and Facebook have also changed how we relate to each
other, organize behind causes or against them, and pres-
ent ourselves to the world. On the downside, the Internet
can ruin reputations as well as make them, as we are re-
minded by the occasional, tragic suicide of some teen who
has been digitally assaulted.
On another front, imaging technology is unlocking the
secrets of the brain, revealing the specific areas of the
brain that engage in economic decision-making and other
forms of human behavior. We now know that the brain is
far more plastic than previously thought, capable of
growth and repair well into adult life. Current reproduc-
tive technology allows children to come into the world in
ways that were once confined to science fiction. The ge-
netic code has been cracked, and an animal cloned. And as
remarkable as all these breakthroughs are, they will un-
doubtedly pale next to some dazzling discovery not quite
ready yet to emerge from an obscure bioengineering lab.- Global interdependence
Twenty years ago, Japan was quickly becoming the
major player in the world economy, and an American
business day often began with a check of the yen-dollar
ratio. Fifty percent of downtown Los Angeles was owned
by the Japanese, and foreign investment throughout the
country—in real estate, finance, and business—was wide-
spread enough to be a matter of national concern.
Today, global interconnectivity means every economy
and every nation is vulnerable to a misstep or malfeasance
in any single country. Lead-tainted toys made in China
threaten children and hurt Christmas sales in the United
On Becoming a Leader0465014088_02.qxd:0738208175_02.qxd 1/9/09 1:33 PM Page 168