Heres The REAL Reason Bush Won: The Dark Night Of The Leadership Soul

George Bush won the election because he was finally able to break out of the presidential bubble and give "leadership talks" on a consistent basis.

But to do it, he had to face the dark night of his leadership soul. And this is a lesson for ALL leaders.

The presidential bubble is that physical and psychological insulation that descends upon the president of the United States the moment he's sworn in.

Inside the bubble, people continually agree with him. Inside the bubble, he can give canned speeches in front of canned audiences ? all to his heart's content -- and think he's doing a great job as a communicator. But the bubble ultimately is a blight, and it almost destroyed the Bush presidency mainly because it kept him from giving what I call leadership talks.

Presentations and speeches primarily communicate information, but leadership talks are a much more effective leadership communication tool. They establish a deep, human emotional connection with people.

It's taken me 20 years of working with thousands of leaders around the world to identify what leadership talks are and to show how they should be given. However, leadership talks have been around since the dawn of history. In all cultures and countries, whenever a people had to do great things, one thing had to take place, a leader had to gather those people together and speak from the heart.

That heartfelt speech to win the hearts of key segments of voters was what George Bush was lacking in the campaign, especially throughout the debates in which he was beaten badly by John Kerry.

After those debates, George Bush faced the dark night of his leadership soul. It happens to many leaders when they realize that in order to succeed they have to abandon what worked before for them and jump off a cliff and make their wings on the way down.

FDR faced it when he got polio and responded by seeking to continue in political life with wisdom and persistence and compassion. Winston Churchill faced it at Dunkirk. Harry Truman faced it in 1948 when it looked as if he would be defeated by Tom Dewey, and he made his now famous whistle stop campaigning that enabled him to come from behind and win. Ronald Reagan faced it when he decided that he would run for president at 68 years old.

George Bush faced it after the debates. He could have remained in the presidential bubble and given his canned speeches in front of canned audiences. But instead, he decided to go out there and be himself and lay it all on the line. During the last weeks of the campaign, he pretty much dispensed with the canned and just stood up there and spoke from the heart to voters in the battleground states. For the first time in the campaign, he was out of the bubble giving leadership talks. And it made all the difference in the world.

Leaders take note. When you face the dark night of your leadership soul and must take new action to get new results, break out of whatever bubble you might be in and start giving leadership talks.

2004 © The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION TO REPUBLISH: This article may be republished in newsletters and on web sites provided attribution is provided to the author, and it appears with the included copyright, resource box and live web site link. Email notice of intent to publish is appreciated but not required: mail to: brent@actionleadership.com.

About The Author

The author of 23 books, Brent Filson's recent books are, THE LEADERSHIP TALK: THE GREATEST LEADERSHIP TOOL and 101 WAYS TO GIVE GREAT LEADERSHIP TALKS. He is founder and president of The Filson Leadership Group, Inc. ? and has worked with thousands of leaders worldwide during the past 20 years helping them achieve sizable increases in hard, measured results.

Sign up for his free leadership ezine and get a free guide, "49 Ways To Turn Action Into Results," at www.actionleadership.com.

---

What Every Manager Should Know About How to See the Talents of Effective Leaders

An organization of any size, from the family to the... Read More

Ten Steps To Effective Leadership

Many people end up in a supervisory position or SOHO... Read More

Teen View of Leadership From Around the World

It has been stated that the world of tomorrow will... Read More

Building Teams and Teamwork

A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More

The Three Essential Attributes of a Leader: (Part 2) Bringing Others to the Vision

We need to engage our listeners and transform them into... Read More

Birth Order - Understand How It Affects Your Personality

"Know thyself" is a powerful principle that leaders, managers and... Read More

Leadership Lessons from Pope John Paul II

"Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge... Read More

The Greatest Leaders Are Often The Worst Leaders

It's a common occurrence, a CEO leads a company to... Read More

The Qualities of Skillful Leadership

If you want to be a leader who attracts quality... Read More

8 Questions to Ask if You Want to be a Better Leader

Those that have successfully made the transition from manager to... Read More

Develop a We Focus And Not a Me Focus

"There's only one thing more contagious than a good attitude... Read More

The Challenge to Lead

The topic of leadership has been and continues to be... Read More

Shades of Grey: Government, Religion, & People

Some think that everything is black and white. I'm beginning... Read More

Leadership: Wisdom of the Ages

If you gather 100 experienced leaders together to share with... Read More

Ten Qualities Of A Great Leader - Plus 1

Great Leaders are optimists first and foremost. Their tendency is... Read More

Leadership Activity: How Leadership Agenda, Strategy, and Behaviors Shape Your Success!

"Forward, as occasion offers. Never look round to see whether... Read More

Father Knows Best

A good strong example of a family leader would be... Read More

Leadership Skill Training

Quality leadership is a positive asset that is needed in... Read More

Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 3, Drifting From the Topic

Although new ideas lead to creative solutions, they can be... Read More

Reinventing Failure: Designing Success

I am fascinated by problems. I like to think of... Read More

Mentor? Who Needs A Mentor?

Who needs a mentor. . .everyone who is truly serious... Read More

Creating Unlimited Belief for Success!

What's holding your team back from experiencing "breakout performance"?It may... Read More

Choose To Become An Encourager

"...I know that the only source of happiness is within... Read More

Leadership

Webster's defines leadership as : "1. the office of position... Read More

5 Power Keys For Leadership Success!

Did you know that you can successfully handle most leadership... Read More

Elements of Timeless Leadership

Great leadership is timeless, always in vogue. The world has... Read More

10 Attributes of Effective Strategic Leaders!

Did you know that people who lead strategically resemble fine-tuned... Read More

Leadership and Power - Being the Boss Doesnt Guarantee Either of Them

Some people mistakenly associate supervisory positions, or seats of power,... Read More

Awaken the Leader in You: 10 Easy Steps To Develop Your Leadership Skills

"The miracle power that elevates the few is to be... Read More

Effective Leaders are (#1) Conceptual

SEE INTO THE FUTURE CREATIVELY AND PRACTICALITY: Planning day-to-day is... Read More

Being Other Focused

In the Wall Street Journal, Franklin Lavin, U.S. Ambassabor to... Read More

To be, or Not to be (Average)?

When is hate OK? When it's the feeling you have... Read More

The Four Laws Of Leadership (Part Two)

In Part One, I described the laws of motivation. In... Read More