The biggest waste in any organization is not waste of material resources. It is not the over consumption of business travels or electricity or papers or calls. It is simply the waste of the extra-ordinary potential that is dormant in its people and left untouched.
This is the biggest waste because human beings have an unbelievable potential which stays untapped until it is inspired and motivated by something ideal, a big purpose and a unique vision. That is where people can deliver twice, triple or even ten times what they contribute normally.
This great potential is indeed craving for a leader to unleash it. It is craving for a leader who can move people not through their intellects but through their hearts. It is craving for a leader to awaken the lost passion, the dedication and the self motivation. It is craving for a leader who can inspire this fire within people to go the extra mile beyond any limitation every day to achieve a worthy goal, a great vision and a higher ideal.
This is the real waste in every organization and that is true in all contexts from families, to teams to firms to nations.
Alame Leadership | Inspiration | Personal Development 
Great post. Now we have to ask what are the qualities that make a great leader unleash this potential in the organization? In other words, what makes a great leader? Many books have been written about the subject, but in uncertain times and many failures is leadership still defined the same today?
Thanks a lot for your comments Mike! You are right that the obvious question is what type of leadership is needed for this. The answer as I see it, is Transformational Leadership. Transformational leaders in contrast to transactional leaders don’t rely on the carrot and stick to motivate people. They create an exciting vision, challenge their people to attain it by connecting this vision to them to self actualize. There will be another follow up post on this one which talks precisely on this and this will be posted soon. Nevertheless, please check other posts which talk a little about the type of leadership which is missing. These posts are: “What is the World Hungriest for?” and “One of the Most Important Lessons in Leadership”. Thanks again for your comment and looking forward to your feedback on the new posts. AL