Barack Obama's coronation as Time magazine's person of the year is not a terribly great surprise, and the subsequent interview covers quite a bit of familiar ground, albeit in a very nicely-written way.
However, there are few gems among the pages which stand out – one in particular when Obama is drawn on his management technique. The general theory is guilt first, followed by fear...
I'm not a shouter. I find that what was always effective with me as a kid, and Michelle and I find it effective with our kids, is just making people feel really guilty. Like 'Boy, I am disappointed in you. I expected so much more.' And I think people generally want to do the right thing, and if you're clear to them about what that right thing is, and if they see you doing the right thing, then that gives you some leverage. Hollering at people isn't usually that effective. Now, there are exceptions. There are times where guilt doesn't work, and then you have to use fear.
One touching point in the transcript occurs, when he is asked, somewhat tentatively, about whether his beloved grandmother, who cast her absentee vote before she died on the eve of the election, was confident that he would become president.
You know, I don't know. But I know she voted for me. The last week of her life, she was in and out of consciousness. But I'd say three weeks before the election – or was it two weeks? About two weeks before the election, I think at that point, you know, the signs were that I might pull this off.She was incredulous, I think, until the very end ... My grandmother would not have believed that this was possible.
