Black In Business

I am so proud of my son Talib. He is affected by autism and true to his name he is a fighter.Recently I was at an event in which Mrs Michele Obama was the speaker. I was given the opportunity to ask the last question. I made a suggestion that as first lady, Mrs Obama use her clout to lead this nation toward a cure for autism.
Mrs Obama provided an eloquent answer and it seemed to be heartfelt. I told her about Talib’s web page and how he had a goal to raise 1000 dollars for the Obama campaign. Talib loves Obama because of; Obama is black and his name Barack, is a name Talib indentiflies with.
After I spoke of Talib’s story and his fund rasing, a couple of women donated several hundred dollars to this cause. It was spontaneous and appreciated.
I am sharing this story with you so, you can see how to set up your own Obama fund raising page, and so you can visit Talib’s site and consider a small donation. Your donation will help bring change and elect a President. Keep Hope Alive.

The Obama campaign has proven to be a thing of beauty in terms of; vision, execution, communication, revenue building, leadership and results. Despite heavy critics it has been an almost flawless campaign. From a business perspective, there are lessons included that we should take note. Here is my list.

1 This campaign has a clear vision that is measurable, and has a timeframe to commit to. Many in the business may refer to this as a strategic intent statement. An example often used as a good one is John Kennedy’s, “We will send a man to the moon and return him home safely, by the end of the decade. Everyone knows the mission and the timeframe.
Senator Obama has been very clear that Change and Yes we can are the hallmarks of his campaign. The timeframe is every primary and on to the fall election. Ask any body what does Obama stand for? The majority will say change or yes we can. What is the vision of your company?

2 In election politics, there is no second place. It is either win or lose. At one point Senator Obama won 11 in a row. I knew then it was over. It is critical to have a way to know how well you execute. This usually involves results and a time frame.

3 As we use to say back in the day,” Master of The Rap!” Barack has used outstanding communication skills to set his vision, inspire the public and to overcome critical feedback. As Frank Sinatra would say, “I did it my way!” Barack has done it his way. Classy, by speaking of change, he separate himself through a positive agenda. Many felt he should go negative but he stood firm in his belief, which reinforced his vision of change.

4 Barack has changed the game of fund raising and influence by raising unheard sums of money. He used the internet and small donors. He has people interested in politics for the very first time All of the previous 3 reasons contributed to point 4.

5. Barack’s leadership has made the people around him better. Everyone is on board and having fun. Other campaigns have bickering and some are broke. Barack has excelled in this area and it is obvious.

Barack has the results and will win the nomination. He has branded himself well and his inner circle carries and sells the brand well. He is a renaissance Black leader and a remarkable politician. Let me know your thought and if I missed much. Keep Hope Alive.

This is a difficult topic and I hope through some comments this post will be of value. My approach is using my life and business experiences to interpret opportunities for growth by analyzing the Clinton campaign. Your own interpretation will help us discover lessons we can use in business. Here goes my list.

1) Always have a plan B. Senator Clinton lacked the scenario planning discipline to answer a big what if. As in “what if the campaign is not over by Super Tuesday, how should we react?” She was victimized via a sense of entitlement. This entitlement caused poor unorganized effort in many states. Money was unwisely spent and the campaign was full of infighting. A simple what if and a detailed plan may have helped.
2) Do it now. A helpful exercise I did one time was to determine, how much time I had left. In business many statements start with someday. An example could be “Someday I will start my own business. Part of the reason for Clinton’s gallant effort, may have to do with this point. Tomorrow is never promised. A good exercise is to predict how long you will live based on your family tree’s history. Consider how many hours of leisure time you have and subtract that from your total. Depending on your point in life you may discover that someday needs to be now.
3) Lead your team. We have heard too much about infighting, low morale, and uncertain vision. These are all leadership issues. Senator Clinton may be a good manager but a poor leader. For example, the Obama campaign had few problems.
4) Refine your strategy. The experience thing was not working. So despite a family income of over 100 million dollars the past 10 years, she redefined herself as a fighter for the blue collar white voters. In business, how quickly you change course of a poor strategy will help revenue growth.
5) Never, give up! The Senator has shown a wiliness to stick this thing out. She may have gone too far. Business is all about rejection and if you quit early you lose.

