It takes many people decades, or longer, to find their life's passion. That was not the case for Thomas L. Friedman, bestselling author and foreign affairs columnist for the New York Times. "Everything I am today was born in the 10th grade," says the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has helped shape debate on the most important issues facing America today.

During that landmark year--1968--Friedman had two "hugely transformative" experiences. First, his parents, a ball-bearing salesman and a part-time bookkeeper, took him to Israel. From this was born his "obsession" with the Middle East. Second, he took his one and only journalism course, from a teacher who taught him not just the fundamentals of reporting but also how to "comport yourself" professionally.

Thinker. Friedman occupies a rarefied position in journalism, several rungs above a talking head or policy wonk. He's an "influential thinker," whose lively ideas about the Middle East and globalization have helped guide and inform the public especially in the post-9/11 years. "Tom not only has original ideas and an incredible capacity to observe and interpret what's going on but also a unique capacity to express those ideas with lucidity, clarity, and wit," says Ernesto Zedillo, former president of Mexico, now director of the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.

Through his columns and books, Friedman reaches millions around the world. His column, syndicated in 700 newspapers, is even translated in the leading Arabic newspaper, making him something of a rock star in that region. "Traveling in the Middle East with Tom is like going to the mall with Britney Spears," says Gail Collins, editorial-page editor of the New York Times.

Last April, Friedman published the widely acclaimed The World Is Flat, which explores outsourcing and trade policy, two of the hottest topics on the national agenda, and explains how the convergence of technology and events made China, India, and other previously "have not" countries part of a global supply chain. Friedman also makes documentaries for the Discovery Times Channel and finds synergy in the combination. "Each drives, energizes, and feeds the other. I would never have come up with The World Is Flat had I not been off in India doing a documentary."

The Best Leaders selection committee debated whether a journalist can be considered a leader in the same way as elected officials, say, or captains of industry. But for Friedman, they made an exception. Says former Texas governor Ann Richards, a committee member: "His depth of knowledge of the history, politics, leadership, and religion [of the Middle East] has contributed more than any other individual to the education of the American people about the region."

Friedman relies on a wide network of experts, his "tutors," ranging from CEO s to rabbis to childhood pals, to inform his thinking. "We always have great conversations," says Vivek Paul, the recently departed CEO of Wipro Technologies, India's largest software company. "Tom knows exactly what to ask to extract your personal knowledge, and he takes daunting topics and big themes and writes about them in a way most people can understand."