Why America’s Leadership Fails

We’ve clearly had a failure of leadership in this country.

.. But what’s the nature of that failure? The leading theory is that it’s the corruption

.. Another theory has to do with insularity: The elites spend so much time within the Acela corridor that they don’t have a clue about what is going on beyond it.

.. A career is a job you do as long as the benefits outweigh the costs; a vocation involves falling in love with something, having a conviction about it and making it part of your personal identity.

.. Mitt Romney seems to be an exceptionally fine person, but when he was campaigning his true nature was often hidden under a film of political formulas.

.. The careerist mentality frequently makes politicians timid, driven more by fear of failure than by any positive ideal.

.. They rationalize that, since the opposition is so evil, anything that serves their career serves the country.

.. People with a vocation mind-set have their eyes fixed on the long game. They are willing to throw themselves toward their goals imaginatively, boldly and remorselessly.

 

Spiral Career Type: Follow Purpose, not Product Line

But even for those who have done well in the job market, “paying their dues” and waiting to rise through some set of professional ranks is laughable.

.. The “spiral” model looked similar in terms of periodic job and industry changes, but differed in that these changes were purposive, following changing interests, circumstances and personal values. In other words, a spiral career served life purpose more than a product line.

.. Today’s spiraling millennials know intuitively that having a sense of one’s purpose in life is the key to well-being.

.. But when asked his approach to writing music, he said, “Music’s only purpose should be the glory of God and the recreation of the human spirit.”