A Great Quote From Obama

Reading over a very lengthy transcript of President Obama's remarks to the Business Roundtable in Washington today, I came across the following:

"Look, the budget document that we put forward is a 10-year document. We are, like any organization -- just like all of yours, we have to do long-term planning even as we're addressing short-term issues. If we don't do the long-term planning, then we end up having more short-term issues again and again and again and again."

In my long, mental list of what to look for in great leadership, "the ability to think strategically while beset by endless tactical challenges" is right up there. Too often I've worked with and for people who can only see the current or next crisis - because there are always so many of them - and who don't seem to realize that, if you never do anything except deal with the fires burning under your feet, there are always going to be more of them flaring up to replace the ones that you just put out. It's an endless cycle that I've observed playing out too many times in my career.

It's very encouraging indeed to learn that the most powerful leader in the world understands that dynamic and is doing everything he can to ensure that he doesn't fall victim to it.