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October 22, 2009: Archives
Civil Engineering.
Timing is everything.
A Politician Who Gets It...
Seattle: Can-Do.
Who’s Got Charisma?
By Bruce Rozenhart
Who do you admire? Besides your Mom, Dad or other family member, I mean. Does this person have “charisma”? Is this person a politician? How many of you said Obama?
I just read a book called “Trust Me” (see my review of it on our website). Charisma is somewhat based on trust – and authenticity. They’re the basic building blocks of charisma. Their advice?
Be open, connect with people, be passionate, and listen.
There are some people who just seem to be born to be charismatic. Obama is one, Mother Teresa is another, Winston Churchill, Ronald Reagan, Pierre Trudeau, Brian Mulroney, Oprah, Jimmy Fallon (in a goofball/puppydog kinda way). Those are just some of my picks – and I know that you’ll disagree with me on one or two, but I make no apologies for my feelings.
In Canada, our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, recently played piano and sang an old Beatles tune (“I get by with a little help from my friends”: http://tinyurl.com/ye5tl55), and to many media, he suddenly became a person – and went up on the charisma scale – and the polls! Amazing! Can he sustain his new Charisma? Will we see him on Letterman playing the piano? Maybe on Rick Mercer?
Charismatic people give us hope. Reagan gave us “good morning in America” (http://tinyurl.com/6h4bg8). He exuded charisma (http://tinyurl.com/yfc69lo)
But don’t trust the book – and don’t trust the media – do your own analysis. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is “putrid” and 10 is “magnificent”, rate our Canadian and American leaders. Who comes out on top? Why? Who’s magnificent? Let me know, and I’ll share some of the comments – e-mail me at: rozenhart@counterpoint.ca.
Comments? E-mail Bruce Rozenhart
Follow @brozenhart on Twitter
Archives
October 22, 2009: Archives
Who’s Got Charisma?
Timing is everything.
A Politician Who Gets It...
Seattle: Can-Do.
Civil Engineering.
By Joanna Piros
It was not without some trepidation that we set out for Scotland and Ireland, knowing that the bulk of the trip would consist of driving in unfamiliar cities, with a standard transmission in a right hand drive vehicle, on the left side of the road. For any of you who have done the same, you know the challenge I describe: narrow roads, poor or nonsensical signage, and those constant roundabouts!
Picture if you will my surprise to find that traffic moved much more efficiently, with fewer stops and waits, and much less aggravation than here in Canada. In over three weeks I didn’t hear a horn honked in anger or frustration, occasionally a brief “toot” to wake up the driver who had failed to move along. Extremely narrow roads were signed with a 100 kph speed limit, essentially leaving it up to individual decision-making as to how to navigate.
More dramatic than this realization, however, was the fact that my companion, for whom road rage is a semi-permanent state, rose to the occasion and displayed patience and grace under pressure, leading me to believe that if you create a system founded on responsible behavior (roundabouts don’t work so much on rules, more on mutual respect and consideration) you will garner that kind of behavior. If you rely on rules and punitive restrictions, you’ll get behavior consistent with that kind of attitude.
The best example of this “civil engineering” in action came in the early days of our trip, in downtown Dublin. We had circled a several block grid repeatedly, unsuccessfully searching for a hotel that should have been right there! Finally, my exasperated “chauffeur” cranked the wheel hard across traffic to pull into a temporary parking stall. In doing so he cut off a Dublin cabbie who pulled alongside, rolled down his window and motioned us to do the same. I was prepared for the worst – from both sides – but the cabbie, in a voice heavy with disappointment observed, “your driving is a disgrace” and, to my shock, my partner responded, “I know; I’m sorry.”
To appreciate the enormity of that exchange I challenge you to imagine the same situation in any Canadian city (not counting Moose Jaw, High River, Arvida or Nelson). No doubt the language and demeanor that comes to mind is dramatically different.
The whole experience reminded me of my mom’s advice: the table you set dictates the manners that will follow.
Comments? E-mail Joanna Piros
Archives
October 22, 2009: Archives
Who’s Got Charisma?
Civil Engineering.
A Politician Who Gets It...
Seattle: Can-Do.
Timing is everything.
By Bob Ransford
It’s less than 4 months to go before the opening ceremonies for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver and you would hardly know our corner of Canada is preparing to welcome the world.
