Barack the Community Organizer

Back in September, some questions were raised about how experience as a community organizer qualifies one to be President of the United States.  Last night, we learned a few things about how that experience actually mattered for Barack Obama, the United States and the world.  Here are three leadership lessons from the President-elect that I believe he first learned as a community organizer:

1. Inspire:  The core of Obama's message was to share the idea that there is a different way to run a campaign and a government.  He appealed to the logic of the mind that a desire for change has to be backed up by different actions.  He appealed to the heart by tying a vision of a better future to the historical evidence that people working together can do great things.


2. Engage:  Once he captured the hearts and minds of his followers, Obama engaged them by getting them involved with their hands and feet.  His campaign was organized to make it easy for anyone who wanted to to get involved as a volunteer.  You could download phone numbers from his web site to call people, you could knock on doors, you could give money, you could organize meetings.  Obama understood that the way you organize a community is by engaging its members to act.


3. Execute:  The Obama campaign will be a case study for years to come as an example of a strategic plan that was extraordinarily well executed.  Over two years of peaks and valleys, Obama and his team had a plan they believed in and stuck with when there was pressure to change course.  They paced the work and did not panic.  For an early analysis of the campaign, take a look at E.J. Dionne's column from earlier this week.

As John McCain said so eloquently in his concession speech last night, all Americans must come together in support of President-elect Obama.  My hope is that the leadership skills of inspiration, engagement and execution will be as effective in the act of governance as they were in the campaign.  No matter one's political persuasion, I believe Obama offers some leadership lessons that are worth paying attention to.

What's your take?

Comments

[Jean Wright]

Obama continues to capture my attention with his humility and presence. Is he the level-5, post-conventional leader that we've been waiting for? That type of leadership is a change and I have great hope for what can be accomplished.

[Renee Charney]

I agree! And I would add that I believe, in the spirit of "double-loop learning" we will see him (and we as leaders can embrace and emulate) loop back to RE-inspire our nation to remain engaged and continue to build and grow our great nation.

[Alicia Rodriguez]

I can't help but wonder about the essential self or internal source that allows Barack to generate this aura of authenticity, love and power. So often executive conversations focus on the power piece that is obvious in the actions, behaviors and transactions of a leader. Can you imagine the conversation a leader might have if he/she were to hold power and love as the collaborative elements that inspire unity and right action instead of holding them as mutually exclusive? This is what I see Obama embody as he moves from the inside out. My curiosity lies in the inside part, and what is the field that a leader must acknowledge, embrace and embody to be the change we need in the world.

[Barry Goldberg]

Well said Scott. My post on the election was a little different. How does a leader make a coalition from distinct groups who have been at odds? Especially after an election or merger, a leader must work not only with those who made up the support system, but those who actively opposed him.

I though Obama's speech was an inspiring first step in creating a new whole. It will get harder when the ideologies start to clash but I think he was masterful in starting a healing process after the rough-and-tumble of the campaign. We have not seen that in decades.