obama on selling high and buying low

September1

Lately, I get the sense that Obama has confused leadership with salesmanship.

Leaders aren’t salesmen because leaders aren’t sellers. I believe they are buyers. They buy into shared interests, instead of selling out to conflicting requirements.

In a way (possibly by way of ancient Greece), that was the point of Arthur Miller’s play: Death of a Salesman.

death of a salesman the worthy protagonist, Willy Loman, ended up broke, alone, and defeated because he couldn’t lead anyone, anywhere, to anything – because he was too busy selling.

Instead of buying in, Willy was selling out.

Sound familiar?

It should.

Striking deals that are riddled with pervasive conflicts of interest has become a hallmark of Obama’s version of Presidency.

If Dr. Pappas at Radford University reads this post (his crafty disdain for computers nonetheless), he would gleefully recognize Aristotle’s hand in all of it and mutter “Hamantia“ – and with both fists raised. Yes, he certainly might.

Peace be to my Brothers and Sisters.

Brian Patrick Cork

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Tags: Aristotle, Arthur Miller, Barack Obama, Corollary, Culture, Dr. Nick Pappas, Hamantia, Infamy, leadership, Salesmanship

posted under Books, Culture, Education, Government, History, Radford University

3 Comments to

“obama on selling high and buying low”

September 2nd, 2009 at 4:05 am Drew Tilghman Says:
i’ll buy that.
good leaders invest themselves on things that are priceless.
September 2nd, 2009 at 11:47 am Brian Patrick Cork Says:
Cheers Drew.

In this case, certainly, we need Obama to invest in the Constitution and a genuine plan. I observe him and recognize a mistake I see many first time managers, CEO’s, leaders (etc) make – they are unfamiliar with outlining a plan, rallying the appropriate resources around it, and execution.

This brings into light one of the original intents of the Continental Congress – which was to outline a plan for the development and growth of the colonies towards becoming a country. Individual leaders served in various capacities at the pleasure of the Congress. This is what modern CEO’s do; report to the Board of Directors and execute a plan outlined (in theory) by a body of experienced citizens founded in common goals.

Obama has virtually no experience doing anything. And, he seems more intent on making a point as opposed to making progress. I am now more concerned than ever that he will find himself more and more at odds with the House and Senate (even his own party) as he fails to identify battles he can win that are any good for the country.

Cork
July 26th, 2010 at 6:05 am obama isn’t picking his battles, he’s choosing defeat « The Unsinkable brian cork Says:
[…] of buying in, Willy was selling out. I have gone into more detail around that with an earlier post: obama on selling high and buying low. Sound familiar? It should: striking deals that are riddled with pervasive conflicts of interest […]

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