There is no leadership without risk

THERE has never been a more difficult time to lead anything – whether a publicly traded corporation or a nonprofit non-governmental organisation; whether a global university or a local, public school or classroom.

Indeed, many of the best would-be leaders I know are asking: Why would I even want to be a leader?

As I prepare to step down from the Ford Foundation, having served through the years on more than a dozen boards of directors across sectors and industries, I see a gathering crisis of leadership.