces happening today seem to be completely beyond our control. How can we possibly matter in the larger scheme of things? How can we possibly influence the powerful institutions and special interests that seem to pull the strings?

Before we give in to defeat and cynicism, let us remember that we have already made a difference. The product and service quality initiatives that now occupy the successful businesses all over the world are there because customers demanded it. Consumers have said that they will not buy products and services of poor quality or pay more than they think the product or service is worth. It is the customer, the people that caused these changes.

We can do the same with leadership and with all working relationships. By holding leaders accountable, we can improve the quality of our leadership and at the same time by holding ourselves accountable, we can enhance the quality of all our working relationships, thus renewing our faith in each other.

Copyright2006 by Joe Love and JLM & Associates, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.