For the first time in a long time, Senator Obama is coming across as someone who is presidential and can address the challenges of someone (Wright) who seems to me to be one of the most narcissistic and self serving men I have observed in a while.   I have been wondering how Obama would handle someone like Wright, and I am now convinced that he can draw a line in the sand when needed.  I believe Obama just saved his reputation and his place on the November ballot.

Sometimes the most obvious and profound forms of leadership hit you up-side the head when you least expect it. I got in the car Sunday morning to go pick up my older son John from a friend’s house where he had spent the night. Minutes later, on the two lane rural highway ahead of me was a car accident that obviously had just happened, right at the intersection of another two lane road. No emergency vehicles had arrived yet, and there were a few men directing traffic and helping the victims to the roadside. I squinted as I got closer trying to make out the familiar looking figure in the Levis and white t-shirt. It was my son, waving his arms for traffic to slow and to move to the shoulders of the road. Turns out the accident was a mere stone’s throw from his friend’s house. Hearing the impact, John, his friend, and some other locals had sprung into action.

I followed his direction, and then pulled off for a few minutes, watching as my young son stepped seemingly effortlessly into control, surveying and directing the weekend traffic coming and going on the rural but busy road. Just then the fire truck pulled up and the Captain got out and shook my son’s hand, like a peer. He gave him a yellow jacket and a traffic control sign and let him get back to work. You see, my son is in training as a volunteer firefighter. His father is a fire captain, and John has waited for this day since his dad’s boots came up to his hips and the weight of his helmet toppled him over. He just turned 15, the legal age for one to start training as a volunteer and to go on calls and actually assist. But, of course, he’s been hanging out with his dad, uncles, and cousins at the volunteer station for years, hearing the men he aspires to be like exchange fire and rescue stories

I pulled back into the line of traffic. As I passed John, I instinctually asked, “Are you alright?” before I could edit myself. Of course he was alright! He was soaring, but his reply was simply, “Yeah, Mom, just keep the traffic moving.” So, I did. And then it hit me. This was his first call…and I had gotten to witness my son moving into the leadership role for which he is so intentionally grooming himself. Needless to say, there were tears streaming down my face as I drove back.

When his cousin dropped him back off at home, John was beaming and reliving every moment as he recounted each detail to me and his brother. We were all ears. Though his father and I are no longer together, we each know that our son will walk a mile in the shoes of the firefighters he knows and admires…and then outgrow them, exceed them. He is walking his own path and will either find or create the tools he needs to do so, whether he is a firefighter or not (and he probably will be!). So for anyone with a young leader in their life, I would say this: support them, love them, give them boundaries, listen to them as they figure it all out and, perhaps most importantly, be a mirror for what they need to see in and of themselves. And then, little by little, set them free to touch the lives that they will.

These Gen Y leaders seem to be ten steps ahead of even themselves, let alone those of us who are fortunate enough to nurture them. We walk a fine line between helping them get their footing and knowing just when to let go of their hands. But don’t worry, they’ll let us know when we hold too tightly or too long.

The last thing my son said to me that night was, “So, Mom…did you really cry when you were driving back home?”

“Yes…I’m so proud of you. I love you.”

He smiled at me and turned to go to bed. I heard him softly say, “I love you, too,” when he was safely out of sight.

The cover of the May Issue of Inc. Mag displays a picture of confident and quite sporty looking Gary Erickson who hit the big time from 1990-1991 when he developed the Clif Bar. The interesting thing about this story is that Erickson made the bar a household brand during a recession.

The article shares case studies of companies who did the same thing…they built a successful start-up during a down economy.

One case study that I found most fascinating was the story of Method…one of the coolest companies you’ll find today that makes soap and cleaning supplies from environmentally friendly supplies. The company built its recognition shortly following the Dot Com Bust, and founders Adam Lowry and Eric Ryan believe that the slow economy helped Method become one of the fastest growing companies in today’s biz world. As Ryan said in the Inc. article, “The hungriest wolves hunt best.” Tis so true.

I am not going to tell you all of the nitty gritty details about the article…pick up a copy and dive into the information…it is really great. However, I will give you a few tips offered:

1) During a down economy, it is a great time to sign up new customers who are looking for a more competitive price.

2) Look for opportunities to barter for or hire outsourced talent. Companies will be looking for ways to keep their talent busy as customers drop off.

3) Contact companies who are going through layoffs to inquire about seasoned talent that might be available for your start-up.

4) Offer a discount to customers who pay upfront or in full.

Harvard Business Review has some really great conversation starters.

Crisis Communications and American Airlines Posted by Kathy Bloomgarden on April 17 is a wonderful read on communicating during a crisis.  She focuses on the recent challenge with American Airlines and offers some very sound suggestions that we can all learn from.

NEWS

Contact:
Lee B. Salz
Business Expert Webinars
Chief Executive Officer
9784 Troy Lane, Minneapolis, MN 55311
763.416.4321
lsalz@businessexpertwebinars.com

April 21, 2008, Minneapolis, MN - Business Expert Webinars (BEW), an international community of business experts, comprising best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus, announced its launch today with more than 100 speakers and 700 live business education webinars that begin airing in May 2008.

“We are using webinar technology to deliver business eLearning,” said Lee B. Salz, President and CEO of Business Expert Webinars. Topics include all genres of business -sales, networking, public relations, marketing, real estate, human resources, entrepreneurship, management and many others. Visitors interested in participating can view the extensive schedule and sign up for webinars at BusinessExpertWebinars.com. Each webinar is taught by a live presenter on the phone and is supported by a presentation delivered over the Internet.

“People are frustrated with the free webinar offerings where the price of admission is a sales and marketing pitch. Either the entire webinar is an infomercial or the content is delivered at a high-level in the session and concludes with, ‘if you really want to know how to do this, buy my CD, DVD, book, etc.’ Thus, they aren’t really free,” said Salz.

Leadership expert and co-author of Millennial Leaders, and EDGE: A Leadership Story, Bea Fields is one of the experts who will be featured through Business Expert Webinars. “It is an honor to be partnering with Business Expert Webinars, Lee Salz and over 100 top professionals to bring a few cutting edge leadership classes which are relevant to today’s business world,” said Fields. “This webinar platform is first in class and will offer business leaders the opportunity for ongoing learning and development from the comfort of their own office at a very affordable price. I have viewed the list of upcoming classes, and the business community is in store for a real treat.”

About Business Expert Webinars
Business Expert Webinars is an international community of business experts that comprises best-selling authors, award-winning speakers, and business gurus. For more information, visit BusinessExpertWebinars.com.

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