The Globally Responsible Leader - A Call For Action (2009)

Published in December 2008 by the GRLI Foundation of Public Interest—a collaborative initiative of the United Nations Global Compact and the European Foundation for Management Development—this manifesto calls for fundamental transformation in how business operates globally. Developed through partnership with over 60 business schools and companies representing five continents, it responds to systemic failures in the competitive market economy that, while generating wealth and innovation, has increasingly disconnected from the common good and created undesirable social and environmental consequences.

The document articulates three core areas for cultural change: revisiting organizational purpose beyond shareholder value, integrating ethics into leadership practice, and establishing corporate statesmanship as a dialogue with society. It argues that firms must contribute to overall societal well-being, not merely financial returns, and that responsible leaders must ground decisions in values recognizing global interdependence and long-term sustainability. The manifesto challenges business schools and learning organizations to educate whole leaders capable of implementing sustainable development models that serve humanity comprehensively rather than perpetuating short-term profit maximization. It serves as both a critical analysis of current economic limitations and an actionable framework for leadership development in the 21st century.