Why Leadership Coaching Matters - A Lesson Learned the Hard Way

During the 1990's the professional political consultant emerged as a definitive player in American politics. As a young woman in this burgeoning field this was the time I first encountered the men who are now the top advisers to our nation's leaders. We sat around tables in shabby campaign headquarters and airport restaurants discussing the path to victory for our candidates. Even then the seeds of my passion were clear: authentic leadership, clear communication and real world results as the path to victory. Unfortunately, my approach was usually overridden by the lure of massive television ad campaigns and scathing attacks on the opponent.

After losing numerous battles (and too many heart-breaking races) I left the day-to-day life of a professional politico and embarked on my current path to improve the quality of leadership in our public bodies by developing individual leadership skills. Many of my former counterparts are now ensconced in and around the halls of power and their win-at-all-costs attitudes are a large factor in the political morass in which we currently find our country-and in President Obama's case the perilous state of his campaign.

The latest Pew Research Poll revels that Governor Romney pulled ahead of President Obama after his dismal performance in last week's debate. Anyone watching the debate could see that the President's demeanor and preparation focused on the belief that Romney's policies and persona had doomed him to defeat. There was absolutely nothing in the President's presentation that revealed his passion for the position and his desire to move forward on his vision. He was there to vanquish an inferior opponent and his arrogance may have cost him the campaign.

But it wasn't just his misinterpretation of the situation that got him here. His advisers had crafted a path victory paved with micro-targeted voters bombarded with tailored wedge issues rather creating a message based in the belief that ultimately the candidates who prevail are inspired leaders courageous enough to share their vision and values with the voters. Authentic leaders are not just after a job or a victory they are passionately committed to creating real and sustained change in the world regardless of the title or position they may hold at the time. While Romney certainly didn't exhibit this level of leadership in the debate, he allowed his very real disdain for Obama and his policies to come through.

Which bring us to the most tragic part of this story, that ultimately Obama's vision for America is the path we need to take. He understands the need to bring everyone along, to find ways to weave together the best of the public and private sectors and to create a future where communities are built on equality and prosperity and not the pursuit of the almighty dollar. This is the real Obama-a man with a history of overcoming challenges and doing so as he helped others along. He is a man who has created a solid family and a prosperous life from humble beginnings and he had the strength to pursue he vision all the way to the White House. And that is where the story goes wrong, because in that place he allowed his insecurities about "how Washington works" to overtake his vision for how it can be better.

That was the Obama that was on display last week and that is the Obama that destroyed what should have been an easy saunter to the finish line. Now Obama and his advisers much retrench, figure out how to better attack and show the voters the "real" Romney. Too bad this approach will squeeze every bit of humanity out of the race and leave voters beleaguered heading into Election Day.

What a sad turn of events from four years ago, when record numbers of people turned out to vote for a new day, a new face and a President who would do it differently. That is the "real" Obama, one that has been hidden this term and it is the one that if I were sitting around the table with him that I would say needs to be fully present in the final weeks of the campaign.

I have spent the past two decades honing my ability to see the best in others and helping them communicate what this is to those around them so that they can achieve their vision. It is not a skill people have to learn, rather it is an experience that once someone has it they can never go back to pretending to be someone else. What I wouldn't give for an hour with President Obama and the chance to see what he could accomplish as a man true to himself. Not only would it change the course of this election, it could change the course of our country. For without leaders true to themselves in service to others, the road ahead looks long and dark indeed.

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What I Learned From the Debate

In looking at the forest of the second Presidential debate and not the trees, here is what I saw:

1. Americans don't want government interfering in their lives and yet they want to know how the next President is going to help them go to college, lower gas prices and find a job.

2. It is now acceptable to say anything to "get elected" and the public is not going to hold officials accountable as long as it doesn't impact them directly.

3. That being President means you are responsible for everything that goes wrong within the government and have no part in what goes right-even in the face of a status quo that encourages animosity and disdain from the other branches of government, not cooperation.

So the first thought that occurs to me is why would any sane person want this job? The second is how are any of these issues going to be successfully addressed until the American people come to terms with their own cognitive dissonance around our relationship with government?

In this Presidential election as in many of the other down ballot races this year the choice has become a vote the between either the philosophy of allowing a free market profit motive to drive society or a government centric vision that views itself as the final authority. In the battle to ensure each side's worldview reigns supreme have we lost site of insanity of the arguments they are making? And what about us-as voters in a democracy are we going to take responsibility for our fuzzy thinking and allow our elected officials to lead in a way that will actually address the issues we face or rather do we prefer they simply tell us what we want to hear?

Some specific examples:

· Governor Romney repeatedly pointed to high gas prices, high unemployment high cost of education as a failure of the Obama administration and he asserted as President he would do better. Yet according to his philosophy, all these things really ought to be up to the free market to determine. If people are willing to pay $5 a gallon for gas and the suppliers can make a profit so be it. If this puts a crimp on family budgets, work harder and figure out how to make more money, this is an individual issue and not one that should be clouded by government intervention. In his pursuit of the presidency he postures as if he believes this is an issue in which he should have a role.

· President Obama spent much of his time defending his record of the past four years as if he alone is able to move much of anything forward without Congressional cooperation. The posturing of incumbent Presidents that they alone have made something happen is absurd-both to my previous point that it is much easier to cast blame towards them and to the idea that nothing can be truly implemented without bipartisan support. President Obama needs to level with the American people about the enormous limitations of governing in a politically toxic environment and he needs to substantially revamp his approach to this challenge if he is to serve a second term.

· In the town hall debate format the third player in this election gets a small role-the public. If these undecided voters are a reflection of the greater electorate is there any wonder why we have the problems we have? Where is their leadership? So many of the questions come from a place of being totally unempowered and looking up to these powerful men to solve these problems for them. Regardless of your partisan sympathies no government, no business, no one is going to do for you what you are unwilling to do for yourself. Ultimately it is up to each person to determine their quality of life, to create it and not look to someone else to do it for them. In addition, it is up to each of us to hold our elected officials accountable for their leadership in creating a partnership that fosters growth and doesn't impede it.

In working with hundreds of people to improve their leadership efficacy I know that what people want for themselves and for others is to be happy, fulfilled, secure and free to do what they love. Yet somehow in the evolution of our democracy we have become convinced that there is only one way to get there and we must crush those who believe otherwise. This is not only absurd; it is diminishing our ability to create what we want for our society and ourselves. If we are to move forward it is time to look in the mirror and become the leader we want to see in the world.

Being President is not the only way to solve problems-in fact; it is one of the slowest avenues to change. If you see something that you want changed in your life or in your community-ask yourself what YOU can do to be a part of the solution and then GO DO IT. As each person takes greater responsibility for putting their talents, skills and passion into the world real, change occurs. When this happens in greater numbers it won't matter if it is a business or government or as Democrats or Republicans-in fact when individual leadership blossoms who is President will matter a whole lot less and who you are as a leader will matter a whole lot more.

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