'We' vs 'Me' Leadership

Bill George, the famous author of Authentic Leadership (and True North) who became a professor of management practice at Harvard Business School after leaving his chairman and CEO post at Medtronic recently offered his take on Obama and his leadership in his Business Week column. He characterized it as "We" leadership as opposed to "Me" leadership.

The sweeping victory of Barack Obama ushers in a new era of leadership that will affect every aspect of American institutions and that sounds a death knell for the top-down, power-oriented leadership prevalent in the 20th century.

A new style of "bottom-up, empowering" leadership focusing on collaboration will sweep the country. A new wave of 21st century authentic leaders will take oversee U.S. institutions of every type: business, education, health care, religion, and nonprofits. These new leaders recognize that an organization of empowered leaders at every level will outperform "command-and-control" organizations every time.

The 20th century leaders focused on money, fame, and power, earning the title of the "me" generation. Their leadership destroyed many great institutions, as evidenced by the failures of Enron, WorldCom, and dozens of companies like them. The recent fiascos on Wall Street can be traced to the failure of "me" leaders who put themselves ahead of their institutions.

He contrasted Obama's 'we' leadership approach and Bush's top-down, I-am-the-decider leadership mentality which has rendered ineffective in this era. He then cited Google, IBM, Avon, and even Saddleback and Willowcreek churches as champions of the empowering, collaborative leadership approach. His conclusion is:

The most successful leaders will be those who can align people around common goals of serving people and empower them with a collaborative style. Their organizations will be the winners in restoring the U.S. to global greatness.

Jack Welch on McCain's Leadership Loss

The former world's best manager of the century, Jack Welch (and his partner), offered his insights on why Obama wins and McCain loses. First he said he believed that McCain's economic platform "made better sense for business, especially in terms of free trade, tax policy, and job creation", then went on to point out that McCain was deficient in three vital areas of leadership succcess: Vision, Execution, and Strategic Allies. Finally, some lessons for business leaders are drawn. Here are the key points:

Start with the granddad of leadership principles: a clear, consistent ­vision. . . McCain's health-care policy, for example, had real merit. But his presentation of it was always confoundingly complex... Meanwhile, Obama's message was simple and aspirational. He talked about the failings of George W. Bush. He talked about change and hope and health care for all. Over and over, he painted a picture of the future that excited people. He also set a perfect example for business leaders: Stick to a limited number of points, repeat them relentlessly, and turn people on.

The next leadership principle should sound familiar: execution... In nearly two years of steady blocking and tackling, Obama's team made few mistakes. From the outset, his advisers were best in class, and his players were always prepared, agile, and where they needed to be. McCain's team, hobbled by a less cohesive set of advisers and less money, couldn't compete.

Finally, this election reinforces the value of friends in high places...That's why you need to start any leadership initiative with your "high-level friends" firmly by your side, convinced of the merits of your character and policies. But that's not enough. If you want to keep your board as an ally, don't surprise them. Think about McCain's "gotcha" selection of Sarah Palin. Scrambling to catch up with the story, the media was not amused.

Read the whole thing here.

Prayer for Obama

Ligon Duncan offers a few important points of prayer for President Barack Obama:

We will pray that God would change President-Elect Obama's mind and heart on issues of crucial moral concern. May God change his heart and open his eyes to see abortion as the murder of the innocent unborn, to see marriage as an institution to be defended, and to see a host of issues in a new light. We must pray this from this day until the day he leaves office. God is sovereign, after all.

For those Christians who are more dismayed than overjoyed about the prospects of an Obama presidency, there should be a remembrance that as our President, Barack Obama will have God-given authority to govern us, and that we should view him as a servant of God (Rom. 13:1, 4) to whom we should be subject (Rom. 13:1, 5; 1 Pet. 2:13-14). Thus, again, we are to pray for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We are to thank God for Barack Obama (1 Tim. 2:1-2). We are to respect Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7). We are to honor Barack Obama (Rom. 13:7; 1 Pet. 2:17).

The whole text can be found here.