You may have heard by now that President Obama has persuaded security folks that he can keep his Blackberry. It seems that while his phone will be limited to top staff and a small circle of friends, he will be able to keep it. One report I read said the “BarackBerry”, with it’s extra security, etc. is a $3000 phone (and today’s USA Today says it might not even be the Blackberry brand).
Perhaps you read this thinking, you’d love a job where you didn’t have to carry a cellphone and email with you, but that isn’t the point of this post. My point is different.
Consider this quote from the President. He “believes it (the Blackberry) is his way of keeping in touch with folks” so he doesn’t “get stuck in a bubble.”
Admittedly the challenges of communication are quite different for a President than for any of the rest of us as leaders. But this point is an important one. Leadership communication is critical to our success as a leader – and we need to be connected to the people that we lead, and to sources that keep us aware of the world around us.
So let me ask you: Are you doing the things you need to do to stay connected to all of the people you lead and to the sources of information that will make you well informed?
The second important point in this story of us as leaders is persistence. President Obama was told early on that it wouldn’t be possible for him to carry this device as a sitting President. I am sure, that there were many conversations and negotiations that led to him having a device in his hands. While there will be many more important issues that the President will deal with, he shows a great leadership skill in being persistent in getting something he feels passionate about.
So let me ask you: What issues are you passionate enough about to persistently work for?
These two questions are a great leadership activity. Spend a few minutes today reflecting on, and answering these questions for yourself, or perhaps even better yet, share these questions with other leaders and discuss your answers together.
These may not be the most strategic leadership questions you can consider today, but they are important to our long term success as a leader, and worthy of thought and conversation. As always, your thoughts and ideas are welcomed below.
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