The World’s 10 Greatest Leaders

starting from No.1...............

Pope Francis

Age: 77

Pontiff, Catholic Church

Just over a year ago, a puff of white smoke announced the new spiritual leader of 1.2 billion Roman Catholics around the world. In the brief time since, Francis has electrified the church and attracted legions of non-Catholic admirers by energetically setting a new direction. He has refused to occupy the palatial papal apartments, has washed the feet of a female Muslim prisoner, is driven around Rome in a Ford Focus, and famously asked "Who am I to judge?" with regard to the church's view of gay members. He created a group of eight cardinals to advise him on reform, which a church historian calls the "most important step in the history of the church for the past 10 centuries." Francis recently asked the world to stop the rock-star treatment. He knows that while revolutionary, his actions so far have mostly reflected a new tone and intentions. His hardest work lies ahead. And yet signs of a "Francis effect" abound: In a poll in March, one in four Catholics said they'd increased their charitable giving to the poor this year. Of those, 77% said it was due in part to the Pope.

                                                                                          

Angela Merkel

Age: 59
Chancellor, Germany

Merkel may be the most successful national leader in the world today. She is, practically speaking, the leader of the European Union, which as a whole is the world's largest economy, and Merkel has held that position for almost nine years. She played the lead role in managing Europe's debt crisis, keeping the EU intact while setting even Greece on the road to recovery.

Alan Mulaly 

Age: 68
CEO, Ford Motor Co.

Ford's (F, +0.72%) miracle worker saved the company without resorting to bankruptcy or bailouts by doing what previous leaders had tried and failed to do: change Ford's risk-averse, reality-denying, CYA-based culture. After earning $7.2 billion of profit last year -- far more than General Motors (GM, +0.20%) or Chrysler -- the company paid its 47,000 UAW workers a record $8,800 each in profit sharing.

Warren Buffett

Age: 83
CEO, Berkshire Hathaway

While lauded as an investor, Buffett also leads 300,000 employees with a values-based, hands-off style that gives managers wide leeway and incentivizes them like owners. The result is America's fifth-most-valuable company (BRKA). His influence extends much further than that, though: The world looks to the "Oracle of Omaha" for guidance on investing, the economy, taxes, management, philanthropy, and more.

Bill Clinton

Age: 68
Founder, The Clinton Foundation

In the 13 years since he left office, President Clinton has been a relentless and forceful advocate for a number of causes: the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis, and the need to stem greenhouse gas emissions. Through his Clinton Global Initiative, he persuades billionaires, heads of state, and others to declare commitments (2,300 so far) to specific projects. (For more, see our interview with President Clinton in this package.)

Aung San Suu Kyi

Age: 68
Chair, National League for Democracy

The Nobel Peace Prize winner gave up freedom and a life with her family in Britain to protest military rule in Burma (now Myanmar). But nearly two decades of house arrest could not quash the opposition leader's determination. Since Suu Kyi's 2010 release, her political party has clinched dozens of seats in Parliament. Current law bars a presidential run in 2015; even that may change before long.

Gen. Joe Dunford

Age: 58
Commander, U.S. Forces, Afghanistan

The Marine four-star general and leader of NATO's coalition in Afghanistan "is probably the most complete warrior-statesman wearing a uniform today," says a former Marine commandant. Dunford tells Fortune his first battalion commander told him the three rules to success. The first? Surround yourself with good people. "Over the years," says Dunford, "I've forgotten the other two."

Bono

Age: 53
Lead singer, U2

"Real leadership is when everyone else feels in charge," Bono tells Fortune. And he has lived by this maxim. He helped persuade global leaders to write off debt owed by the poorest countries and encouraged the Bush administration and others to vastly increase AIDS relief. Now, through his ONE and (RED) campaigns, he is enlisting major companies and millions of people to combat AIDS, poverty, and preventable diseases.

Dalai Lama

                                                                     
Age: 78
Spiritual leader of the Tibetan people

For over 50 years he has campaigned tirelessly for peace, nonviolence, democracy, and reconciliation, especially among world religions; he has met countless times with popes, rabbis, imams, and others to find common ground. Winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the Dalai Lama radiates charisma. As for his influence, just ask those who look for his guidance on Twitter. All 8.6 million of them.

Jeff Bezos

Age: 50
CEO, Amazon.com

Bezos is an extremely rare combination of visionary and master builder -- 20 years ago seeing something no one else could see and then turning it into the world's No. 2 Most Admired Company (after Apple) on our list, with a recent market value of $174 billion (AMZN, +1.44%). Prospective employees are still drawn to his vision; though he's highly demanding, thousands aspire to work for him. That's one way to know a great leader when you see one.

Citation:

• www.fortune.com
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