A Little Bit of Everything.......

So much has been said and written about it already and yet, I could not let my space be without it. I would just feel out of the place if I don't pen down my thoughts on this here. :)... And so here I go.......

And finally, after much speculation and hype, the United States of America has elected its new leader – President Barack Obama.

This election was one of its kinds in many ways. Firstly, President Obama is the first “African-American” president in the history of America. This, of course, is very significant given that in the land which is the mother of “liberal thinking”, race tolerance is considerably low. Although the times have changed and there has been an apparent ascent in thinking, however, there is still a long way to go. Secondly, he has inherited the worst financial crisis of the century. Many thinkers have gone as far as claiming this even worse than the Great Depression of 1930. It could be a boon or a bane for him depending on what he and his cabinet make out of it. Thirdly, in the light of the current facts, this seems to be a pregnant point in the life time of the economic super power – a point where every decision will count, every strategy will have huge implications in shaping the future (of America and rest of the world), a point which will demand every ounce of intellect and statesmanship from him. And fourthly, he will have to face the worst (yet) terror threats and environmental concerns.

Beyond these obvious challenges are some hidden lessons for other countries and the leaders-to-be. Most important to my mind is the role of transparency in the whole process. It helped the voters to distinguish between the deliverables of each candidate. It also conveys to them how the candidates are screened and on what basis inappropriate candidates are eliminated and helps in building trust in their minds. Of course there would be imperfections, there always are. But this is a huge leap towards progress...

Then it drives home the point (more forcefully than ever) that politics remains the game of creating a public image and selling it. And that image was so masterfully crafted and designed and communicated that it would hardly be a surprise if it is recorded in the books as a case study for management students. 

His biggest strength was age and by logic the biggest weakness was lack of experience. But trust his luck to turn his biggest weakness into a blessing; for Americans (hit and battered) were looking at a candidate capable of bringing about a change is their lives and not someone who has immense experience in doing what is not needed in the present situation.

He seems to be making his mark all the way through the campaign. What with the extensive use of internet for campaigning, donning an unorthodox image, garnering a huge fortune to fund the campaign in a luxury never seen before and the most inspiring “Yes, We Can” speech! All throughout, he defied the old ways as if to reiterate the change that he promises to bring. 

Well, whether he can or he cannot is yet to be seen. The world desperately needs a leader and especially when the fates of virtually all economies would rest in the decisions made by this man, they would all want to cling to every shred of sunlight promised by him.

They say “adversity brings out the best in a man”. Let’s all trust it does because he is the Hope – for the jobless; the loss bearers; the producers and consumers; the economists and governments; the rich and poor; the tax-payers and pensioners; the youth and age; for the East and West; for the Whites and the Blacks and the Browns of the world.