How many seconds need to be left before we decide we MUST change the way leaders lead?
How many seconds need to be left before we decide we MUST change the way leaders lead?
From Leaders Expedition (LEx)
We Have A Plan For That.
3 Key Data Points:
We live in VERY dangerous times.
The ‘Doomsday Clock’ has just been set to its lowest level since the inception of the clock in 1947 - 100 seconds to midnight – citing nuclear proliferation, climate change and disinformation as each an existential issue.
Democracy’s response is to backslide.
The number of liberal democracies has declined from 44 in 2008 to 39 in in 2018. Indeed, one-third of the world’s population now lives in a country undergoing a ‘third wave’ of autocratization – surging from 415 million in 2016 to 2.3 billion people in 2018. The USA is one of those countries.
Per the University of Gothenburg’s landmark V-Dem Annual Democracy Report 2019, measuring 27 million data points for 202 countries from 1789 to 2018, involving over 3,000 scholars and subject matter experts.
Leadership is THE issue
Trust in leaders and institutions is eroding, with a widening gap between “the informed public” and the “general population” – the “highest ever trust inequality” recorded. The general population of Canada is second only to the UK in its distrust of NGO, Business, Government & Media leadership, with only 34% of the general population believing they will be better off in five years.
Per the 2019 Edelman Trust Barometer.
Three Key Messages:
We need to change the way leaders lead – systemically and globally - by 2030
If we are indeed running out of time, and the challenge is systemic and global, we can’t count on existing actors to devise the countless solutions required to address the many existential challenges we face in time.
The response must be a purposeful undertaking, not unlike the Manhattan Project and its role in the existential fight against fascism.
We have devised and tested an audacious solution. We are ready.
15,000+ volunteer hours and over $300,000 member contributions
650+ members from 35+ countries
The nucleus of a community connected, empowered and mobilized to purposefully prepare a new cohort of leaders
A community that does not start with an ‘answer’ but is the one that will devise, incubate and execute the great many solutions needed to assure a world defined by our vision, mission, charter and core values - our Tenets
Our Moonshot objective is to elevate one million LEx members into positions of influence, power and impact by 2030: from the classroom, to the boardroom, to the legislature.
We now need the funding to scale – or all of our work will be lost.
We have had to suspend ALL operations due to a funding shortfall
We are looking to secure US$10 million from one or more wealthy benefactors with whom our Tenets resonate – to catalyze a funding network of their peers
But this will take time
In the meanwhile we are looking for the support of a patron or patrons who can provide the funds to keep our movement alive with an aggregate contribution of $250,000
In support of this effort, a petition has been started on Change.org
With over 3,000 signatories from over 30 countries, the petition targets 100 of the prospective influencers and benefactors that can make LEx a reality
Questions & Answers:
What?
We have designed and tested the nucleus of a purpose-built, diverse community of accomplished persons united by shared values that will be empowered by the support of their peers and then charged with the responsibility to change the way leaders lead in their communities and the sectors they work in.
Why?
We believe that there is a leadership insufficiency that is systemic, global and existential. We are nearing a pivot point in human history where a great many existential issues need to be addressed simultaneously and on a global scale – from climate change and income inequality to nuclear proliferation (to name just a few).
Failure to address this insufficiency is not an option if humanity is to be free to thrive in an Age of Abundance.
Otherwise, the backsliding of liberal democracy will become irreversible.
NO other organization/actor is addressing this challenge as Bill Gates has done with malaria or polio eradication – that is purposefully and not constrained by financial resource.
How?
Rather than start with a fixed answer on what leadership is – we believe it imperative that we create a dynamic, adaptive Tenets-based process/structure – the scaffolding - from which thousands of solutions are conceived, tested, incubated and then adopted that are relevant to where people live and work.
Our first priority is peer support, where each member is as committed to the success and elevation of their peers, as they are to her/they/him.
Thus empowered we provide them the impact tools to both grow the community and effect impactful change consistent with the Tenets.
LEx LocalCircles – self forming peer support groups of 12 people committed to changing leadership narratives, cultures and practices in their communities through Projects
LEx GlobalCircles – 15 online communities of unlimited size committed to change leadership narratives, cultures and practices in their sectors through Missions
Where?
In this hyper-connected world, the challenge is systemic – from classrooms, to boardrooms, to legislatures – and it is global – from Canada to China. It’s not possible to focus on one geography or one sector.
But, according to the Edelman study noted above, the ‘Canada’ brand is one of the most trusted in the world – it is our hope that Leaders Expedition can remain a Canadian-headquartered initiative.
When?
Now – time is of the essence. It’s taken mankind thousands of years to bring us to where we are. If we are to materially start to impact real leadership change in just 10 years – that is revolutionary.
We don’t have a choice.
Who?
If our Tenets resonate, and you believe in the world that they describe, then you should sign our petition and become a member, and if you have the means, be a financial supporter of Leaders Expedition.
We seek the greatest diversity of our communities and professions – those who understand that extremes of ideology on all sides close conversations rather than open them.