Markets
Navigating Uncertainty: Leadership Accountability in Times of Crisis
In the face of adversity, leaders may struggle to manage their teams effectively.
Before the COVID-19 outbreak, over half of all professionals globally worked remotely at least 2.5 days a week. This has since increased dramatically, with 88% of organizations now insisting their employees work from home and implement social distancing.
Leaders must adapt to a more flexible workplace and create a culture of accountability so that their organization can successfully weather the COVID-19 storm.
Leadership Accountability in Uncertain Times
Today’s infographic, from bestselling author Vince Molinaro, reveals the five behaviors that leaders can adopt in order to provide thoughtful navigation through uncertainty.
>> Join Vince Molinaro’s Community of Accountable Leaders
The Impact of Leadership Accountability
As the workforce pivots to remote working arrangements, the benefits of flexible working policies are coming into sharper focus.
Research shows that these policies can lower overhead costs, reduce commuting times and increase employee satisfaction—in addition to attracting top talent. Moreover, the shift to working remotely could boost the U.S. economy by $4.5 trillion annually by 2030.
But achieving these benefits requires accountability from everyone in an organization, and in an increasingly virtual world, that can become difficult to manage.
Challenges Facing Leaders Today
Leaders are already subject to an array of challenges that they must overcome, such as:
- The pressure to differentiate: Leaders feel an unrelenting pressure to innovate and help their organizations stand out in a sea of ruthless competitors.
- Executing the strategy: Leaders must align the organization to ensure employees are clear about what needs to get done to execute priorities seamlessly.
- Leading transformational change: With so many moving parts, constant change across several aspects of a business can be difficult for leaders to manage.
- Creating enduring value: Customers, boards, and shareholders have high expectations for leaders in exchange for their loyalty.
- Building future talent: Leaders must build and nurture the next generation of leaders in addition to managing the day-to-day.
These mounting pressures can have a detrimental impact on a business leader’s performance, so it is crucial that they get the support they need now, more than ever.
The Characteristics of Accountable Leaders
Truly accountable leadership is the only way an organization can weather uncertainty in a world that has been upended. Research reveals that among the strongest performing companies, accountable leaders consistently demonstrate five behaviors that set them apart from others.
- Hold others accountable for high standards of performance
Good leaders make mutual expectations clear by consistently reinforcing what is important, and what employees should prioritize in their roles. - Tackle tough issues and make difficult decisions
Technology is hugely beneficial, but it should never replace the human element. Picking up the phone or having a Skype call is more immediate and personal, especially when it comes to problem solving and making tough decisions. - Communicate the strategy across the organization
Leaders must ensure that employees have complete clarity in terms of the company’s vision to do their jobs effectively. Creating a set of well-defined goals can help people stay engaged and decrease their stress levels. - Express optimism about the company and its future
Many employees can feel isolated and disconnected in the virtual world, so leaders must provide support, positive energy, and a sense of hope for the future. - Display clarity about external trends in the business environment
Finally, it is critical to help employees make sense of the current situation right now. Leaders must provide honest and transparent communication in a way that manages fear, stress, and anxiety. This encourages employees’s determination to help the organization succeed.
Leading The Future
As we embrace the unknown, it is clear that leadership accountability will become more important than ever.
In fact, it has become a crucial element for future-proofing organizations in times of crisis or drastic change. Perhaps more importantly, it is necessary for encouraging teams to emerge more connected and resilient than ever before.
Markets
Made in America: Goods Exports by State
The U.S. exported $1.8 trillion worth of goods in 2021. This infographic looks at where that trade activity took place across the nation.

Made in America: Goods Exports by State
After China, the U.S. is the next largest exporter of goods in the world, shipping out $1.8 trillion worth of goods in 2021—an increase of 23% over the previous year.
Of course, that massive number doesn’t tell the whole story. The U.S. economy is multifaceted, with varying levels of trade activity taking place all across the nation.
Using the latest data on international trade from the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, we’ve visualized the value of America’s goods exports by state.
Top 10 Exporter States
Here are the top 10 American states that exported the highest dollar value worth of goods during 2021. Combined, these export-leading states represent 59.4% of the nation’s total exports.
Rank | State | Total Exports Value | % share |
---|---|---|---|
#1 | Texas | $375.3 billion | 21.4% |
#2 | California | $175.1 billion | 10.0% |
#3 | New York | $84.9 billion | 4.8% |
#4 | Louisiana | $76.8 billion | 4.4% |
#5 | Illinois | $65.9 billion | 3.8% |
#6 | Michigan | $55.5 billion | 3.2% |
#7 | Florida | $55.5 billion | 3.2% |
#8 | Washington | $53.6 billion | 3.1% |
#9 | Ohio | $50.4 billion | 2.9% |
#10 | New Jersey | $49.5 billion | 2.8% |
Top 10 States | $1.04 trillion | 59.4% |
Texas has been the top exporting state in the U.S. for an incredible 20 years in a row.
