Michelle Obama sets stellar example for future change-makers

As Michelle Obama embarks on her global book tour, connecting with audiences in promotion of her first book Becoming, she is proving herself to be a powerful political force for the causes she chooses to support.

While she has been clear that she has no intention to run for public office herself, she has turned her attention to sharing her story and strongly advocating for issues she believes in deeply. Her book lays out a blueprint for leadership that reminds us that one does not need their name on a ballot in order to initiate lasting change.

The stories woven together in Becoming are moving. She speaks frankly about her family in the context of the Great Migration and their settlement in Chicago as well as her father’s health challenges with Multiple Sclerosis. Throughout, Michelle is careful with her words, understanding the power of her voice and the responsibility that comes with using it.

Authentic leadership is a difficult balance to strike. In her book she describes her approach to staying true to her voice, “When it came to speaking publicly about anything or anyone in the political sphere: I said only what I believed and what I absolutely felt.”

By way of her leadership example, she’s building a generation of leaders daring to address big and small issues plaguing communities both locally and globally. In today’s international political climate, this is especially necessary.

As First Lady, she set out to achieve measurable progress on issues she cared about. She took a thoughtful and personal approach to choosing her projects and messages, and ensured that her team applied a forward-thinking lens to her work.

She went to great effort to combat child obesity in America with a methodically rolled out Let’s Move! Campaign and gardening initiatives. Her legacy also includes an emphasis on unlocking the potential of girls internationally through education with her “Let Girls Learn” program.

With these, and with each initiative she took on over the years, her leadership style has been collaborative. Recognizing that a goal is best achieved by way of coalition — she brought together government, business, and influencers of all backgrounds in support of measurable results toward healthier communities. That is politics at it’s best.

As she opens this new chapter in her journey, no longer walking the same tightrope that came with being married to the sitting president of the United States, she is expanding her reach. With two million copies of her book sold within the first few weeks of publication, it’s clear her chosen messages are spreading widely.

In her book she went on to speak openly about maternal health and her own challenges faced while growing her family. This was a significant move in shifting the culture of how communities communicate and women are supported through miscarriage and in vitro fertilization.

Importantly, she recognizes the need to counter the leadership example being set by the current sitting president. In her book she is open about her disappointment in his actions, and not just the impact on the safety of her own family, but also the bar set for political discourse as a whole. She states, “In the end, the standards of decency were simply lowered in order to make room for the candidate’s voice.”

I have great faith in the generation of leaders being shaped by Michelle’s example internationally. Her emphasis on prioritizing health and wellness, the importance of nurturing genuine friendships in politics, and being patient with oneself while becoming your best self are all lessons that will strengthen the collective impact of the leaders she is inspiring.

Even though she’s chosen not to run for office, the impact her efforts make on the political issues she touches is immense. She reminds us to speak with conviction. It’s clear this is the opening of a new and exciting chapter for Michelle, and I’m looking forward to seeing what insights and advocacy efforts lay ahead.

And for the millions of change-makers she is inspiring around the globe, many of whom are women and girls, I look forward to the limitless potential being unlocked as each grows more comfortable taking her seat at the table, and using her authentic voice.

Tiffany Gooch is a Toronto-based Liberal strategist at public affairs firms Enterprise and Ensight. She is a freelance contributor for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @goocht

(Published in the Toronto Star on Sunday, December 9, 2018) 

/0 Comments/by