Sunday, December 26, 2010

Who is 2010 Leader of the Year?

Susan Peters is vice presi-dent of executive develop-ment and chief learning officer at General Electric.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent 15 of the past 21 years under arrest for her support of democracy in Burma - and yet she has managed to serve as an inspiration for millions of people around the world.

Suu Kyi helped found and lead the National League of Democracy, a political party that faced - and continues to face - steep odds in its fight to attain freedom and democracy for the citizens of Burma. Despite intimidation, retribution (including an attack on her life) and suppression, Suu Kyi remained undeterred in pursuing her ambitious vision for what Burma could become.

We often hear about the traits of great leaders - the ability to inspire and rally others around a clear vision or cause, being externally focused and inclusive - yet it's not until you see the courage and commitment of someone like Suu Kyi that you truly understand what leadership means, and the impact that great leadership can have.


Amy L. Fraher is a retired Navy commander.

I nominate Adm. Mike Mullen for his influential leadership during the debate and repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" military policy. A career military man steeped in armed forces tradition and protocol, Mullen nonetheless exemplifies the innovation, resourcefulness and reflective action required in today's challenging times.

Co-founder of Cambridge Leadership Associates, Marty Linsky teaches at the Harvard Kennedy School.


My candidates for "Acts of Leadership for 2010" are Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.), a very left-leaning Democrat and a very right-leaning Republican who voted in favor of the package of radical reforms recommended by the White House fiscal commission, chaired by Erskine Bowles and Alan Simpson. Both Durbin and Coburn incurred the wrath of their core constituencies. Both risked their reputations with their followers to help this country put its fiscal house in order. Both challenged their relationships with their closest colleagues. But their support lent legitimacy to the ideas and helped to ensure that the great national debate on real fiscal reform has begun.

A former U.S. senator and Washington state attorney general, Slade Gorton served on the 9/11 Commission.

The leaders of the year were the tens or hundreds of thousands of activists who made up the tea parties across the country. They represented the largest genuine mass movement in generations to enter the political arena with a clear goal.

At one level, the tea parties cost the Republicans two, and perhaps three, Senate seats, but they won the election for a Republican Party that 18 months earlier was all but moribund.

Ken Adelman is co-founder of Movers and Shakespeares.


Hands down, it's the slash-while-smiling twosome of British politics: Prime Minister David Cameron and his deputy, Nick Clegg. Coming from opposite ends of British politics, they furnish a model of political and economic leadership.

Protesters might terrify formal-attired Camilla and Charles. But even that turned out fine. With budgets being slashed, there's no way to avoid such resistance - whether from students with scant tuition or from beneficiaries with lavish government handouts.

But the harmony, decency and rationality of the Cameron-Clegg team undercut the resistance.


A retired U.S. Army major, Don Vandergriff is a teacher, writer and lecturer.


Congressman Ron Paul, because he does not retreat from his opinion in the face of hostile opposition and the corporate-controlled media's "ignore strategy," unlike the rest of the so-called leaders of both major parties.

Alaina Love is co-author, with Marc Cugnon, of "The Purpose Linked Organization."

The former D.C. schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee, and the president of Harlem Children's Zone, Geoffrey Canada. Both are tough, determined and committed to reversing the appalling decline in the academic performance of children educated in the United States.

Canada has become a star among education-reform advocates. He engages everyone who will listen in discussion about his quest to improve the odds for low-income children in Harlem. He works tirelessly to decrease dropout rates and to enhance the number of college-bound students graduating from the city's public schools. The results are encouraging. Of the students who participate in Harlem Children's Zone programs, 90 percent go on to college.

Rhee took on the D.C. public school system, unarguably one of the worst in the nation, and held teachers accountable for student performance. She fired underperforming teachers and set standards for academic quality that won her as many enemies as it did fans.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/26/AR2010122600081.html

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