Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama addressed thousands of media professionals at the convention I attended on August 9 and 10, respectively, in Las Vegas. The Democratic presidential candidates spoke about issues of importance to the working class, from having access to education to overhauling the health care system. While both senators engaged me with their words, they also left me cold with their vague solutions to these problems.
The defining trait of a good manager (or, in this case, leader) is getting employees with different viewpoints to focus on the task at hand. If successful, they keep sensible ideas from being derailed by competing agendas (or, in this case, partisan politics). Clinton's plan to help at-risk children will remain a pipe dream unless she can rally members of Congress -- especially from the Republican Party -- to support her idea. Likewise, Obama's pledge to bridge the gap between Wall Street and Main Street won't be fulfilled without help from opposing lawmakers.
Like corporate America, navigating office politics in Washington, D.C., is about "playing the game." The senators said all the right things about ending the war in Iraq and rebuilding the Gulf Coast, but didn't offer specifics on how these goals would be met. Successful executives use transparent methods to achieve tangible results. Not only that, but they involve various groups to reach a consensus about its long-term impact.
Clinton and Obama impressed me with their promises. However, just like in the boardroom, talk is cheap.
1 comment:
I find in the world of politics---promises are easily made and quickly shelved. But, I do believe you have to put some trust in those public scoundrels----they must work from 2 different fronts--they must get the support of their fellow politicans and they must get support from their voters. They must be able to inter-act with individuals coming from 2 different perspectives.
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