Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?
Socialite: My goodness, Mr. Churchill! Well, I suppose – we would have to discuss terms, naturally.
Churchill: Would you sleep with me for five pounds?
Socialite: Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?!
Churchill: Madam, we’ve already established that. Now we are haggling about the price.

As a business owner, there’s one thing I like about this recession. Just one, I think. And that one thing is this: during “challenging times” (gotta love that phrase) people show you who they are. (And now we are just haggling about the price.) I like to take advantage of these moments of exposure. When people show me who they are, they’re doing me a favor, albeit unwittingly. Here’s a fab-u-lous opportunity to learn who I’m dealing with, and to determine how (and whether) to deal with that person again. In some cases, the phrase “it’ll be a dark day in hell” flashes like neon in front of my brain when thinking about re-engaging with a person. In others, I find a new friend or mentor.

Quiz: Does your boss/client/spouse/”friend” crush you beneath her heel when she finds herself in control? BAD SIGN!

Carefully observe…

The way very privileged people treat service personnel – the best people treat others the best, do they not? – the way employees treat their boss when raises fail to appear or life is crappy (I consider the French trend of holding the boss hostage when he lays you off to be in poor taste, for example), the rabid way Newt Gingrich behaves in the face of a popular Obama administration, and the way partners and spouses treat each other when the pressure is on… these actions and attitudes can all be taken seriously.

Me? I’m really trying to be nice… especially after I hit the “publish” button today!

Barack Obama’s inauguration was so moving. Not just because he’s broken one of our nation’s most ferocious barriers, the mental block of race, but also because he is highly intelligent. And assertive. And he appears to have a plan. Whooo-eee!

And he’s already working. He’s stopped for review Bush’s last “midnight regulations”, which included allowing carrying concealed weapons in some national parks. He’s moved to halt war crimes tribunals at Guantanamo, and is meeting with the national security team to determine direction in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama is already back to work on the much-needed economic stimulus plan, too.

Yikes

Then why can’t I stop my personal “yikes” factor from kicking in, even yesterday, on such a historic day?

Just a few reasons, small and large.

-The speech. It was grim. I was hoping our problems, particularly economic, wouldn’t sound so… grim yesterday. Obama is clearly taking the current not-so-hot state of this nation seriously, because that was not a soaring speech, but a get-our-hands-dirty-we’ve-got-urgent-problems call to action.

-The stock market. The Dow fell four percent to celebrate the day. Super.

-People. Take Timothy Geithner, vying to be Treasury Secretary. Look, even I know to pay all my self-employment tax, and nobody would consider me to be their bookkeeper, let alone Treasury Secretary. Self-employment tax is a no-brainer. And, once you’ve spotted an error in your taxes, going back a few years to see if you’ve made that same error multiple times is not rocket science either.  With Obama, we raised our expectations for excellence in leaders. Let’s not lower them for his appointees. Barack Obama can’t do his job alone, and the people who surround him need to be really smart and really honest.

History

In four years, we’ll remember this historic day. The “yikes” factors will, I hope, have faded. Hopefully our set of problems will have shifted somewhat. Your thoughts?

Prior to the election, this huge display in Fairhaven, MA read "Obama Now!"

It feels like many Americans, no matter who they voted for, are now very proud of the U.S. for the historic accomplishment of electing our first African American president. I’m proud of us, too.

Of course, the next question is, “what can he do?” The country is in a bit of a pickle, economically speaking. (In fact, I’m burying MY spare change in the backyard and I really hope you won’t dig it up.) Our health care system is great – if you can afford it. We’re mired in Iraq, although to an expert military strategist such as myself it is evident that it’s time to pack up and head home (I know, I know, not so simple). And we continue to be a divided country in so many ways – by religion, social class, political leanings, race, taste in shoes, and more. One election can’t erase that.

However. The last eight years were a study in fear and resignation. Our foreign relations were often embarrassing. Our president couldn’t pronounce “nuclear.” (This is major.) We responded to an attack by retaliating – mostly at the wrong country, since Iraq clearly had nothing to do with 9/11. Oops, sorry, Iraq. Chances are good that that we can do better.

