July 11, 2011

Kudos and Gaffes: Remembering a quiet leader and continued failed leadership on the economic recovery

Leadership Kudos go to former First Lady Betty Ford, who passed away this week at age 93. A quiet leader, Ford showed remarkable courage in publicly acknowledging her chemical dependency and later establishing the Betty Ford Center for treatment of people suffering from alcohol and drug dependency. After she was diagnosed with breast cancer, Ford urged other women to seek treatment for their cancer. Throughout her long lifetime Ford proved that public leaders can retain their graciousness and humility while serving millions of people.

Leadership Gaffes go to U.S. economists who have wrongly predicted since early 2009 that jobs would recover and unemployment would decline sharply. Last month’s unemployment numbers – in contrast to forecasts of virtually every economic forecast – finally made it clear that the current U.S. economic improvement is tepid at best and is proving to be a jobless recovery. With 26 million Americans unable to find full-time jobs, the time is long overdue for new approaches for jobs creation.