There is no leadership without risk

Published in The New York Times

As I prepare to step down from the Ford Foundation, having served through the years on more than a dozen boards of directors across sectors and industries, I see a gathering crisis of leadership.

The consequences for our shared democratic values and institutions are clear and present. The cycle that causes America’s leadership crisis ought to be, as well.

Hardly a day passes without a fellow leader lamenting — in sidebar, or green room, or private-lunch conversations — the myriad ways in which our culture actively discourages the courage that is essential to effective leadership.

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The Ford Foundation is an independent organization working to address inequality and build a future grounded in justice. For more than 85 years, it has supported visionaries on the frontlines of social change worldwide, guided by its mission to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. Today, with an endowment of $16 billion, the foundation has headquarters in New York and 10 regional offices across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.