Credit Crisis

”There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.”
— Ronald Reagan


Now that the mid-term elections are over, the real fun begins, (can you hear my sarcasm?).  The past few weeks since the elections, the Democrats and Republicans have started in on each other once again to pass blame and to criticize the ideas and direction that each side believes is the best way for the country to move forward.  They talk about the “lame duck” session of congress and what they will try to push through.  Will they be able to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell?”  Although this issue may be important to some, its resolution is not essential to turning the economy around.  

During the many interviews and face to face debates on the network and cable news stations, the phrases “The American People” and “The Future of our Children” come up often. Each time they do, my head feels like it wants to EXPLODE! With all of the talk about their concern about the American People it is quite apparent that they care very little about our current and future state.

While they bicker with each other, many Americans struggle to make ends meet.  They’re concerned about the cost of health care, about the economy, about high and burdensome tax rates, and the never ending spending of our financial resources on things that do not keep our people safe or enhance the quality of our lives.

Last week I was walking in our downtown area where I met two men sitting on a bench drinking coffee.  As I began to speak with them they said that this is the worst they have ever seen in terms of the economy.  They spoke of the struggle to find work, to pay bills and to get ahead.  This is what is on the minds of the American people.

Please hear me when I say that I am not expecting the government to take care of me or my family, I can do that myself.  What I am saying is that our elected leaders continue to miss the mark on what is truly important to us. For many of them it is about winning and losing the party fight.  It is about their personal agenda and making the other side look bad.  We must demand from our elected officials to put away partisan political games and get this country back on track, together.

We can accomplish great things when we “don’t care who gets the credit.”  

18000 vs 40000

On March 17, 2010, Bret Baier, commentator for Fox News, conducted an interview with President Obama. During the interview Bret Baier shared with the President that he had received over 18,000 emails from Americans with questions they had for the President. One of the first questions he read was one questioning the passage of the Healthcare bill. Without missing a beat the President retorted with the statement that he had received over 40,000 emails in support of the Healthcare bill. What a disappointing response from the leader of all Americans.

My disappointment was not the fact that the President expressed an opposing viewpoint, but the fact that he did not answer the question. He totally dismissed the person’s question as not being worthy of a response. As a leader it is not only important that we listen to those who agree with us, but to listen to the ideas and opinions of those who do not. It is about shaping consensus. The ability of a leader to gain consensus is vital, especially for the President. A leader will not always be able to gain consensus on every issue, however with so many critical issues facing our country we must be able to find common ground that transcends partisan politics.

“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.

How does a leader mold consensus? The key is leaving your ego at the door, realizing that others might have better ideas than you do.

What are some of your ideas for molding consensus?

A Different Kind of Leadership

With all of the cheating and lying done by Wall Street bankers, investment houses and the lack of integrity by our politicians, the world demands a different type of leader.

Many Americans are frustrated, angry and afraid because of the problems we are facing as a nation: joblessness, healthcare, the debate over global warming, Republicans vs. Democrats…the list can go on and on. Although I hear the word leadership a lot, I see very little evidence of it in the political arena. Special interest groups, lobbyists, and power grabbing politicians seem to rule the day. Many will say that is just the way things are done and it will not change. However, if we are to return to the great nation we once were it is going to take a new kind of leadership.

We need a leader who does not look back and place the blame on someone else, but accepts the challenge in front of him or her and is committed to representing the interests of all people, not just the ones who agree with them. We need a leader who is able to gain consensus by acknowledging different viewpoints and finding common ground to bring about a win-win.

As a national operations leader of an organization of over 1200 employees, it was important that I be open to all points of view. It was amazing how many times great ideas came out of conversations with team members who brought a different perspective to an initiative that I for which I thought I had considered all the angles. In order for this to work, my team had to feel safe to express their opinions without fear of retaliation. As a result we were able to achieve great business success.

We need a new kind of leadership to revive the entrepreneurial spirit that made our nation great. I am not talking about an individual, but leaders at every level of our society, leaders who are willing to stand up and be counted, leaders who are not just thinking about themselves and their place in history, but the good of all people.

Are you willing to stand up and be counted?