I was talking with a colleague yesterday, and they mentioned that President Obama is visiting Arizona today. I wanted to learn more about the purpose of his visit, and so I did what I always do when I want to learn about something, I Googled. I came upon an article discussing Senator McCain’s disappointment in President Obama’s handling of the stimulus package. As I read the article further, I become increasing disappointed myself. Why?
It saddened me to learn that our leadership is publicly chastising each other as the American people wait expectantly for them to work together to bring real and immediate solutions to our current financial crisis. Ironically, the major criticism was that President Obama had taken a partisan approach, thereby failing to bring consensus among the parties. Now, I am no politician. I am not even an avid follower of our political process. Yet, I am a passionate student of all things related to leadership, and in reading about McCain’s reported disappointment of Obama right before his visit to Arizona, I knew we were in trouble. I know that the Country is watching with great hope and expectation. I know that when our political leaders publicly report their displeasure with their peers, they undermine this country’s faith in their abilities to work together for our greater good. I saw a lead this morning on the Arizona Capital News homepage stating “At a Feb. 17 news conference, GOP. Sens. Jon Kyl (left) and John McCain faulted Democrats for the mortgage crisis that led to the economic meltdown. Kyl and McCain spoke to reporters at Arizona State University West in Glendale.”
This further supported my opinion that our leaders need to “collaborate, not alienate” each other. I think the lead quoted above is good old fashioned mudslinging. It is the Democrats fault that we are in a mortgage crisis. Well, as an American citizen, I can say with all confidence that I don’t care whose fault it is, I care about how we are going to fix it. Yes, I realize that we need to learn from our past mistakes. However, I haven’t found public mudslinging to be an effective learning tool. What is helpful? I believe it is collaborating together to come up with real solutions.
If we are going to paint a house, we might sit together for hours deciding what color to paint it. If we have different opinions, we may look at all the options and meet on repeated occasions before we decide what color to use. However, if the house is burning down around us, we are going to RUN to put it out. We are going to work together, rapidly and with a singular focus on solving the problem.
How does this all relate to leadership and President Obama needing our support? Leaders always need our support to be successful. However, when they are managing a crisis, they especially need it. Conflict over party lines or any other line is not helpful. It erodes our team’s confidence in us. Somewhere in your life, there is a leader who needs your support. As we come together and collaborate for solutions that are bigger than ourselves, we create success.
So, I say, let’s support our leaders and let’s start with President Obama. Let’s hold onto hope and belief that positive change is not only possible, but it is happening. We all need to be a part of it. Today, there is something that each of us can do to create positive change in our life and the lives of those around us. Maybe it is calling someone recently laid off to check in on them, writing a political leader to convey support, or saying an encouraging word to someone who is in despair about our economy. There is something that each of us can do to make this day a brighter one. For me, I say that I am proud and grateful to have a President that is doing everything he can to bring positive change. You have my support.
Tags: Leadership, Obama, Positive Change
