We have witnessed something very special happening in the USA.
Not the fact that Barack Obama is now the next President
(although this will be a talking point for years to come).
The something very special is this: the candidate with the least amount of experience ( and probably knowledge) has won on the strength of his personal ‘x’ factor-his ability to ‘connect’ with people of all colours, race, age and background having sent millions of them into a voting frenzy.
So why is he so special? What does he have that others don’t? –and why does this mark such a significant turning point for anyone who wants to influence others?........
What Barack does so well, is show us who he is as a person-not just what he can do for us as President. He uses his personal magnetism when he talks to us, he walks with a confident, yet warm ‘swagger’. When he speaks, it’s as if he is speaking from the heart-even though he has a well written speech in front of him. His eyes don’t flit across the crowd; he fixes his gaze on individuals in the crowd. He paces his speech well-pausing regularly, whilst his audience hangs onto his every word.
When he smiles, he looks like he means it.
What he does that many leaders in the world today-and indeed in business, don’t -is show emotion. This ‘humanises’ him to the millions watching, because now they can relate to him. He gives the impression that he is a humble, family man-yet still the kind of guy who would appeal to people all over the world and who could be trusted to run the country. It’s not what he says that’s important, it’s how he makes us feel.
Do other leaders have the ingredients that Barack has? Perhaps.
The difference is-they don’t show us-partly because it’s somehow seemed unprofessional to be so appealing, and partly because they don’t have the confidence to show us their true colours. And sometimes, leaders just don’t have ‘it’.
The significance of Barack Obama reaching President is that it doesn’t just make it right for us to use our personality to win people over; it makes it a necessary ingredient to win.
Amana x
