Center for Public Leadership Releases National Leadership Index 2009

November 2, 2009
by David Gergen and Donna Kalikow, Center for Public Leadership

Survey after survey shows Americans, in general, to be among the world’s most optimistic people. Yet from the inception of the Center for Public Leadership’s National Leadership Index in 2005 through last year, Americans’ confidence in their leaders marched steadily downward. But even at the bottom of the trough, in 2008, the National Leadership Index findings revealed one glint of optimism: 39% of Americans—a plurality—believed things would be better after the 2008 election. And indeed, this year a resounding 87% of Americans professed confidence that with the right leaders, the nation’s problems can be solved.

This year’s findings suggest that Americans are entertaining the possibility that in some sectors better leadership may be emerging. For the first time in five years, Americans’ overall confidence in their leaders has risen. What’s more, the number of Americans who believe that their leaders “are effective and do a good job” has also increased, from 25% last year to 41% this year.

In part, this modest increase in confidence reflects greater confidence in the executive branch. But that is not the whole story. Americans’ confidence in military leadership, always strong, increased further this year. And for the first time since this survey began, Americans’ confidence in the business sector has also grown modestly, after a sharp decline last year. Not surprisingly, however, confidence in the leadership of Wall Street has sunk to a new low, ranking lowest of all sectors surveyed.

Read the full article, watch the video & find out much more on the CPL Web site.

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