The last few months—in fact for the last couple of years—we have heard nothing but negative talk about tight Olympic budgets, massive cost overruns in the Olympic Village project, soaring security costs, transportation restrictions and a whole host of other problems, concerns and negative messages.
Check out my short video rant about who dropped the ball in this Olympic Game and allowed such a negative pall to develop.
The fact is that with just a little more than a hundred days to go before the big party, the time has come to shift from the negative to the positive if we are truly going to reap the benefits of hosting one of the world’s premier international events.
In my video, I didn’t touch on one of the biggest causes of our Olympic remorse or malaise—that of the last minute surprises like the surprise of British Columbians when they have suddenly realized the extent to which governments are prepared to go in restricting basic civil liberties in BC during the Olympics to make sure the party goes off without a hitch.
I am sorry, but this is no time for such surprises.
Barely fours months before the start of the Olympics is no time for governments—whether at City Hall or over in Victoria—to be imposing new rules, as temporary as they may be to prevent ambush marketing, to limit free speech or infringe in any way on any of the other freedoms we take for granted in Canada.
Now is the time to get ready to party.
Comments? E-mail Bob Ransford
Archives
October 22, 2009: Archives
Who’s Got Charisma?
Civil Engineering.
Timing is everything.
Seattle: Can-Do.
A Politician Who Gets It...
By Bob Ransford
In our shop we work around and with a lot of municipal politicians. Most of them struggle today trying to find an effective role that combines the demands on them as local legislators, regulators, civic promoters, planning watchdogs and community ombudsmen.
Some are trying to be all things to all people, haphazardly expanding their municipal bureaucracies and assuming the burden for their taxpayers in areas that were once the domain of senior governments.
Many have become little more than proxy holders who act for the latest group of naysayers abusing the powers of city hall to resist the forces of inevitable change.
Few municipal politicians articulate a vision for their communities that resonate with citizens. Fewer still understand how to implement actions that might flow from a vision and actually lead progress in their communities.
After a recent interview with Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts I was left with the impression that she is one local politician who gets it. Surrey’s Mayor seems to have found an effective way to be her community’s leader—articulating a simple but clear vision and acting on it.
Watts has marshaled an impressive and wide range of community resources, including the political support of colleagues of all stripes, to focus her City on actually acting as an agent of local change.
In my recent Vancouver Sun column (http://tinyurl.com/ykuktwk) I detailed some of the initiatives Mayor Watts is leading to move Surrey from simply being on the map to being the second great city in the region.
Comments? E-mail Bob Ransford
Archives
October 22, 2009: Archives
Who’s Got Charisma?
Civil Engineering.
Timing is everything.
A Politician Who Gets It...
Seattle: Can-Do.
By Maurice Bridge
Leonard Cohen had it right when he wrote about America being the cradle of the best and of the worst, and a quick trip to Seattle brings it all home. As a resilient port town that has survived a few turns on the economic rollercoaster, it has a can-do attitude we could learn from.
Small businesses seem to pop up like mushrooms in the Emerald City, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a more cheerful group than the people who run the various stands in the Pike Place Market. From the noisy, smart-mouth boys who toss salmon around to the more cerebral craft vendors, there’s a contagious mood of optimism and inclusiveness that extends beyond the pitch. In the Athenian Inn, a century-old diner in the middle of the market, diners on two levels respond to the urging of a waiter with a cheerful roar of “Hi, Bob” as an old customer arrives for breakfast in his wheelchair.
It’s not just about the money; there’s a feeling of community that pulls visitors closer and plunges them into the local discussion. Even U.S. TV news seems more relevant when you watch it a couple of hundred kilometres south of Vancouver.
It’s about communication: constant, noisy, sometimes abrasive. Americans tend not to wear their hearts on their sleeves, hoping someone will notice – they go out and shout about it, whatever it is. It can be a bare-knuckle experience, but the results can be impressive.
Canadians are quieter, and sometimes our communities are the worse for it. Vancouver still smarts from the “No-fun City” tag, not a handle likely to stick to Seattle. Seattle celebrates itself on a daily basis, proud of what works and not shy about arguing about what doesn’t, and invites everyone to join in.
What’s stopping you?
Check my rant: Some Pig!
Comments? E-mail Maurice Bridge
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