In a brief post on Harvard Business Publishing’s blog (thanks Rich Shaffer), Umair Haque highlights four major challenges that CEOs and other leaders face in developing growth and long-term prosperity. The short summary:

• A crippled global financial system
• Endemic underinvestment in innovation
• Accelerating disequilibrium
• Shallow strategy

To a certain extent, West Virginia’s long history of not being on the cutting edge of economic growth has shielded it from economic ups and downs the rest of the nation has faced (especially the bubbles of disequilibrium); instead, we are more at the mercy of coal economics. But as we seek to diversify our economy and grow new innovation-oriented sectors, these issues will become more relevant and urgent. Of particular concern is our lack of investment in innovation. Hopefully, Bucks for Brains is a small step in the right direction towards serious innovation and R&D investment, but we have a long way to go.