Leaders

This week two news stories shook me harder than the East Coast earthquake.  The first was the announcement that Tennessee’s legendary basketball coach Pat Summitt has been diagnosed early Dementia/Alzheimer’s.  The second was that visionary Apple CEO Steve Jobs was stepping down from running the company he had built into one of the world’s largest because of health reasons.

In an era of cheating in sports,  Pat Summitt has set a powerful example on how to win — and win honestly.  Hard work. Planning. More hard work.  So to see her now face a foe as cruel as Alzheimer’s is a sucker punch to the stomach.  But as difficult as the news of her diagnosis is to take, I know she’ll set an example as she fights the disease. That’s how she rolls. Alzheimer’s may win the battle. But it just might lose the war.

With the news filled with stories of bailouts, short-term profits and layoffs, Apple’s success has been nothing short of mind-boggling.  Steve Jobs’ leadership of the computer giant has been both visionary and inspiring. He took a company that was on the financial and creative ropes in 1996 and breathed new life back into it. Within the last few weeks, it even flirted with being the largest company (based on stock value) in the world.  He was able to back his vision up with action and leadership.  He will be missed by millions of fans of Apple. And the stockholders.

Our nation is in the middle of a leadership crisis.  From Wall Street to Washington, the people and the institutions who historically lead aren’t.  There’s a huge vacuum out there.

Our country needs more leaders like Pat Summitt and Steve Jobs, not two less.  We need visionaries who can inspire us to work hard and succeed. We need to win again.

Me? Well, one thing I plan on doing is reading more about both of their lives. I want to know what makes them tick.  Like America, I need their inspiration. And I need it now.