The election is over... now what?

The election is over. Your candidate won or not, but we’ll have no more political ads or campaign promises for a while, and the questions about who will lead the country have been answered.

One thing about the election that I would like to say is that it was an excellent example of our system of government working as it should, as it was designed. Whether or not any of us agree with the outcomes of the presidential race or any other race is now irrelevant. What we witnessed during the campaigns, the election, and through the inauguration in January is the peaceful transfer of power from one administration to the next -- as we have done for over 200 years. No other nation, or certainly very few, can make that claim. So whether you are a Democrat reveling in the victory, a Republican fretting at what the next four years will bring, or an independent, take pride in knowing our system works as it should. It is certainly less than perfect but far better than any other on this planet.

I think the biggest shock and disillusionment over the next few years will come not from the McCain supporters, but rather from the Obama supporters. We need to understand that presidents don’t pass laws, Congress does. And Congressmen and Senators quite often have their own agendas. Campaign promises serve to get candidates elected and rarely come true. That is not to say that President Obama will be vastly different from candidate Obama, only that life as we know it in these United States will not become perfect on January 21st. It will take all of us – the Administration, Congress, and the citizenry – working together to make our nation a better place to live. And that is how it has always been here.

Finally, as a student and avid professor of leadership, I have to say again that the election is over. Beginning on January 20th, Barack Obama’s official address will be ‘Mr. President.’ As a nation, we have elected him as our head of state. We have had our say about who would lead us and the majority chose him. Consequently, we owe him our support, our counsel when we disagree with him, and our loyalty. After all, our loyalties are not to the individual, but to the office and the nation. I read an editorial this morning talking about the inevitable first international crisis that will occur after he assumes office. The author believes that will be the first true test and indicator of the new President’s abilities to lead. Let’s hope it goes well.

Currently working with a relatively small community bank on some leadership training, I have run into a fairly new challenge. I have no trouble connecting with new leaders and helping them become better in their leadership skills. I do it all the time. However, the group I am now working with includes a young lady who more or less refuses to be a leader. In our first of five sessions together, she more or less stated as much, saying she does not like giving direction to her tellers because it creates conflict. They give her the cold shoulder every time she tells them she needs them to do something.

It sounds to me like she simply does not want the responsibility of leading. I even asked her why she accepted the promotion to Head Teller, to which she never really replied, at least not directly. I think the bottom line is that she saw a raise in pay and took the position without considering the ramifications. Now her branch manager is frustrated because she won't take action, she is frustrated herself because of expectations being thrust upon her, and her subordinates are walking all over her because they know they can.

As I have said many times, leadership is not for the feint of heart. It takes courage to stand up for your subordinates while still getting them to do what you need them to do. It also takes the realization that you, upon accepting a leadership role, become one of "them," rather than one of us. This is especially true when promoted from within, as this young lady was.