Media Room - Newsletters
Mike's Message
A New Day
Two days after Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the U.S., I found myself quite coincidentally on a business trip in Washington, D.C. On Friday morning I awoke, got dressed and left the hotel at 6 a.m. for what was going to be a short morning run.
As I headed up Pennsylvania Avenue, I found myself wondering if I could make it to the Lincoln Memorial and back. It was a longer run than I had planned on, but something was tugging at me to get there. I ran around the pond and as I made my way up the steps I saw a security guard watching over the scene. He was an African American man, probably in his late 60’s, guarding the site and watching the joggers pass by. Several people stopped and briefly spoke with him. Others offered big high-fives.
When I had my turn at the top of the stairs and our palms met, I said, “It’s a new day isn’t it?” – and he gave me a wide, peaceful smile and said, “Oh yes, man - what a new day it is!”
Thoughts onPurpose:
Intentional Leadership - "Vote Early ...and Often"
One week after final election results, the presidential campaign is yesterday's news. With the drama subsiding, it is easy to forget that for almost two years we followed the news, watched debates, read campaign platforms, and finally got the chance to stand in line and cast our ballot.
Each of us who voted did so with the intention of creating a desired future. We chose the candidate we believed was more likely to make that future come true, and acted accordingly - in record numbers.
While the high level of engagement and high voter turnout is great news for our democracy, it has also created some fall-out. If your candidate prevailed, it was likely a jubilant and triumphant event. But if your candidate did not win, the incredible effort, hope and engagement can leave a wake of resentment.
Regardless of which group we belong to, the question we all have to grapple with is: "What now?"