Where were you...
... and what can you learn about leadership?
I'm here in a hotel room in Calgary. Where were you when you heard Barack Obama would become the 44th President of the United States?
I'm guessing it will be a day and an event many of us will remember for years.
It's not just being the first African American elected to the White House. It's how he did it. People saw the potential of this man wh en they asked him to give one of the coveted keynote addresses to the delegates at the Democratic Party convention in 2004. And while it seemed sewn up for Hillary Clinton to get the party's nod, this man, and the people around him continued to see his potential.
It seems Barack Obama has captured a victory of inclusion; one we can all learn from in the changing face of Canada's demographics. The majority of: new voters; young voters (in fact, all ages except senior citizens); Latino Americans; white Americans; and others, voted for this man. And African Americans, many of whom never expected to see this day, voted 95% in favour of Obama.
In Canada, our country is changing so rapidly and any leader (in politics or at work) can't just take a laid-back approach and let change happen to them. Real leaders have to get out in front of the parade, or it will pass them by.
How did he do this and more importantly, from a leader's perspective for those of us not aspiring to become president of the United States, what can we learn from this man?
I'm sure highly-paid political pundits will have much wiser things to say than me, but too bad - this is my newsletter.
First - Never give up hope and don't wallow in despair. Two years ago no one would have put their money on this guy. This was Hillary Clinton's job for the taking and with her abilities & smarts, her husband's support, and a desire to elect a woman president, it must have been difficult for Obama and his people to keep their spiri ts up, even when they knew he could do a good job.
Second - Leadership is more than smarts. Look at our recent federal election. Stephane Dion is a very smart guy (university professor, no less) but he wasn't able to connect with the public, and not just because of his difficulty with English. People want to be inspired. What are you doing as a leader to truly inspire the people who look to you for direction?
The other day, while speaking to a university class in Halifax about human rights, a young man came up to me afterwards and said, "you make me want to be a better person." I know by writing this, I take a chance of blowing my own horn. But believe me, no one was more surprised to hear his words than me. That's going to stay with me for a while and it has already made me want to inspire more people, and for me to look to others for inspiration.
We need more of that from ourselves and we certainly saw that in the faces of the people watching Obama in Grant Park. Did you see the tears on the faces of all those men and women?
Third - Don't wait for everyone to get on board. While Obama's lead will likely exceed 4 million votes when all the ballots are counted, Obama still only got about 51% support of those who voted. Many times we don't act until we have everyone on board. That's a mistake. If you're doing the right thing, then lead and lead effectively. Even your opponents will respect your decisions.
I hope, like me, you'll celebrate this momentous occasion. But also, let's learn a thing or two about leadership from the next president of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama.
Stephen
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Stephen Hammond, B.A, LL.B, CSP, is a speaker, trainer and author working in the field of workplace human rights. Articles, tips and his books Managing Human Rights At Work: 101 Practical Tips to Prevent Human Rights Disasters and Steps in the Rights Direction: 365 human rights celebrations and tragedies that inspired Canada and the world are available on his website www.stephenhammond.ca. Contact Stephen at 866-685-8338 or stephen@stephenhammond.ca
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