Leadership Exploits Opportunities

"Results are obtained by exploiting opportunities, not by solving problems."

Peter Drucker (1909-2005)

Exploit is a good word.  Often used in a negative context, it is not a negative word at all.

Oxford says exploit means "to make good use of a resource."  It comes from the Latin word explicare, meaning "to unfold, to progress."

So, if there are difficulties, even the kind of planned chaos and difficulties as we are experiencing now, we need to unfold a better way, and progress through the exploitation of opportunities.

We need leadership that is not "I" oriented, does not flatter certain groups and besmirch others, does not portray an illusory personality that is contrived and generated by handlers, or speaks only words written by others. 

Leadership has vision and lifts the vision of others to higher levels.  Leadership has a core and attracts others to its principles and values.  Leadership is experienced and seasoned and raises the performance of others.  

Leadership has built its own personality beyond the normal limits and such that others want to emulate it.

LEADERSHIP EXPLOITS OPPORTUNITIES.

Leadership does not encourage and expand dependency.  It does not worship inefficient and costly energy "sources" (wind and solar) in favor of what is super abundant and obtainable in a way that expands the economy (oil and nuclear).  It does not waste land use to produce destructive ethanol, or kill real energy resources with government mismanagement, unending taxation, regulation and litigation.  It does not create water "rights" that favor pretended species preservation over the human species, encourage education debt loads that rob the talent of youth, depreciate the military with disarmament, or change banking with zero interest rates and favoring the monopolistic creation of huge entities over small, community-oriented institutions.  Leadership is not buoyed by a sycophantic press that week after week after week for years says, "Woohoo!  Only 340,000 new applications for unemployment benefits last week!"  And then three days later that number is adjusted upwards and it claims that unemployment went down...  It does not unconstitutionally seek to acquire and store huge, huge, huge data on American citizens for political use later.  Once that is woken up to it will be too late.

I could go on.  For the first time in what, forever (?), there is true capital flight from the United States, a damaged credit rating and a high-technology, brain-drain emigration that is frightening.

Economics says that the concept of "free" will always be abused.  Simply put, when "free" is introduced, demand grows and supply is crushed.  How long does the free tray of cake last in the morning at Costco?

"Free" health care (cough) will encourage the entitlement of general hypochondria, discourage innovation, and become so NOT affordable so quickly that euthanasia will be the ultimate "solution."

"Free" drugs will mean addiction, real or imagined, the alteration of brain function, and create a society that cannot get by without a little help from its "friend."

"Free" money with zero interest rates is leading to crony capitalism on scales not before experienced!  Again, I could go on.

But none of this benefits the society in general.  Or lifts its vision.  Or attracts the whole to worthy principles and values.  Or increases the performance of individuals and groups.  Or builds the personality of a nation that has always sought to lead and shine.

So, what should be exploited?  Capitalism and free-market, supply-side economics on a scale and with a ferocity that was experienced in the 80s.  What was created from the vision proposed then?  Over nearly 20 years, about $77 trillion in private assets, 45 million jobs that weren't part time but real, the influx of competent, smart, high-tech, thinking, educated people who were interested in creativity and entrepreneurship, and waves of tremendous foreign capital introduction.

It was the opposite of "malaise."

CAPITALISM AND FREE ENTERPRISE SIMPLY CREATES THE OPPOSITE OF MALAISE.

LEADERSHIP EXPLOITS OPPORTUNITIES.