that Obama “is a child of a child of the 1960s.” Brooks calls
Obama’s post-baby-boomer cohort the “temperate generation.”
It is also the first generation to grow up wired. Time will tell if
Obama is a truly transformational figure. But in his sober, stir-
ring victory speech, he made it clear that he will be president of
all Americans as well as a citizen of the world. He promised a
collaborative administration that would include Republicans.
And he spoke of the need for sacrifice as the country faces its
many challenges. A steady, deliberative leader whose mantra
was “yes we can,” Obama galvanized young voters as no presi-
dent had since JFK, and it is likely that Obama’s example will
inspire many to enter public life. As Missouri senator Claire
McCaskill observed, while the votes were still being counted:
“Another generation of leaders was born in this election.”
The Greeks believed that excellence was based on a perfect
balance of eros and logos, or feeling and thought, which to-
gether allow us to understand the world on all levels, from “the
concrete contemplation of the complete facts.” True under-
standing derives from engagement and from the full deploy-
ment of ourselves. As John Gardner once said, talent is one
thing, while its triumphant expression is another. Only when
we are fully deployed are we capable of that triumphant expres-
sion. Full deployment, engagement, hone and sharpen all of
one’s gifts, and ensure that one will be an original, not a copy.
LEADERS, NOT MANAGERS
I tend to think of the differences between leaders and managers
as the differences between those who master the context and
those who surrender to it. There are other differences, as well,
and they are enormous and crucial:
Understanding the Basics