In our turbulent world, leadership is in crisis management mode. There is a widening gap between people and their rulers. The binding covenant of trust is broken; authority is viewed with deep suspicion, and governments are perceived as illegitimate.  Nations are increasingly besieged by political corruption and tyrannical rule. The intensity of corruption has even penetrated democratic institutions and made them inoperable. There is also some evidence indicating a correlation between the crisis of leadership and the decline in moral leadership.

This essay is an attempt to explain some guidelines and offer a few practical suggestions for effective leadership and governance. It addresses leadership at all levels and beyond national boundaries. The role of leadership in an ever-changing global society is described, and specific characteristics of transformational leadership are made clear in an unpretentious language.