Hope is NOT a Strategy:
Leadership Lessons from the Obama Presidency
By D. M. Lukas and John L. Mariotti ©2012 All Rights Reserved
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The phrase “Hope is not a strategy” was first used in recent times by Benjamin Ola Akande, an economist, scholar, and Dean of the Business School at Webster University in Saint Louis in an open letter to President Barack Obama in 2009. What Akande meant was that Obama – and any other president – needed to act. He cannot wish away problems. There must be a concentrated effort to solve problems and to increase opportunities. Sitting around thinking about how the current situation could be better would not change anything. Certainly, hope and prayer can help, but one must also be prepared to do his/her part in achieving the goal.
Our purpose in this book is less to be critical of Barack Obama and his presidency, and more to find the lessons in the mistakes made, so they are less likely to be repeated. We believe that failures represent some of the greatest of life’s learning opportunities. By taking these very public and very painful failures and extracting the lessons from them, we want to help future generations to avoid those mistakes—those failures.
Most of all, we know that these lessons can be transferred to the world of business too—especially in the United States of America. It is our fervent belief that many of these lessons will help Americans in all walks of life be more successful, and they, in turn, will help our great nation return to economic growth and prosperity.
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION: Hope is Not A Strategy
I. LEADERSHIP
CHAPTER ONE: Style Is Only More Important Than Substance—Temporarily
CHAPTER TWO: Speeches Are Not Plans—or Strategies
CHAPTER THREE: Don’t Change Your Values to Fit Your Audiences
CHAPTER FOUR: You Never Win Pitting Groups in an Organization Against Each Other
CHAPTER FIVE: Integrity Is Your Most Important Asset
CHAPTER SIX: What Do You Do When Nobody Is Following Your Lead?
II. EXPERIENCE AND PEOPLE
CHAPTER SEVEN: There’s No Substitute for Real Experience
CHAPTER EIGHT: You Are Only as Good as the People You Surround Yourself with
CHAPTER NINE: You Are Known by the Company You Keep
CHAPTER TEN: Stay Humble, Don’t Believe Your Own Hype
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Beware the Pretender
III. TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES
CHAPTER TWELVE: Words And How You Use Them ARE Powerful
CHAPTER: THIRTEEN Be Prepared To Deal With The Consequences of Your Actions
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: When You Don’t Have The Answer—Don’t Try To Sound Like You Do
CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Take Responsibility For Your Actions—and Your Mistakes
CHAPTER SIXTEEN: There Are No Successful Victims
IV. MISTAKES AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: Noble Intentions Don’t Justify Screwing Up
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: If Something Is Too Big To Fail, It Will!
CHAPTER NINETEEN: Throwing Money At Problems Doesn’t Fix Them
CHAPTER TWENTY: All Spending Is Not “Investment”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: Victory By Definition Isn’t Victory
V. HOPE IS NOT A STRATEGY
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: Change For Change Sake Can Be Harmful
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: Wishing Doesn’t Make It Happen
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: Tactical Executives Lose…Strategic Executives Win
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE: The Humpty-Dumpty Principle
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Understand Your Customer Before You Try To Sell Them Something
VI. TIMELESS TRUTHS
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: Take Care Of The Stakeholders…They’ll Take Care Of You
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: Lack Of Focus Will Sink You
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: Accountability Will Make You
CHAPTER THIRTY: The Definition Of Insanity
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE: Make Three Envelopes
D. M. Lukas and John L. Mariotti, Columbus, OH 2012