Posts tagged ‘Barack Obama’

Staying Awake in A New Era

January 23, 2009, 2:17 pm

A friend sent me this powerful quote from Martin Luther King Jr the other day and I wanted to pass it along. It is a great reminder for all of us in this time.

“One of the great liabilities of history is that all too many people fail to remain awake through great periods of social change. Every society has its protectors of the status quo and its fraternities of the indifferent who are notorious for sleeping through revolutions. But today our very survival depends on our ability to stay awake, to adjust to new ideas, to remain vigilant and to face the challenge of change.”

As the true leader that he is, I believe that President Obama is asking each of us to LEAD by staying awake and taking responsibility for the welfare of all, not just YOU and not just ME.  Let’s help each other awaken and STAY AWAKE.

To read Obama’s entire speech, click here

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Category: Collaboration, Great Turning, Leadership, paradigm shifts  |  Comment

The Leadership Challenge

November 6, 2008, 9:58 am

Last night I felt it, and I am sure you did, too!

As Michael Moore writes in his post today, “we have experienced a stunning, whopping, landslide of HOPE in a time of deep despair.”

One my mentors, James Kouzes, laid out a seemingly simple, yet powerful leadership model and evaluation tool for personal and organizational leadership in his 2002 best-seller, The Leadership Challenge.

After eight (8) long, painful years, America (the USA), has finally elected a leader that:

  • Models the Way
  • Inspires a Shared Vision
  • Challenges the Process
  • Enables Others to Act
  • Encourages the Heart

We have seen that anything is possible with focused intention, commitment, and ACTION. The world has been longing for a leader like Obama.

In Hebrew, “Obama” means Lightening. May he electrify and purify the past by co-creating and helping us all rebuild a better future. Let’s support this transition by awakening our own personal leadership practices.

We are all the messengers of change!

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Category: Career development, Collaboration, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Life Purpose, Publishing, change management, organizational development, paradigm shifts, talent management, team building  |  1 Comment