Well, I am back from London, but I was not at home long...one day in fact, before I drove down to Williamsburg, Virginia, USA, for the PMI Global Corporate Council (GCC) meeting. The GCC is comprised of senior executives from large multinational corporations, including Siemens, IBM, BAE Systems, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin. There are 28 in total. It is an amazing group of individuals and, as a group, which helps PMI understand the issues facing our profession at their level.

But the GCC is not why I am writing tonight. It is late and I am jet-lagged, but tonight is the eve of the elections for the president of the USA, probably one of the most historic and important in the last 30 years. I have been all over the world this year, and this election has been the lead story on every news network. In Brussels and London last week, every cable news station had extensive coverage. You would have thought it was the president of Europe that was being elected. Frankly, my mind is swimming, thinking about the possibilities associated with the results of the elections

I can understand it. Eight hundred days on the road over the last five years has exposed me to an amazing mix of cultures and perspectives, particularly about the USA. Without a doubt, there is great interest in the USA leadership change. Opinions abound, inside and outside the USA, but the world is waiting for the change. This isn't a political column so I won't bog us down on the reasons. But the common thread is about leadership. It is about the leadership that the USA must assume to contribute to helping solve the "Wicked List" of problems that plague the world now. I addressed the Wicked List in my last blog. Remember? The Wicked List is what John Kao defined as the list of global problems, such as AIDS, energy shortages, poverty, watershed management problems, food shortages, and more.

I do hope that the new president keeps that Wicked List high on his agenda for change, and he partners with leaders around the globe to solve those problems. Funny, I really hope that we all don't rely on the U.S. president, or any national government leader for that matter, to solve our problems. Rather, they should provide us with the leadership to build our own confidence that the problems should not be feared. Yes, and to help us recognize that we have the wherewithal to solve the problems. And each of us needs to step up and fill our own small space in the leadership vacuum.

It reminds me of a song that I like very much performed by John Legend, the noted R&B singer and songwriter. The song is IF YOU'RE OUT THERE, and the lyrics say "I searched for the leader, but the leader was me." Project professionals also need to recognize that they are leaders, not just project managers; that it is not enough to be the best at managing to cost, quality, project requirements, and schedule. No, it isn't enough any longer. We have to learn how to manage all of it, but in a socially and environmentally responsible way, so that we can all move to solve the "Wicked List."  We can no longer put off global sustainability to another generation.

Clearly, it's not easy, but it is necessary. We have to be attentive to the social and environmental responsibilities we have with every project we manage, and not wait for someone else in the company or organization to help us evaluate our impact. It takes awareness and the leadership to see the necessary changes that will make it a better project for our future.

Yeah, I know...the cynics of the world are laughing out loud. Balestrero is a nut case...a dreamer. How are we going to do that...how will we, as project managers be able to challenge the system? Well, it isn't about challenging the system, so much as helping refine the criteria for the projects...and suggesting sensible changes to make it a more environmentally or socially acceptable project. I don't know...sounds difficult, but it is up to us to take a leadership role. PMI is going to help us find the right way to do this. I can assure you of that.

I have to repeat myself by saying that there is no time to delay dealing with global sustainability. We can't allow either an economic downtown, or an ineffective national leader to slow us down. The time is here for us to act. John Legend defines it well when he sings "We're the generation who can't afford to wait; the future started yesterday; we're already late." That pretty much sums up our situation.

More importantly, he finishes his lyrics with a line paraphrased from a famous Gandhi quote: "Be the change you want to see."  We have to change things...no one else. You and me!

Can't wait to see who wins the election.

More soon.