Last year, Texas exported $375 billion worth of goods, which is more than California ($175 billion), New York ($85 billion), and Louisiana ($77 billion) combined. The state’s largest manufacturing export category is petroleum and coal products, but it’s also important to mention that Texas led the nation in tech exports for the ninth straight year.
California was the second highest exporter of goods in 2021 with a total value of $175 billion, an increase of 12% from the previous year. The state’s main export by value was computer and electronic product manufacturing, representing 17.8% of the total U.S. exports of that industry. California was also second among all states in exports of machinery manufacturing, accounting for 13.9% of the U.S. total.
What Type of Goods are Exported?
Here is a breakdown of the biggest U.S. export categories by value in 2021.
Rank | Product Group | Annual Export Value (2021) | Share of Total Exports |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Mineral fuels including oil | $239.8 billion | 13.7% |
2 | Machinery including computers | $209.3 billion | 11.9% |
3 | Electrical machinery, equipment | $185.4 billion | 10.6% |
4 | Vehicles | $122.2 billion | 7.0% |
5 | Optical, technical, medical apparatus | $91.7 billion | 5.2% |
6 | Aircraft, spacecraft | $89.1 billion | 5.1% |
7 | Gems, precious metals | $82.3 billion | 4.7% |
8 | Pharmaceuticals | $78 billion | 4.4% |
9 | Plastics, plastic articles | $74.3 billion | 4.2% |
10 | Organic chemicals | $42.9 billion | 2.4% |
These top 10 export categories alone represent almost 70% of America’s total exports.
The biggest grower among this list is mineral fuels, up by 59% from last year. Pharmaceuticals saw the second biggest one-year increase (45%).
Top 10 U.S. Exports by Country of Destination
So who is buying “Made in America” products?
Unsurprisingly, neighboring countries Canada (17.5%) and Mexico (15.8%) are the two biggest buyers of American goods. Together, they purchase one-third of American exports.
Rank | Destination Country | Share of U.S. Goods Exports |
---|---|---|
1 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 17.5% |
2 | 🇲🇽 Mexico | 15.8% |
3 | 🇨🇳 China | 8.6% |
4 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 4.3% |
5 | 🇰🇷 South Korea | 3.7% |
6 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 3.7% |
7 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 3.5% |
8 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 3.1% |
9 | 🇧🇷 Brazil | 2.7% |
10 | 🇮🇳 India | 2.3% |
Three Asian countries round out the top five list: China (8.6%), Japan (4.3%), and South Korea (3.7%). Together, the top five countries account for around half of all goods exports.
Markets
Visualizing Global Income Distribution Over 200 Years
How has global income distribution changed over history? Below, we show three distinct periods since the Industrial Revolution.

Visualizing Global Income Distribution Over 200 Years
Has the world become more unequal?
With COVID-19 disrupting societies and lower-income countries in particular, social and economic progress made over the last decade is in danger of being reversed. And with rising living costs and inflation across much of the world, experts warn that global income inequality has been exacerbated.
But the good news is that absolute incomes across many poorer countries have significantly risen over the last century of time. And though work remains, poverty levels have fallen dramatically in spite of stark inequality.
To analyze historical trends in global income distribution, this infographic from Our World in Data looks at three periods over the last two centuries. It uses economic data from 1800, 1975, and 2015 compiled by Hans and Ola Rosling.
Methodology
For global income estimates, data was gathered by country across three key variables:
- Population
- GDP per capita
- Gini coefficient, which measures income inequality by statistical distribution
Daily incomes were measured in a hypothetical “international-$” currency, equal to what a U.S. dollar would buy in America in 2011, to allow for comparable incomes across time periods and countries.
Historical Patterns in Global Income Distribution
In 1800, over 80% of the world lived in what we consider extreme poverty today.
At the time, only a small number of countries—predominantly Western European countries, Australia, Canada and the U.S.—saw meaningful economic growth. In fact, research suggests that between 1 CE and 1800 CE the majority of places around the world saw miniscule economic growth (only 0.04% annually).
By 1975, global income distribution became bimodal. Most citizens in developing countries lived below the poverty line, while most in developed countries lived above it, with incomes nearly 10 times higher on average. Post-WWII growth was unusually rapid across developed countries.
Fast forward just 40 years to 2015 and world income distribution changed again. As incomes rose faster in poorer countries than developed ones, many people were lifted out of poverty. Between 1975 and 2015, poverty declined faster than at any other time. Still, steep inequality persisted.
A Tale of Different Economic Outputs
Even as global income distribution has started to even out, economic output has trended in the opposite direction.
As the above interactive chart shows, GDP per capita was much more equal across regions in the 19th century, when it sat around $1,100 per capita on a global basis. Despite many people living below the poverty line during these times, the world also had less wealth to go around.
Today, the global average GDP per capita sits at close to $15,212 or about 14 times higher, but it is not as equally distributed.
At the highest end of the spectrum are Western and European countries. Strong economic growth, greater industrial output, and sufficient legal institutions have helped underpin higher GDP per capita numbers. Meanwhile, countries with the lowest average incomes have not seen the same levels of growth.
This highlights that poverty, and economic prosperity, is heavily influenced by where one lives.
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