Obama and the burden of expectations

We are living in tough times- the mortgage crisis seems to have spiraled out of control, the economy is in shambles and terrorists are again striking in different parts of the world. It is natural in these times to hang to any reasons for hope for the future and the incoming President has provided that hope to the Americans in particular and the world at large. An articulate intelligent man with humble beginnings but a track record of achievement and a self deprecating style have endeared him to a lot.

But lets get realistic and lets not expect too much of the man who is taking over from the worst Presidency ever. Reading the Time magazine write up on Obama made me concerned- "Obama's genome is global, his mind is innovative, his world is networked, and his spirit is democratic"- wow- that is some compliment to live upto and symptomatic of the media hyperbole that creates unrealistic expectations. We can be hopeful but not THAT hopeful. He himself points out it will take him at least two years to make a tangible impact and given the media's short attention span, two years can be a long time. Heck- two years back, Obama had a distant shot at getting the democratic nomination let alone be President.

There is reason to hope with Obama. The man has a philosophy of leadership that I find liberating. He says- "I've got a pretty good nose for talent, so I hire really good people. And I've got a pretty healthy ego, so I'm not scared of hiring the smartest people, even when they're smarter than me. And I have low tolerance of nonsense and turf battles and game playing, and I send that message very clearly. And so, over time, people start trusting each other and they stay focused on the mission, as opposed to personal ambition or grievance. If you've got really smart people who are all focused on the same mission, then usually ou can get some things done."
Bingo. Simple and clear.
While there is reason to hope and be optimistic, I just want to caution that there is no magic wand to erase years of bad or no regulation, years of greed on Wall Street and years of callous spending habits that the average American has gotten very used to. Obama will do his best and his best will come to naught if everyone is just waiting for him to wave his wand!!
Heres to a hopeful 2009 and beyond!