Calling on all those who self-identify as leaders

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As we experience the slow, excruciating devolution of “the system” that has shaped reality for most of us for much of the last couple generations of American life, it is time to imagine where we go from here. Imagine, and then lean in, to the work of moving us there. Not all our critical societal infrastructure is crumbling but, honestly, most of it is, in fact, in decline or in disarray. The institutional stalwarts that we looked to for reassurance or order — the Supreme Court, the president, the Dow Jones, insurance agents, the school board, weather forecasters — all have become beacons of alarm signals: things are changing. The rules, the guarantees that created the constructs of American life, are not so solid or so clear.

But we do still have institutions — lots of them, in fact. They have established missions, resource and agency. Do they have the courage and strength to step up and into the breach in these challenging times? We should collectively be pushing for such resolve.

In my professional life, I am often called into the service of “crisis communications,” helping organizations or groups of people navigate what seem to be existential challenges. I have come to recognize (and try to call out) that most — though not all — “crises” are in fact change management being triggered at very inconvenient times and in traumatic fashion. That is, all the signs of impending transformation were in evidence, were building. But the stakes were too high for some; the risks of losing face, or losing treasure, or losing power, caused those who could have overseen transformation to hold off. “Next quarter,” or “next year,” or “next session,” or “next administration.” Then the dam breaks, or the fever is introduced and the landslide comes. Crisis management ensues — again.

I think it is helpful to start closest to home: We still, for the most part, have strong sense of community in much of our society. While forces like politics and economic fortune swirl and create isolation or alienation, we still gather. For some it is in exclusive places; for some, it is in community parks and ballfields. One way or another, we crave and seek out community. And community seeks to serve its own self-perpetuation. Mayors, council members and leaders of on-the-ground community providers now seem, in so many ways, to be a critical lifeline for our shared fate. We need to support them, listen to them, rally to their calls for moving forward together.

Academic institutions at every level are another priority, I think. Re-emphasizing civics in elementary and secondary schools, focusing postsecondary institutions on the dual challenges of preparing people for meaningful work and researching necessary innovations to prepare us collectively for the world that is changing around us. I have healthy respect for the ivory towers, but I also believe those in the towers have a responsibility to be part of the stewardship of the grounds on which those towers were built.

At the intersections of the economy and government, we need to insist on a regimen of resetting, a Marshall Plan for our 21st century. I believe we’ve been feeling the impending urgency of this need for more than two decades. And I would credit the recent progress on investing in clean energy and in chip technology as evidence that we know how to support transformation.

As an admittedly simplistic observation, government and business writ large continue to engage in an unfortunate and dangerous dance. Almost like watching a fencing match (a sport I don’t pretend to know in any detail), the two sectors spar with each other, taking opportunistic pokes and advances. All while wearing protective gear to ensure they won’t suffer mortal wounds. Both will be around to engage in another round. But it is not time for sport — we are not watching a game. We need real transformation of the ways our extraordinary national assets are utilized to set all our children and grandchildren up for a sustainable future.

They will need education, they will need meaningful work and they will need means to provide for themselves and their families. They will need safe places to live and play. We must begin to face up to the societal consequences of the fact that we are not now on a trajectory to confidently forecast those assurances.

“Leaving the world better than you found it” is a commitment by humanity that has enabled the planet to thrive and its people to accomplish astounding things for hundreds and hundreds of years. We can’t be the generations that break the chain. It is time to acknowledge that real, fundamental transformation of aspects of our society are overdue. If it isn’t a crisis yet, it is nigh.

Kathy Tunheim is principal and CEO of Tunheim, the strategic communications consulting firm that has worked across sectors locally and nationally since 1990. Previously she served as vice president of public relations for Honeywell and began her career as a staff person at both the Minnesota State Capitol and the U.S. Congress. She can be reached at ktunheim@tunheim.com.