That is my top 5, help us out . I would love to hear some more. Keep Hope Alive

The White boy pundits of politics were meek early this morning. Yesterday they called Barack a punk over Rev. Wright. They said he was non confrontational, weak or aloof. None of these adjectives are descriptions you want to see in a President. I am convinced the young pundits are jealous of Barack. Here they are, doing well for themselves but a big part of their job today is to speak about a Blackman that has passed them by. Many of these pundits were born privileged and connected. They started off on third base and thought they hit a triple. These guys had a field day when Barack showed little in bowling they said no way he was an athlete. Now that the clips of Barack driving to the hole have surfaced, they are meek over the macho stuff. Morning Joe even conceded that Barack is likely our next President.
What has this to do with business? A lot. When you decide you want to better your life or move on from your current existence, you will leave some behind. As you make your goals and speak about the life style you want in life, you may scare your friends with no goals. Some people will try to discourage you. You will hear you don’t have what it takes. The guys on the corner will want you there with them, aimlessly, playing the dozens, sipping drinks, enjoying life. You will be considered arrogant, full of yourself and worst yet, acting white!
Little good in life comes without effort. I recall in Syracuse, New York, when I was 24 years old, nice Sunday afternoons. The action was in the park, friends were playing hoops, backgammon, slipping cheap wine and some smoking weed. The sun was shining and the park of full of nice ladies. I had to spend Sunday updating my establishment profile cards to turn in on Monday. I could not hang. A real good friend told me, he did not understand why I was messing with this corporate stuff. He said I was a hustler, and hustling was in my blood. This guy was 41 but he hung with the young guys. We had a lot of fun but he would not accept my new vision. I have not be around him in decades. I made the decision when he was living in my apartment and unable to pay rent because he had no job. After I made the decision to put him out, our friendship went with my decision.
My advice is to surround yourself with winners and those that share your value. You need friends that motivate you and are not envious of your efforts. Are you prepared to lose face in the community as you chase your dream? It had to be painful for Barack to realize his mentor did not care for his goal to move pass Chicago’s Southside. He did what he had to do, will you?
Do not misunderstand this, you can keep your roots in the community and someday your friends that do not want you to grow, will speak of your accomplishments with pride. Follow your goals and never take your eye off the prize.

I hope Black business people particularly those that are young are following the Obama campaign. The road blocks coming in the way of Senator Obama’s path to the White House are there for us all to learn from. Just think, here is a brother who has done the right things. He has received a quality education from Institutions among the best in the nation. He is married and is father to 2 children; there are no whispers of womanizing, heavy drinking or arrest. Our previous President was an alleged womanizer; our current President was a drunk and a slacker. Yet our brother’s choice of Pastor has become a major campaign issue. Jimmy Carter brother was a drunk, Bill Clinton’s a drug dealer, and Reagan’s kids did not speak to him. None of this stuff mattered.
The point is, Barack had this thing wrapped upped, he won 10 states in a row. He won in white states, historically racist states, and appeared to have transcended race. It seemed as though he had it made. We never have it made and the better you do in business be aware, race can and most often become an issue for you. There are 2 sets of rules, one rule book is white and the other black.
The big corporate owned TV news coverage is ripping the Rev. Wright Issue to death. I ask you, what has this to do with 4 dollar gas prices, high food prices, credit crisis, unemployment, weak dollar, and 4000 dead soldiers over a lie, deficit spending, and dropping home prices? I do not care who Barack’s friends are. I didn’t not care Clinton was a womanizer. I did care that Bush and Chaney had arrest for drunken driving but America did not care. Why is this issue so prominent in the news? Maybe Black we have found an answer to the question? Is Barack Black enough? He is and now the establishment is trying to make him too Black.2 Sets of rules; Ronald Regan announced his quest for the Presidency in Philadelphia Mississippi. He was from California, but he choice a site where civil rights workers had been killed. That was not an issue.
I enjoyed both of Rev. Wright’s speeches; he is an brilliant man and strong orator. He spoke the truth. Having said that I have to wonder, Rev. Wright, what is going on? Rev. Wright, you had to know this would hurt Obama. You appear jealous and angry. If Barack loses, his loss will stain your legacy. What were you thinking. Somebody out there, help us understand. What do you think?