Top Story

Lessons From The Campaign Trail

Leadership Principles For Innovators, Executives, and Entrepreneurs

Much of what I know about the physics of winning and success has been gleaned from my time on and around the campaign trail. Some people learn the timeless principles of leadership based on their experiences in the boardroom. Others get them in the newsroom or on the playing field—even from the battlefield. Mine have been born from the campaign trail, which is the reason I get on my "soapbox" every now and again to post my observations against the backdrop of breaking political news events.

The campaign trail, just like in the business world, is highly competitive. Because campaigns are launched from scratch every election cycle, they provide the ultimate entrepreneurial showcase. And unique to the campaign environment, it is under the constant glare of the media spotlight that day-to-day executive leadership is on full display. The electioneering laboratory is, therefore, rich with examples of why winners win and losers lose. It is the perfect observatory for understanding the characteristics that separate the successful from the aspiring.

On the campaign trail, the edge goes to those who can demonstrate a clear command of the principles that drive personal and organizational success. In this pursuit, new lessons emerge that are invaluable to innovators, executives, and entrepreneurs.

More

Water Cooler

  • The Early Days of Hope & Change (Part 3 of 3)

    By Henry De Sio 11/05/12 6:46 PM

    As the Obama for America organization reaches it's final moments, the following is a look back at the beginning (2007): 

    MANAGING CHAOS

    Unlike the traditional business startup where the assimilation of the workforce can be modulated and the culture systematically shaped, campaigns are hastily constructed and grow from seeds of turmoil and disarray. This caused a “Wild West” atmosphere in the beginning. What we were attempting was the organizational equivalent of creating a village from scratch, where a stream of people arrived all at once to a place that had no rules, no norms, and no structure. Chaos was the immediate consequence.

    Learn how Barack Obama took command of the culture and ethos of his budding organization: 

    View the C-SPAN video clip.

  • The Early Days of Hope & Change (Part 2)

    By Henry De Sio 11/05/12 5:19 AM

    The following is the second in a series describing the beginnings of Hope & Change:

    Arrival

    The migration to the campaign is a testament to the lure and reward of entrepreneurship. It is the uniquely American phenomenon of leaving everything behind to pursue the unimaginable. For many of us, the pilgrimage culminated at Obama for America (OFA) headquarters in Chicago, making it a gathering place for idealists, innovators, and risk takers.

Request as a Speaker

Leadership Lessons From The Campaign Trail

Step inside campaign headquarters for an unprecedented glimpse of what it's like to work in the hothouse atmosphere of a national presidential campaign.

Henry De Sio offers lessons from the campaign trail on winning and success that are invaluable for business professionals, entrepreneurs, and advocates alike. His stories offer something for everyone.

Henry is available for domestic and international speaking engagements.