<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>Michael Lee StallardConnector in Chief &#8211; Michael Lee Stallard</title>
	<atom:link href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://www.michaelleestallard.com</link>
	<description>Helping Leaders Create Cultures that Connect</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Sun, 12 Apr 2026 20:16:36 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	
		<item>
		<title>Connector in Chief</title>
		<link>http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief</link>
		<comments>http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:11:05 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Michael Lee Stallard</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Connection Culture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Intentional Connectors]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief</guid>

				<description><![CDATA[<p>Recently I read comments in The Economist about presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama that caught my eye. The British magazine wrote about Obama that he had the ability to deliver the “dose of unity” that America needs. Regarding McCain the same article pointed out that he had a long record of “reaching out [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief">Connector in Chief</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com">Michael Lee Stallard</a>.</p>
]]></description>
					<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Recently I read comments in <em>The Economist </em>about presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama that caught my eye.  The British magazine wrote about Obama that he had the ability to deliver the “dose of unity” that America needs.  Regarding McCain the same article pointed out that he had a long record of “reaching out to his political opponents.”</p>
<p>What I hear in these statements is that <em>The Economist</em> is recognizing that McCain and Obama are connectors. They build relational bridges to their political opponents rather than burn the bridges across the table.</p>
<p>Given the nasty partisan atmosphere in Washington these days and America’s declining reputation in the world, it may be that voters yearn for a president who reaches out and connects with others, both at home and abroad. Our research at E Pluribus Partners clearly establishes that great leaders have the ability to connect with people and increase connection among a group of people. In fact, a high degree of connection (or social capital as it is also referred to) is necessary for nations to thrive.  The ability to bring people together is an essential skill to possess in order to be an effective president.</p>
<p>What do you think about McCain and Obama as connectors?  Are you aware of any examples that would help us judge how these two candidates stack up when it comes to their history of increasing connection, community and unity among the people they were responsible for leading.</p>
<!-- Start Sociable --><div class="sociable"><div class="sociable_tagline">Be Sociable, Share!</div><ul class='clearfix'><li><a title="Twitter" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-288px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Connector%20in%20Chief%20-%20http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief%20  "></a></li><li><a title="Facebook" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-96px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;t=Connector%20in%20Chief"></a></li><li><a title="LinkedIn" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-288px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;source=Michael+Lee+Stallard+Helping+Leaders+Create+Cultures+that+Connect&amp;summary=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li><li><a title="email" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-160px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&to&su=Connector%20in%20Chief&body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&ui=2&tf=1&shva=1"></a></li><li><a class="option1_32" style="cursor:pointer;background-position:-128px 0px" rel="nofollow" title="Add to favorites - doesn't work in Chrome"  onClick="javascript:AddToFavorites();"></a></li><li><a title="StumbleUpon" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-224px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.stumbleupon.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&title=Connector%20in%20Chief"></a></li><li><a title="Delicious" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-32px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://delicious.com/post?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;notes=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li><li><a title="Google Reader" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-224px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/reader/link?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;srcURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;srcTitle=Michael+Lee+Stallard+Helping+Leaders+Create+Cultures+that+Connect"></a></li><li><a onClick="javascript:var ipinsite='Good%20Vibes.%20Vuible.com',ipinsiteurl='http://vuible.com/';(function(){if(window.ipinit!==undefined){ipinit();}else{document.body.appendChild(document.createElement('script')).src='http://vuible.com/wp-content/themes/ipinpro/js/ipinit.js';}})();" style="cursor:pointer" rel="nofollow" title="Vuible.com | Share positive messages (images and videos only)"><img style='' src='http://www.michaelleestallard.com/wp-content/plugins/sociable/images/option1/32/vuible.png'></a></li><li><a title="Digg" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-64px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://digg.com/submit?phase=2&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;bodytext=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li><li><a style="cursor:pointer" rel="nofollow" onMouseOut="fixOnMouseOut(document.getElementById('sociable-post-75'), event, 'post-75')" onMouseOver="more(this,'post-75')"><img style='margin-top:9px' src='http://www.michaelleestallard.com/wp-content/plugins/sociable/images/more.png'></a></li></ul><div onMouseout="fixOnMouseOut(this,event,'post-75')" id="sociable-post-75" style="display:none;">   

    <div style="top: auto; left: auto; display: block;" id="sociable">



		<div class="popup">

			<div class="content">

				<ul><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="Myspace" class="option1_32" style="background-position:0px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.myspace.com/Modules/PostTo/Pages/?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;t=Connector%20in%20Chief"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="Reddit" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-128px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://reddit.com/submit?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="Google Bookmarks" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-192px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.google.com/bookmarks/mark?op=edit&amp;bkmk=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;annotation=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="HackerNews" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-256px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://news.ycombinator.com/submitlink?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;t=Connector%20in%20Chief"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="MSNReporter" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-352px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://reporter.es.msn.com/?fn=contribute&amp;Title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;cat_id=6&amp;tag_id=31&amp;Remark=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="BlinkList" class="option1_32" style="background-position:0px 0px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.blinklist.com/index.php?Action=Blink/addblink.php&amp;Url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;Title=Connector%20in%20Chief"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="Sphinn" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-192px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://sphinn.com/index.php?c=post&amp;m=submit&amp;link=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="Posterous" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-64px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://posterous.com/share?linkto=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;title=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;selection=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li><li style="heigth:32px;width:32px"><a title="Tumblr" class="option1_32" style="background-position:-256px -32px" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.tumblr.com/share?v=3&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.michaelleestallard.com%2Fconnector-in-chief&amp;t=Connector%20in%20Chief&amp;s=Recently%20I%20read%20comments%20in%20The%20Economist%20about%20presidential%20candidates%20John%20McCain%20and%20Barack%20Obama%20that%20caught%20my%20eye.%20%20The%20British%20magazine%20wrote%20about%20Obama%20that%20he%20had%20the%20ability%20to%20deliver%20the%20%E2%80%9Cdose%20of%20unity%E2%80%9D%20that%20America%20needs.%20%20Regarding"></a></li></ul>			

			</div>        

		  <a style="cursor:pointer" onclick="hide_sociable('post-75',true)" class="close">

		  <img onclick="hide_sociable('post-75',true)" title="close" src="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/wp-content/plugins/sociable/images/closelabel.png">

		  </a>

		</div>

	</div> 

  </div></div><div class='sociable' style='float:none'><ul class='clearfix'></ul></div><!-- End Sociable --><p>The post <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief">Connector in Chief</a> appeared first on <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.michaelleestallard.com">Michael Lee Stallard</a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
			

		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.michaelleestallard.com/connector-in-chief/feed</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
					</item>
	</channel>
</rss>