GREAT BOSSES

David Axelrod, President Obama’s senior advisor and longtime political strategist, came home to hail the Chicago premiere of the HBO documentary By The People. Directors Amy Rice and Alicia Sams had the exclusive access and, thus, exclusive footage – shooting Obama from May 2006 to June 2009 – indispensable for an historic film. Among those at the screening was Lynn Sweet, who covered the campaign for the Chicago Sun-Times and is featured in the documentary. She said "the most important stuff in this movie is the stuff that shows Obama talking about Obama. That is why this is an important movie.”

In his introductory remarks Axelrod shared three basic premises Obama enumerated from the start of his campaign that are good rules for nonprofit leaders to live by:

* This was going to be a grassroots campaign. Everything was to percolate up. Issues, messages, organization start from the ground up.

* Have fun. The campaign was going to be long, hard work, so “we might as well have some fun while we’re doing it.”

* No finger pointing. There will be mistakes; things will go wrong, but no blaming others.

For those of us in nonprofit organizations, that means listening to and responding to our clients, donors, directors. Having fun is very good advice in this economic climate. Outlawing the blame game is a key factor in being able to build a successful, respectful team.

I gleam some of the same managerial wisdom from Phil Jackson’s Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior. One of the most successful coaches in NBA history, Jackson, who has dealt with some of the biggest egos in the universe, espouses selfless team play and compassion. Tall order from a tall man, however, it would behoove nonprofit managers to tap the potential of the human spirit in their midst and not to work in isolation or their own version of corporate silos. Good relationships are vital to success in work, as well as in one’s personal life. Stressing fun along with self-discipline can motivate and stimulate teamwork among disparate followers. If it’s good enough for the Commander in Chief….
Photo credit: Kuni Takahashi