The World’s Greatest Leaders. Fortune. By Geoff Colvin 3 hours ago.
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 28: Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos delivers remarks during the opening ceremony of the media company's new location January 28, 2016 in Washington, DC. Bezos purchased the newspaper and media company in October of 2013 from the storied Graham family.
Especially striking in our new ranking of the World's Greatest Leaders is how many of them you may not recognize. In our media-saturated, personality-obsessed global culture, how can that be? Yet it is so, and that's what makes this group so heartening. It turns out the world is full of people you've never heard of who are rallying followers to make life better in ways you never imagined. The professor who led the group that uncovered the Flint, Mich., water crisis; the New Delhi government official risking his career to fight pollution; the Italian mayor welcoming Middle East migrants to his tiny town--improving its economy and brightening their prospects. Who knew?
Plenty of other great leaders cited here are rightly famous, and we've recognized some in previous editions of the list. This year there are even a few three-peats, including Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos--our new No. 1 (read the fascinating feature article here)--Apple chief Tim Cook, and Pope Francis. Anyone who has been ranked previously must requalify each year with new achievements. As always, we cast a wide net, seeking outstanding leaders in all sectors of society around the world. It isn't enough to be accomplished, brilliant, or admirable. We recognize those who are inspiring others to act, to follow them on a worthy quest, and who have shown staying power. No mere flashes in the pan, and thus none of the U.S. presidential aspirants, make our list. And no, we didn't select Donald Trump, the phenomenon of the moment (for more on that, see our Editor's Desk); many candidates over the decades have ignited flames that flared brightly and then went out if the candidate lost the nomination or the election; others have proved to be little more than demagogues. Simply applying for the world's top leadership job, as Trump and his rivals are doing now, does not in itself make one a great leader. Nor, as you'll see, does having that job necessarily put you on our list.
The leaders you'll meet here, known and new, will lift your mood and upgrade your assessment of the world's future. Some may inspire you to join their followers. And those unheard-ofs, so seemingly ordinary, may even prompt you to rethink your own potential as an inspiring leader.
- Jeff Bezos, 52 CEO, Amazon
- Angela Merkel, 61 Chancellor, Germany
- Aung San Suu Kyi, 70 Leader, National League for Democracy
- Pope Francis, 79 Pontiff, Roman Catholic Church
- Tim Cook, 55 CEO, Apple
- John Legend, 37 Recording Artist and Activist, The Show Me Campaign
- Christiana Figueres, 59 Executive Secretary, UN Framework Convention of Climate Change
- Paul Ryan, 46 Speaker, US House of Representatives
- Ruth Bader Ginsburg, 83 Justice, US Supreme Court
- Mrs. Hasina, 68 Prime Minister, Bangladesh