Leadership is as much about the big things (e.g. universal health care, national security, the economy) as the little things, like cleaning up after yourself at the ice cream shop. (More photos from Callie Shell, Time)
Although I post to this weblog very infrequently, I would be remiss if I didn't comment on last night's historic events.
As many of you know, I've been a weekend volunteer for Barack Obama and the Democratic party here in Seattle for the past couple of months, mostly canvassing and phonebanking to elect Obama president, re-elect Gregoire as governor, and send Gerry Pollet–a leader in our neighborhood–to represent the 46th Legislative District in the state's House of Representatives. On 2 of 3, we had a very good night that made the months of hard work and fretting all worth it.
There were many thousands of volunteers who worked much harder than I did, some of whom dropped everything they were doing to work full-time in pursuit of an Obama victory. People like my old college roommate Jim Kang, who was probably directly responsible for helping Obama win Indiana, the first time a Democratic candidate for president has won that state since 1964! My small contribution pales in comparison, but I hope to continue to serve my community and my country from now on–during the election seasons and beyond. More on that in future posts.
I knew that, win or lose, this Election Night was going to be a very emotional moment. We've spent the years since September 11, 2001 watching our country squander the world's goodwill, its post-Clinton prosperity, and the values that made America great. This was our chance to undo the damage, by electing this once-in-a-lifetime leader, and some kind of catharsis would be inevitable. It didn't come immediately after 8 PM PST, when the networks all declared Obama as president-elect. But it was at this point in the president-elect's acceptance speech, before nearly a million people in Chicago's Grant Park, that I would be overcome with emotion:
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start
with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in
the halls of Washington – it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.
It
was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings
they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to
this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the
myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their
families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the
not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to
knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans
who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries
later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has
not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.
My mind raced with thoughts of all the people in my neighborhood that I met during this election, working like I was to save ourselves from a fate worse than the last 7 years, a period that nearly destroyed this government of, by and for the people. My heart was full, elated to see that this bottom-up approach to campaigning could overcome the system that corporate dollars have controlled for my entire lifetime. A leader I could be proud of without reservation would be our president.
This victory, that would not have been possible without the heroic levels of volunteer participation and self-organization I saw, also brought to mind my favorite verse from the Tao Teh Ching, one that is at the core of my personal philosophy for leadership in business, government and every other realm:
A leader is best
When people barely know that he exists,
Not so good when people obey and acclaim him,
Worst when they despise him.
'Fail to honor people,
They fail to honor you;'
But of a good leader, who talks little,
When his work is done, his aim fulfilled,
They will all say, 'We did this ourselves.'
In other words, the only kind of leadership that makes a difference is that which inspires others to act and take ownership in the solution to our problems.
It turns out that our work is not done. Getting a great man elected was only the beginning of a much greater effort, involving the kind of sacrifice that few living Americans know firsthand. It means continuing to volunteer in our communities past Election Day, changing our lifestyles to restore the economy, environment and our national security, and learning to make do with less until investments in rebuilding America begin to pay the huge dividends that will inevitably follow.
It will be easy to give up when it becomes uncomfortable, easier still when it hurts, but if we join together in this commitment, we make it harder for each other to let up and disappoint ourselves. We can make America and the world a better place. Yes we can!
