LEADERSHIP 
CHALLENGES 
IN AN ERA OF 
TRANSFORMATION

Abstract The author, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of The Dilenschneider Group, elaborates on the significant worldwide changes that have taken place since the founding of Leader to Leader in 1996. He recounts that ″few if any of us knew the world in general and the United States in particular were on the brink of dramatic changes in business, trade, finance and politics.″ He describes the major changes in “the digital realm,” plus economics, finance, and more, including the transformative effects of artificial intelligence. Transformative events during this time period included the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and the COVID‐19 pandemic in 2020 and beyond. These and other events he describes continue to reverberate worldwide. He says we must also consider the phenomenon of backlash, which “is always the companion of major social, industrial and technological developments. It is a serious mistake not to expect it, and an even worse mistake to underestimate its importance.”