As Congress challenges AIG’s CEO, and the politicians and pundits play the blame game, President Obama demonstrated his leadership skills once again as he declared simply, “Washington is all in a tizzy over who’s at fault. Some say it’s the Democrats’ fault, the Republicans’ fault. Listen, I’ll take responsibility, I’m the president.” This declaration and President Obama’s smart and eloquent public speaking prowess set the bar very high for everyone else — for corporate spokespersons, politicians and the rest of us. Obama’s style, which was criticized by his opponents and skeptics during his campaign as just that, style without substance or experience, has elevated the level of discourse in this country (and beyond). Despite any forgivable missteps during his first frenetic two months (it’s really only been two months) in office, there is no question that Obama’s intellect, public speaking ability and capacity to handle more than one challenge have reminded us what leadership and excellence look like. We take pride once again in intelligent, transparent and trust-worthy decision-making. As Obama takes responsibility, each of us needs to take responsibility to be the best that we can be — despite or because of these challenging times.
