Inspiring change with powerful national symbols
Read moreContinuing on the theme of our last post, how would I have advised Mr Biden to use the setting of the Lincoln Memorial to his advantage? As we observed previously, President Lincoln is a rare figure in American history—an image of unity and inclusion admired by Republicans and Democrats alike. In this vein, Joe Biden could have stood before the majestic
Two stories president Biden can use to encourage unity
Read moreIn the early days of Joe Biden’s presidency, I was curious to see how he would address the nation in his first policy speeches. By virtue of the coaching work I have done with a wide variety of individuals, I generally like to discover what I can from the speaking of newly elected officials. Of course, I do not recommend
Mr Biden’s missed opportunities
Read moreWhen I sat down to write the last post, it occurred to me that two of the primary themes of the new president’s early days in office align nicely with the type of speechmaking I have been prescribing for him. As usual, when I discuss anything related to politics, I like to state clearly that I am not an expert
Two personal stories that Joe Biden could tell
Read moreAs I wrote last time, Margaret Thatcher’s masterful political discourse provides a model for some of the ways President Biden might think about addressing his constituents. When Mrs Thatcher convinced her countrymen to rediscover some “forgotten” facets of their national character—initiative, self-reliance, collective responsibility and human decency—she pointed to those as fundamental values of the British middle class. She complemented
How President Biden might use the experience of Thatcher and De Gaulle
Read moreContinuing on the theme of last time, I have often wondered if leaders today can still learn from the discourse of transformational public figures of earlier eras. This is not an easy question to answer. On the one hand, many have argued that the communication challenges for world leaders in 2021 are far more complex and thorny than in years past.
Can lessons from the past help Joe Biden today?
Read moreThe protagonists of our two previous posts, Charles De Gaulle and Margaret Thatcher, are illustrations of a point I like to make when I teach or speak about leadership: Particularly in times of crisis, a skillful leader often takes a narrative that has been dormant and brings it back into focus. As such, De Gaulle’s use of story and symbol was so