Today would have felt like any other day:  Getting the kids ready for school, cautious traffic navigating freezing rain, settling in at the office, enjoying a cup of coffee, getting ready to tackle today’s projects.

But I made the mistake of looking at Facebook. I took a peak at the news. Reading the posts from friends and family. People I know and respect, acting in ways I don’t recognize. Gross generalizations, accusations and fear mongering. Reading about protests, walkouts and rioting.

This is not right.

Before the election I published an article explaining why I wouldn’t vote for either candidate. It probably wasn’t my best written article. But it generated more views and comments then anything I’ve written. Many of those comments were supportive. Many were not.

To one upset reader, who stridently disagreed with my analysis and stance, I offered a closing statement to this effect,

“If she wins (at the time I thought she might) I genuinely hope that she does well. I hope that my concerns and critiques prove to be unjustified. If our leader fails – our country fails. So, my hopes and prayers will be for her success.”

I don’t believe in biting off my nose to spite my face.

But we are at great risk of this in our country.

This is not wise.

Most of my readers are leaders. We need broad, community based leadership now. This is my appeal to you…

If you are upset about the election results, grieve, get it out of your system. Then move on with building your community and our country.

If you are relieved about the election results, rejoice, get it out of your system. Then recognize that the vote, in and of itself, hasn’t made our country great again. Recognize the validity behind the uncertainty that so many feel. Move on with the work of building and repairing.

Thoughts on Our Government

Becoming a country that feels great to most of its citizens will take a lot of work. So, get to work. Don’t expect someone else to do it for you.

Our country wasn’t designed to be run by a king. However, from the beginning, there has been a tendency to exaggerate what a president can or can’t do.

Our system of government was specifically designed to restrain the abilities of any one individual or group of people in power. Our system works.

Our government was designed as a participatory process – all the way down to the community level. It works best (it was never designed to work efficiently) when people participate.

It doesn’t work well when people sit back and hope someone else will expertly wave the magic presidential wand.

Trump won’t destroy the country. He also won’t make it great again – at least not all by himself. No one knows what he’ll do – but he just doesn’t have the power to do whatever he wants.

Don’t get over excited. Don’t get over afraid.

Your Leadership Is Needed

This wasn’t an election that was for much of anything.

Everyone is deep into their navel gazing and blaming about what happened at the election.

It isn’t that complicated. The fact was almost no one actually supported either candidate. Nearly everyone was voting against the opposing candidate.

Most Americans have said they didn’t like or support Trump. It’s just that he wasn’t Hillary.

Ultimately, that is what this election was about. Just enough people were so tired and fed up with the status quo that they were willing to take a risk with whatever it was that might be behind Door #2. It was a rejection of what has been in government.

It wasn’t a vote for anyone’s vision of the future. It wasn’t a vote for much of anything. Neither candidate offered much. Both primarily ran on the platform of, “I’m not that person.”

That’s not leadership.

What Leaders Can Do

1. Choose Your Country and Your Community. Choose to build, choose to contribute, choose to offer graciousness. It’s needed now. It’s needed from you.

2. Focus On What You Can Do Not On What Someone Else Should Do. Stephen Covey’s Circle of Influence is a perfect reflection right now.

Effective leaders will focus on what they can to build the community and country they want. Whether this election represents an opportunity or a concern – clarify and focus on what you can do. Avoid wasting your time and energy on things you cannot control.

Don’t camp out on social media. Don’t look for the latest, most salacious bit of news. You only have so much time and energy. Invest it carefully.

3. Act in the Opposite Spirit: Virtues like Humility, Wisdom and Graciousness have been set aside for too long. The leaders that are desperately needed will choose to set aside Arrogance, Reactiveness and Disrespect.

• Find ways to eschew pride and hubris by actively finding what you can be grateful for – especially in someone you have a difficult time with.
• Find ways to restrain yourself from reactive, compulsive decisions. Don’t lash out or respond in social media, take the time to understand why someone is happy or scared because of the results of the election.
• Be gracious. Overlook the offense. Find a way to express appreciation for someone else.

I didn’t vote for Trump. But my hope and prayers are with him and his team. I want him to succeed. I want my country and community to thrive.

I do want America to be great again. But we’ll never be great if we can’t treat each other well.

I’ll work to that end.

I hope you’ll join me.