3. Japan’s long-term leadership vacuum catches up with it.
The tsunami that rocked Japan in March would have been incredibly devastating under any circumstance. But the bungled communication and seeming lack of control over the response to the earthquake, tsunami and resulting nuclear disaster was made worse by the short-termism that has plagued Japan’s leaders. Former Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who led Japan when the tsunami hit, had been in office just 10 months and was fending off calls for his resignation just hours before the catastrophe occurred. The country has had six prime ministers in less than five years, and in the years since World War II ended, Japan has had more than 30 leaders. The revolving door at the top of Japan’s decentralized, bureaucratic government only compounded the country’s ability to respond. As The New York Times put it: “Never has postwar Japan needed strong, assertive leadership more—and never has its weak, rudderless system of governing been so clearly exposed.”
2. Penn State officials keep quiet about an alleged child molester.
The horrific and numerous allegations of sexual assault of minors against former Pennsylvania State University defense coordinator Jerry Sandusky were disturbing enough. But what made our collective blood boil over about this disturbing story were the charges that Penn State officials didn’t do much to stop them when told of such unthinkable acts. The university’s athletic director and the official in charge of police allegedly failed to report the charges of sexual abuse of small children and, a grand jury report claims, made false statements under oath about it. (Both men testified recently that they weren’t told the extent of what was witnessed.) Others who were reportedly told about the incident, from iconic coach Joe Paterno to university president Graham Spanier, did not act aggressively enough. The leaders of a football program known for its moral rectitude didn’t put it to use when it was needed most.
1. Hyper-partisanship, and a lack of executive leadership, block deficit reform.
There are any number of people or events who can be blamed for the intransigence in Washington over budget and deficit reform. There are the Republican leaders who walked out of Vice President Joe Biden’s budget talks, as well as anyone in the process who refused to give up some of their demands in an effort to compromise. There are the members of the supercommittee whose failure to reach a compromise was so unsurprising that it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion. And then, of course, there was President Obama, who may not have super powers that can bring together the most divided political atmosphere in memory, but who was unable to fully use his executive role to reach the bipartisan deal our government so badly needs. After months of brinksmanship, failed commissions and near-government shutdowns, perhaps the biggest failure of leadership is that the people we elected to find a joint solution to our long-term financial strength and have thus far been incapable of doing so.
More from On Leadership:
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Powerful women in Washington
The best leadership books of the year
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