2nd Opinion: How do our ‘leaders’ stack up?

In July 1776, courageous leaders signed a document declaring independence from a remote and exploitative empire, inspiring a revolution that would change the world and imperil their lives. In July 2011, during our summer of relentless bickering and maneuvering, is such leadership present in American life?

Our president aspires to be such a leader but so far shows the instincts of a manager and mediator. In Congress, the powerful pander to the wealthy, exploit anger among the dispossessed and drive the nation to the brink of collapse. Statehouses declare war on their own citizens.

Too many corporate suites are occupied by short-horizon thinkers and risk avoiders, who won’t invest in innovation and people, who prey on the marketplace and define ethics as not getting caught.

Great universities want fundraisers at the helm, not future-minded thinkers. Religious institutions punish visionaries. Too many athletic programs are run by cheaters. Culture makers are deep into derivative art—sequels, formulas and pointless shock.

How bad is it? Well, decide for yourself. Here are nine characteristics of leadership. Do you see them in the men and women now running things?

1. Set the bar high. For a capable leader, good enough isn’t good enough. Mere survival is too little. Whether it’s a product, concert, sermon or solution, the aim is excellence and impact.

2. Inspire others to greatness. Anyone can promise money and status and cater to self-interest. Real leaders inspire dreams, creativity, daring, extra effort, self-sacrifice and radical sharing.

3. Tell the truth. Leaders put aside the idea of “covering your flank” and see reality for what it is, name problems, confess shortcomings and inspire others to be honest as a fundamental prelude to doing anything useful.

4. Accept responsibility. Systems shudder when top officeholders evade accountability and pass blame and pain down the food chain. Real leaders, meanwhile, inspire a willingness to see and learn from failure, starting with their own.

5. Take risks that matter. We don’t want stupid risks like those being taken on Wall Street but risks that flow from fresh thinking, creative problem-solving, venturing into the unknown and boldness in collaboration.

6. Listen and stay in touch. Officeholders seek large offices and lavish perks, but leaders know their people. By listening, they inspire sharing good ideas and voicing ferment. Leaders don’t track poll numbers; they take a real pulse.

7. Give voice to the best in us. We don’t need today’s harvesting of rage, exploitation of fears and bigotry, button-pushing slogans or low-minded ideology. Genuine leaders engage people’s better natures and loftier aims, speak to their dreams, and reward self-sacrifice that helps people and strengthens community.

8. Empower others. In an economy of scarcity, people seek power in order to get more for themselves. Leaders, meanwhile, see an economy of abundance and possibility, and they share power so more people have more at stake.

9. Compromise and collaborate. The thing we don’t need is the rigidity of partisan pandering and ideology. Leaders make room at the table for the full array of ideas and personalities, because everyone has something to offer and needs to feel heard.

Such leaders do exist. You see them in tech startups, in mid-ranks of the military, in some schools. Where we don’t see enough such leaders is in the corner offices of our society.

We the people need to demand better of those who aspire to lead us, for the absence of true leadership creates a vacuum demagogues are happy to fill.

Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant, author of Just Wondering, Jesus and founder of the Church Wellness Project. Religion News Service distributes his column.