Obama represents even more than our first African American president (and I sort of worry about that term, because like so many of us, he has a mixed lineage and I feel bad labeling him). He is highly intelligent (what a novel idea! a smart president!). He appears to be principled and has the ability to analyze and deal with information in a sensible, non-hotheaded way. And just as lovely is the fact that well over half of voting Americans gave him a mandate and are squarely behind his presidency. While the stock market bounced up and then tumbled during and following the election, showing that optimism is fragile, I do believe that having a president we can be proud of, and one who clearly represents the future and not some worn-out past, will make a difference in citizens’ faith in the U.S. and the way we move forward as a nation.

Could it be??

Change is a pain. C’mon, admit it. Unless you’re one of those hardy, adventurous souls who’s currently stuffing your backpack for a long trip to the Arctic – oh, yes, after quitting your job and kissing your family goodbye, that is. The rest of us, sad to say, prefer the comfort of driving the same route home from work most days. Even if we hate to admit it.

Well, here’s news. Obama and McCain are mouthing the right words. “Change is coming!” Etc. Only thing is, the changes they’re promising probably aren’t the biggest curves ahead. Don’t spend your tax break yet.

No, the changes ahead will be more profound. Our basic confidence in the great economic engine isn’t gone, but it’s shaken. People are actually thinking about (next time) buying homes they can afford (and heat), about the merits of state colleges for their own offspring, about getting a smaller car, wearing a sweater (mittens??) at home this winter, and perhaps even buying less stuff in case times get worse.

The amazing thing? This may be all for the good. In our rush to trash our planet, we in the U.S. have consumed oil and gas, cows and fish, plastic, and ice cream (oops, that’s just me) at a truly alarming rate. What we’re seeing now is LIMITS. Limits that will prod us toward changes we’ve resisted, as a nation, as businesses and as individuals.

As in…

-All that money Wall Street was flashing around? Lots of it was fake, a bubble, a myth. The way it was “made” was something no one really understood, and now much of it is gone – actually GONE.

-Peak oil? How many of us have skimmed the articles and turned the page? Yes, Virginia, we will run out.

-Spending as fast as we earn? Oops. Not so smart.

I don’t think the American way of life is doomed, or that we’ll be living in huts in the dark anytime soon. Instead, I think we’ll need to look at how money, honest money, is actually generated and at how our incredible inventiveness can help us come up with technologies and systems for a more sustainable, perhaps more sensible, world.

It could be fun. Really.

Which gets me thinking… how on earth can a communicator be believable when she has something “for sale”?

Personally, I look at everything the candidates and their cohorts do through a glass darkly. Picking Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee? Don’t get me started about how cynical THAT was – and I so hope the women of America don’t vote for her just because she has XX chromosomes. Obama’s growing sympathy for the gun-totin’, God fearin’ working class? (Didn’t he say something about them clinging bitterly to something? Guess hangin’ around a few town halls in Pennsylvania wised him up…) Even the small stuff: Cindy McCain holding Sarah Palin’s new baby on TV? Awww… but I notice she REALLY doesn’t want that kid to barf on her dress. The cynic in me sees only a photo opp, not brilliantly handled.

Trying to learn from the mistakes of political campaigns… okay, so what about marketing products and services? The same problems can arise – it’s tough getting a cynical audience to believe anything professional PR people and other communicators say – even when it’s absolutely true.

Letting the truth be the point. That will help. The truth looks true. It sounds true. Maybe it’s funny, eye-catching or new. The truth doesn’t shift message just to be expedient. It doesn’t underestimate the intelligence of its audience. It doesn’t pull a bait-and-switch.

When you can’t say something good and true about the product or service you’re selling? No kidding – as a marketer, you should just say no. Save yourself for something worth talking about.

Integrity, over the long term, equals believability. I think it shines through – and that’s where my own cynicism ends.

Prime example: Palin mocks Obama for advocating that suspected terrorists, when arrested, be read their rights. And the audience agreed! Big time! Loud boos and vehement nodding of their Uncle Sam top hats made it clear that Ben Franklin’s statement, “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety” is passe. Ouch.

I’m a marketer and a PR professional, so I should be able to understand how the masses think. Why then, as I heard Palin promoting her “hockey Mom” credentials and direly warning the crowd that this is a “world of threats and dangers” best managed by a man who has been tortured, rather than one who hasn’t – why was I so worried that I alone, really alone, think Palin is a horror show?

In the light of today, I’ve encountered more enlightened individuals, none of them toting rifles or wearing the American flag as a costume, who weren’t enthralled by the new candidate. And for that, I am truly grateful.