Fire the President
A recent NBC News/Wallstreet Journal poll looked at President Obama’s approval rating on a variety of subjects. One question asked respondents about 16 characteristics, half of which related to Obama “the man,” half of which related to Obama “the president.” According to the results, as a person, Obama is still very well liked: his scores averaged in the 60’s. As for what he’s accomplished so far on the job, his scores averaged in the low 40’s.

I’ve learned a lot of valuable lessons throughout my career. One of those things is that in order to be successful in business, you can’t worry about whether people like you – you have to worry about whether they respect you. Oftentimes, we grow to like those people who we respect, but we hardly ever grow to respect those people we like.

Let’s apply this same rule to politics since, after all, we should be running America like a business. Politicians should worry about being respected rather than being liked. Unfortunately, they don’t. And the American people let them get away with it. Take President Obama for instance. We elected him based on how much we liked him as a person rather than on the respect he earned for his past business and political successes. And look where it’s gotten us. Nearly a year after being elected, the American people don’t feel that President Obama has produced the measurable results to earn their respect.

On the other hand, look at someone like Mitt Romney. He had an impressive record in corporate America as VP of Bain & Company, then as founder of Bain Capital, then as CEO of Bain & Company. After single-handedly changing the fate of the previously doomed 2002 Winter Olympics, he was elected Governor of Massachusetts, where he went on to completely turn around the state’s economy, school system and healthcare system…all without raising taxes or increasing debt. And I dare you to find more than a handful of people in the entire State of Massachusetts who don’t respect and like Mitt Romney.

If only someone like Romney had run for President. He tried. But he didn’t get the nomination. Instead, we voted President Obama into office. Instead, we have a President who the American people like but don’t respect. How long are we going to refuse to run America like a business until we see the error of our ways? Too bad we can’t fire Obama.