Where have all the LEADERS gone?

[Joey Budka]

It seems in this day and age, I constantly find myself looking to men of the past for guidance and advice: Warren Buffet, Abraham Lincoln, Dale Carnegie, Earl Nightingale, Thomas Jefferson, just to name a few. I do not have a particular bias toward leaders of the past. I just cannot look up to any of the leaders we have today, they seem to have lost the touch, of which men of the past once had. They used to communicate with such conviction, people believed them, and likewise, the leaders enforced belief in the people. Lee Iacoca truly hit it on the head with his recent book highlighting today's lack of leadership. The true leaders of the past were the epitome of what the world's image is of a humble American. But this image has become so distorted over the years, it seems America's leaders are a thing of the past, extinct like the dinosaurs.

So, my question to you is this: Why has the quality of American leadership deteriorated so rapidly over the past 50 years?

(Only thoughtful answers welcome, no one liners please)

[Eddie Ziv]

America's strength is in its rejuvenation, in its new blood. The US is very similar to Australia but unlike Australia, those who came here were driven to make their life better whether it was religiously or economically. Over America's short history, the country produced some great leaders and some really bad and mediocre ones. Some very smart ones and some down right stupid ones. We owe our success to our passion and strive to succeeds although at times, it can be our Achilles' heel. Pointing out "How great we are" will never make us better. Citing our shortcoming and looking for ways to improve on, will ensure our status as the leading nation.