"It's the Internet stupid!"

In 1967 Marshall McLuhan proposed that "The Medium is the Message" which "Baby Boomers" embraced, but apparently lost their grip if the loss of Hillary Clinton is any indication. McLuhan was old enough to be a Baby Boomer's parent, so maybe his observation skipped a generation to land on Obama and be well articulated by Tom Friedman in The World is Flat.

Obama is of the age of Google and "open source" inclusiveness, the Clintons and especially McCain are of the "command and control" generation. What Obama knows is that you can't fight the Internet and that any attempt at taking a command and control position as McCain and the Clintons appear to does not feel like you are in command, but that you are anxious about losing control.

Granted one should not be overly trusting in a dangerous world, but to appear controlling and distrustful looks downright paranoid. Perhaps the best outlook to take is actually one that Ronald Reagan elaborated. Be positive, be optimistic (as he was compared to the downbeat Jimmy Carter) and trust…but verify.

As the final campaigns to election proceeds look for McCain to look increasingly stern, confrontational and to his detriment like he's taking attacks personally (again a posture that plays poorly over the Internet and YouTube). And look for Obama to be a quick study, and as he grows more "presidential" to become more comfortable with power and to confront when necessary, but to do so without an edge.

Dr. Mark Goulston is a former UCLA professor who helps high performing leaders, senior management and sales people reach their full potential using skills he learned training FBI and police hostage negotiators. He is a member of the National Association of Corporate Directors and the Worldwide Association of Business Coaches and writes the weekly Tribune syndicated career advice column, "Solve Anything with Dr. Mark" and columns on leadership for FAST COMPANY and Directors Monthly and is an expert at People Jam. He is frequently called upon to share his expertise with regard to contemporary business, national and world news by television, radio and print media including: Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Newsweek, Time, Los Angeles Times, ABC/NBC/CBS/Fox/CNN/BBC News, Oprah, and Today. Mark Goulston is the author of The 6 Secrets of a Lasting Relationship, Get Out of Your Own Way: Overcoming Self-Defeating Behavior, Get Out of Your Own Way at Work and PTSD for Dummies. For more information visit: www.markgoulston.com.

Update on Aug 31, 2008 by At Basil & Spice

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