President Obama needed a win.  Coming off of one of the worst speeches of his career, the Oval Office “tough guy speech,” his words were ringing hollow with Americans, drawing howls even from supporters.  But the President’s ratings soared when he gave a swift kick in the military britches to General Stanley McChrystal, relieving him of command in Afghanistan after the interview he gave to Rolling Stone. 

McChrystal sealed his own fate when during a 10-day interview with Michael Hastings he and his senior aides poked fun at just about every civilian at the top.  He left Hastings no choice to write, and the reader no room for interpretation, by assailing the President, Vice-President, and National Security Advisor James L. Jones -who they dubbed a “clown.”  

The president’s announcement was applaued by the media like the chorus in a Greek play.  Hallellujah.  Top network anchors and pundits on CBS, NBC, CNN, and MSNBC all used the same phrase: “brilliant move.”  (But they never talk to each other, wink wink.)  I guess it’s just because they stand  shoulder to shoulder on the White House lawn with six inches of room on each side.  Or perhaps it’s just because they’re all drinking from the same political water cooler.  And the water is very blue.

In spite of that, Mr. Obama deserved the praise for his decisiveness.  He showed a side we have been longing to see – Decisive Leader.  It was a bona fide Commander in Chief moment.  And we haven’t seen many (some toughies would say any) of those.  He deserved our genuine praise.  One swift decision is hardly a pattern, but Americans are truly, mady, deeply hoping to see more of THAT president.     

Decisiveness is cool.  Decisiveness is sexy.  And it’s in short supply- not just in politics, in business.   The C -Suite could use more leaders who can say yes to this, no to that.  Personally as the CEO of a small company I would not dare cast the first stone.  Some decisions are hard to make.  You get tied up in knots.  When you can’t make a decision however, you drive yourself and everyone else nuts. 

What people long for are leaders who can make the call and communicate to the troops.  Like every great general, your job is to decide and then get everyone aligned and moving in the same direction.  People who work for you just want to know what the game plan is so they can get on with it.

I certainly have moments of indecisiveness.  But I also have no tolerance for people who can’t get out of their own way.  For example, it drives me loopy sitting in a restaurant when people take 15 minutes to decide on a dinner selection.  They wave off a polite, well-paced, patient waiter four times while debating the merits of salmon encrusted in almond flakes versus steak au poivre.  If you’re my mom you’ve earned the right to take your time.  Otherwise, please, make your choice.  You won’t even remember what you ordered tomorrow morning.  And by the way if you’re eating at McDonalds you can just order the Chicken McNuggets and change up the sauces - they have 8 of them.  And, it’s very scary that I know that.  

You are going to screw up.  But make the call and tell everybody anyway.  99.8 percent of the time it won’t be the end of the world.  And whatever happens people won’t be sitting on their hands waiting to DO SOMETHING.  Make the decision, move on.  Next?  

Why is that important?

Imagine Obama had taken weeks to decide what to do with the general? The media circus that would have surrounded the “decision” would have been a joke.  It’s over and done with and we can go back to wondering why BP is acting like idiots.  Hallelujah.

Baby boomers have trouble with this.  We (and I know not everyone reading this goes into that baby boomer “we” but go with me for a moment) are the generation who were suddenly given more than chocolate, vanilla and that crazy three-flavor ice cream combo our grandparents served (was it strawberry?)  We were given mint chocolate chip, rocky road, and eventually Oreo.  Soon there were 437 flavors.  Today, our kids have even more choices.   

Yet all these choices have not improved our skill at CHOOSING. 

So let this be a lesson to all of us.  Decisive is in.  Go out there today and make a decision - even if you’re not sure.  Pretty soon your staff will be saying things like — “brilliant move.”  And hey, even if they don’t, at least they won’t be confused. 

 http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2010/06/23/media-praise-obamas-brilliant-decision-fire-gen-mcchrystal#ixzz0s91zgomJ

No comments »

At noon today, President Barack Obama gave the speech of his life. History will judge which words will be etched in marble.  

Perhaps what’s most notable is how our President-Elect has been communicating with us all along.  You might say he’s decided to become not just Commander in Chief, but also ”Communicator in Chief.” 

What is impressive is not just his command of the podium.  President-Elect Obama knows his way around modern technology.  He fought with government lawyers and security agencies to keep his own BlackBerry for personal and private messages.  He already seems to be mastering the art of communicating through imagery – those awful Greek columns aside – yesterday, the President Elect was photographed with paint roller in hand –a powerful image that says how each of us must do our part.

Mr. Obama’s rhetorical flair and unflappable confidence on the platform catapulted him onto the national stage four years ago; he just kept getting better.  It isn’t all about style — it’s the way he thinks about communication.  The fact that he created an office of the President-Elect –complete with a media room and a presidential-worthy podium, demonstrates how important he thinks it is.

What can business leaders learn from Mr. Obama?  First - charisma - it does matter.  Our new President commands the room, adapts with ease, and makes his one-on one interviews hip, down home and comfortable; he also delivers a rousing, motivational speech and makes you believe the rhetoric of hope from a big platform.  While he does have some annoying vocal habits –I noticed after awhile that the phrases “as I’ve said,” or “I’ve made it clear,” frequently creep in, just prior to the answer to a tough question; still you cannot help but admire how he connects.

Having said that, there is certainly more to Obama’s effectiveness than charisma.  He carved out precious time during the transition for press conferences.  He became highly visible, gaining control of the national dialogue, filling the potential news vacuum during the Bush to Obama transition.  Had Mr. Obama chosen to stay behind the scenes, the nation would no doubt have felt restless and leaderless.  Instead, we had the distinct perception that someone was already in charge.

So ultimately for every leader, it isn’t just about his style.  No leader can emulate another.  You have to be good at being YOU –find you own honest, effective, and authentic style of communication 

What it’s really about is acknowledging that in challenging times, communication is vital.  Shepherding your organization through the turmoil requires you to take the most active role in communicating with your employees, customers and stakeholders.  You have to be standing at the center of the communication universe.  You cannot view the communication “function” as such – something that “other people” manage and execute.  You have to stand right there and make sure it happens – position yourself in the middle of the loop. 

This can be difficult on a personal level.  It’s hard to communicate when you don’t have the answers.  In times of stress we are inclined to retreat and wait.  If you don’t feel like you have something good to say, perhaps you think you should say nothing at all.  Yet what is really required of a leader– is a commitment to communication, and a message of hope.  You have to communicate more often with your organization and make sure you tell people how important they are in helping the company survive and thrive.  Speaking with purpose and passion, you create an honest, open dialogue with your employees and customers, and you talk about the future.  What Barack Obama has shown us already is how powerful it can be when you deliver a message of hope.

No comments »