The term ‘greatest’ is pretty subjective when it’s not tied to cold hard data. New England Patriots fans can say reasonably argue that Tom Brady is the greatest quarterback in NFL history because he’s won the most Super Bowls. My co-workers can reasonably argue that I’m the best fishermen at BroBible because I’m the only one that takes pleasure in getting up at the ass-crack of dawn to watch the sunrise and stalk snook/redfish.
Unlike those when you’re Fortune and you are putting together an arbitrary list of the World’s Greatest Leaders without an abundance of concrete data to back up your claims then chances are your list will come out like shit, and people will roast you for it. The criteria for Fortune‘s 2017 list of the World’s Greatest Leaders is as follows…The leaders excel in these three areas: 1) Acknowledge reality and offer hope, 2) Bring followers physically together, and 3) Build bridges. You see those first two criteriums and you’re thinking to yourself ‘why the fuck isn’t Donald Trump on this list’ and then you get to the crucial third component of the ranking and it makes sense.
Here’s what the top 25 from Fortune‘s rankings look like, to see all 50 you’ll have to click here:
ESPN’s Buster Olney asked Theo Epstein about being named the #1 leader in the world and had an A+ response:
Cubs President Theo Epstein on being picked as the No. 1 World Leader by Fortune: “Um, I can’t even get my dog to stop peeing in the house, ” he wrote in a text. “That is ridiculous. The whole thing is patently ridiculous. It’s baseball–a pastime involving a lot of chance. If Zobrist’s ball is three inches farther off the line, I’m on the hot seat for a failed five-year plan. And I’m not even the best leader in our organization; our players are.”
What doesn’t make a whole lot of sense is why Chicago Cubs President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein is ranked #1 on a list of the World’s Greatest Leaders, two spots ahead of Pope Francis. Or how LeBron James is #11 in the world, sandwiched between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Ohio Governor John Kasich. LeBron’s an NBA player, maybe the greatest that ever lived, but does he have any business whatsoever on a list of World’s Greatest Leaders? Maybe, I guess, perhaps.
If we’re using ‘world’s greatest leaders’ instead of ‘greatest world leaders’ then yes, I suppose it’s reasonable to include athletes and celebrities on your list, but I still think it’s complete poppycock to rank LeBron James above someone like Justin Trudeau or Ohood Al Roumi, the Minister of Happiness in the UAE.