All of us professionals can learn a lot from watching how Barak Obama is running his campaign. You don't necessarily have to agree with his views or plan to vote for him in order to appreciate the way he conducts himself. I was talking to a friend of mine yesterday who has known Barak and Michelle socially for 20 years - since before they were involved in politics and way before the name Obama became a household name. My friend, who is now a volunteer for his campaign, was telling me that Barak has always behaved with class and grace and ever since he started his campaign he has told all volunteers and staffers that they are not to speak ill of anyone. And apparently he doesn't bad mouth the other candidates even behind closed doors.

I am sure that most of us have heard the saying, "if you can't say anything nice about other people then don't say anything at all". But the truth is that no one really sticks to that rule. We just don't. When we get tired, frustrated, angry, annoyed, or impatient our verbal restraint can fly out the window.

As I was thinking about how well Barak's behavior and restraint are serving him in this campaign I was also thinking of other professionals I have known who were equally loathe to share their negative feelings about other people. You know what? Every person whom I have known who kept any negative thoughts about other people (co-workers, bosses, colleagues, loved ones) to him/herself is a very successful and well-liked person. I wonder if that's a coincidence? Probably not. I think it's safe to say that if we can start mirroring Mr. Obama's behavior we may improve our chances professional success.

It's not easy. I have a tendency to blurt out whatever I am thinking or feeling at the moment even though as I have gotten older I have learned to temper my language. Certainly I try to only share my negative thoughts with close trusted friends and/or my husband but I am not always successful. I think that for the next month I am going to try an experiment in which I do my best not to say anything negative about anything or anyone (no matter how minor a comment it might be) to anyone. If I can manage to do it I'll do a follow up post to let you know if it seems to have improved my life at all. But, don't hold your breath...I do my best to be a good person but I am not sure I can live up to the Obama example.

Article by Liz Handlin and courtesy of Ultimate Resumes