--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" wrote: > > Maybe the office itself will change him; maybe the faith > the voters have invested in him will compel him to rise > above his own limitations. His restrained, solemn, almost > withdrawn demeanor during his victory speech suggested to > me that he was coming to grips with what had just happened > in a new way and beginning to feel the full extent of the > awsome, terrifying responsibility that has settled on his > shoulders.
His demeanor seemed in keeping with his personality, and with his desire not to alienate the other side, as well as the awesome task ahead. But your remarks makes me think of a teaching by an MIU classmate whose latest book is called "Extreme Leadership." Steve Farber worked with Tom Peters before opening his own management consultancy and public speaking practice. His latest book has a secton on the importance of the "OS!M," which is the moment when you realize that you've undertaken something so awesome and extreme that you can hardly believe what you've done. Steve gives the example of tobogganing or luging down a steep, icy slope. You slip over the crest and start your descent, and at that moment, you think, "Oh shit!" That's the Oh Shit! Moment, or OS!M for short. Steve's point is that extreme leadership demands these OS!Ms. He writes about them here: http://www.stevefarber.com/read/#pursue That expression on Obama's face last night - that acceptance speech that George Stephanopoulos said was the most subdued he'd ever seen - may have been influenced by his own OS!M. > I've never wished anybody well so hard in my life. I know what you mean.
