Five Leadership Lessons from the Campaign Trail

"The essence of leadership is the idea of continuous improvement. No matter what, you can always coach people to do a little better, and if everyone does that, the whole organization moves up."

A new year brings with it fresh hopes for our future and that of our loved ones. There are those who believe that change is not possible especially in tough economic markets. I disagree. This economic market presents us with unique opportunities; you just have to discover it. Tough times hide diamonds in the rough. So get ready to awaken to your destiny as our new President Elect has done. Don't allow anyone or anything to stop you from achieving your dreams. Learn from these leadership lessons:

Lesson One: Watch what you say or your words may come back to haunt you. Rudy Giuliani's attempt to insult Barack Obama's ability to lead is a perfect example of motivating by insult. During the campaign Giuliani contemptuously called Obama a "community leader" and intimated that skill does not prepare you for leadership. Imagine his incredulity when Obama used those same community leader skills and applied it on a national level to mobilize his ground forces and unite the national community. This resulted in his winning not only by the popular vote but also by the electoral votes.

Lesson Two: Know what you want and go for it regardless of what others say. Dream Big! When Barack Obama began his run for the presidency the naysayers came out of the woodwork. They told him he would not be able to achieve his dream and many made it their mission to thwart his every move. He pressed on in his quest with a calm professional demeanor which his team called "No Drama Obama." This is what leadership entails. The leader creates the vision, enrolls followers in the vision and provides them with the tools needed to bring it to fruition. With a 'no drama' organizational culture, the tone at the top for this team was to focus on solutions and empowerment of the team members to get the job done. This results in a focused effort by team members and success for the leader.

Lesson Three: The Journey to Achievement of Your Destiny (JAD) may take a circuitous route. Embrace it and learn what you can from each experience. As I travel through airports from coast to coast I find it virtually impossible to avoid Obama's journey. From Hawaii to Asia to Indonesia, to the United States and even Africa to find his father's origin, his character was shaped by a global perspective of people and places. This makes him a natural fit for today's global cultural environment as his genes sit astride two continents. The skills learned from adapting to each culture will serve him well as he takes office and for the next four years as he meets with leaders of other cultures and works with them to bring order to our global financial markets and business.

Lesson Four: A generational shift is taking place. It's time for the new generation to take charge. The youthful president elect is under 50 though still a boomer. The bulk of Obama's foot soldiers were young people who have a natural commitment to the community and are connected globally. The 47 year old Obama is the first American president born in the second half of the 20th century. Research reveals that the current leaders of Spain, Russia and Canada are all under age 50. They are technocrats who welcome technology.

Lesson Five: This is the age of the Internet. The average donation by ordinary Americans was $25 and based on the final tally of $745 million dollars of donations a lot of people wanted Obama to win. The more his adversaries ranted and raved the more the money came in. Technology helped Obama to grow his grassroots team rapidly and these young people utilized the Internet in ways that older politicians never considered. I dare say that political donations will never be the same. Internet millionaires have known this for years and the power of the web was clearly demonstrated during this campaign. It connects people nation wide in an intricate web that is far reaching and inexorable.

Now the true work begins

Assertive Interpersonal Strategies for Women March 18th from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

Nobody’s perfect. Sometimes you will underreact or overreact. Assertive people sends correct signals and receive correct responses. Knowing how to handle different situations helps you get things done and get what you want. This seminar will help you express your ideas and get your point across confidently and effectively to achieve the results you want.

“Who should attend: Women managers and supervisors – including newly promoted first-line supervisors – who want to build on the strengths, improve their communication, conflict resolution, delegation and action planning.”

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Register by email to yvonne@yvonnefbrown.com

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It's a new year but I'm concerned because my manager and I don't get along. She doesn't like people who do not agree with her so we hold back in meetings. Also, when there is bad news no one wants to tell her. What should I do? I like her as a person but working for her can be the pits sometimes.

Answer:

Walking on eggshells around your manager is a disservice to you, your manager and the company. Managers get things done through others. When direct reports are reluctant to communicate with them in meetings or to give bad news things do not get done. The result is missed deadlines, over budget projects and less than high performance teams. To be successful, companies and managers require an environment of open communications, high performance teams and environment of trust. Sit down with your manager and have a candid discussion. To prepare for the discussion, I recommend you read the book "Managing Your Boss" by John J. Gabarro, John P. Kotter. It ends with a checklist for managing your boss

12,000 Laptops Lost

Next time you're rushing through the airport TSA and X-ray don't neglect your laptop on the other side. According to a study by the Ponemon Institute 40% of lost computers get left in security checkpoints. Despite that only 33% of travelers reclaim their computers. They recommend labeling your equipment and giving yourself extra time so you are less rushed. I lost my favorite belt and the people at O'Hare refuse to let me come into lost and found to get it back. So be careful out there create a system and protect your laptop.

If I accept you as you are, I will make you worse. However, if I treat you as though you are what you are capable of becoming, I help you become that.

-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

"If you’re still looking for a job, maybe now is the time to start your own business. The Forum section has some Free Online Training on How To Start Your Own Business."

"Free online training"

Remember to register for the Executives Club of Chicago January 28th, 2009

Women's breakfast

If you would like to register send me and email at

jad@jadcommunications.com

"Good is Not Enough" by Keith Wyche