After years walking alongside leaders, I’ve concluded that those who lead with true strategic vision are rare. Like Field Marshals of old who shaped the course of history, not through individual battles but through grand strategy, today’s world desperately needs leaders who can see beyond the immediate horizon.

Strategic leaders are those rare individuals who hold the tension between present pressures and future possibilities. They understand the need for tactical leadership which focuses on winning today’s battles. Yet, also appreciate how strategic leadership fights to secure tomorrow’s peace. The world needs leaders who have the courage to look beyond quarterly results and election cycles, choosing to shoulder the weightier burden of generational impact.

“The care of the world is the world’s most serious business.” – Wendell Berry

This is why I’m passionate about nurturing strategic leaders. I’m deeply moved when leaders decide to wrestle with balancing immediate needs and long-term transformation; when they humbly learn from successes and setbacks; and when they make decisions that may not bear fruit for years.

Strategic leadership is for those willing to measure success by different metrics than the immediate. By creating safe spaces for vulnerable dialogue, I’ve seen truly strategic leaders forged. In a world crying out for immediate solutions, I invite you to consider this deeper calling and be a leader willing to plant trees under whose shade you may never sit.

The question before us is clear: Will we remain trapped in the cycle of tactical responses, or will we dare to embrace the deeper calling of strategic leadership? Our world’s most serious business—its very care and future—depends on our answer.