When I decided at the age of 39 in late 1989 to spread my wings and leave the newspaper business, the move was nothing less than frightening, to say the least. With three kids at home, we really weren’t in any position to change careers.
However, I determined that change was good, so I jumped head-first into the world of self employment. It was time to start doing my own thing although I knew nothing about billing, collections, paying taxes and the rest.
Several months after beginning my new venture, someone suggested I take a Dale Carnegie course explaining that the education was invaluable and while the economic struggles weren’t addressed, dealing with people was a major element offered by he instructors.
I took the class and nearly 20 years later, I still feel it was the best money I could have spent at the time. Every session was an educational experience and the interaction with fellow students was fascinating as we all worked through everyday challenges.
In short we all learned how to deal with people challenges while also discovering how to set goals and live up to them at the same time. The experience was not only educational but a great way to network at the same time.
We discovered that every one of us had the same issues with our lives. In addition, learning to work through specific challenges was actually a very rewarding experience especially when newfound friends assisted in figuring out solutions to a specific concern.
The Dale Carnegie course was all about dealing with ourselves and the people around us. It was about communicating properly and reacting to others with more of an understanding nature so that everyone wins in the end.
Which brings me to the actions of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, whose recent outburst in Africa reminded me that she, too, desperately needs a Dale Carnegie course to help her understand how best to deal with people.
Clinton erupted at a student in the Democratic Republic of the Congo when asked for her husband Bill Clinton’s opinion on the role China is playing in the Congo. Mrs. Clinton immediately informed the questioner “I’m not going to be channeling my husband.”
Clinton compounded the problem adding “My husband is not Secretary of State. I am.”
In other words, she was telling the individual asking the question “Don’t ask stupid questions. I mean, don’t you realize I’m an important person with little time for such trivial questions?”
Clinton’s actions were embarrassing not only to herself but the Democratic Party, the nation she represents and those in the audience. Her aides are scrambling to make sense of how she treated the person presenting the question although the best PR person on earth will need a week and umpteen towels to wipe the egg off her face.
You can bet the media will be relentless in chasing this particular story primarily because it’s a slam dunk issue in which someone who is supposed to be an ambassador made a fool of herself. Columns addressing her actions will be written for months and bloggers will undoubtedly have a field day.
In the meantime, I have a suggestion for Clinton’s advisors who continue to address her outburst while trying to make sense of her actions.
Get Hillary Clinton into a Dale Carnegie course immediately. She will learn how to address questions without embarrassing people and as her advisor, you’ll spend far less time trying to explain her actions and instead spend your days doing something constructive.
Believe me, she will thank you forever. And in fact, I’ll bet Bill Clinton will, too.
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