The World Leaders Who Are Actually Leading

And that really is what a leader is meant to do: unite people if not under one cause, then at least one shared vision, whether it’s a Chinese dream, a Pact for Mexico, or “three arrows” of Abenomics. In a time of financial scarcity for most, the best way to do that is with humility and a dash of populism in making the right bold bets that everyone can rally behind. It’s a lesson Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, Nelson Mandela, Helmut Kohl, and even early Tony Blair can teach us as well. More modern leaders would be wise to learn it. Unfortunately, it’s not a skillset that can always be taught—nor can it always be implemented. In a G-Zero world, all too often, political conditions can strip would-be stand-out leaders of the maneuverability needed for breakthrough.