In my lifetime, there are two Presidential concession speeches that I clearly remember.
They stand out in my mind because in their lowest moments, having failed in their quests for a long term dream these candidates re-found the best versions of themselves.
As his 1996 Presidential campaign crept toward defeat, Bob Dole utilized the same losing strategy that Hilary Clinton would employ in 2016. While a candidate is never a sure-fire prospect, there are things that can make voting for a person more difficult. A common method for this is to not be oneself. Both Dole and Clinton started chasing versions of themselves that they believed other people would like better than what they truly were.
But, in defeat, both of them showed that they could be presidential. In defeat, they chose to lead. They urged us to stand on the high ground. And, they meant it.
Their election night concession speeches were honest, thoughtful, wise. They strove to bring people together. Both Dole and Clinton showed that, at least on that on that particular night, they possessed the best qualities of American leadership.
Below is a list of ten commonalities of both speeches.
Some of the qualities you, undoubtedly, make part of your daily life. I challenge all of us to employ this list to make an even greater effort to be our best selves. Do these things and we won’t have to wait for defeat to be who the world needs us to be.
Kudos to all of you who already do these things.
Kudos to all of us who strive to Tune Up what we offer to the world.
The speeches:
In my lifetime, there are two Presidential concession speeches that I clearly remember.
They stand out in my mind because in their lowest moments, having failed in their quests for a long term dream these candidates re-found the best versions of themselves.
As his 1996 Presidential campaign crept toward defeat, Bob Dole utilized the same losing strategy that Hilary Clinton would employ in 2016. While a candidate is never a sure-fire prospect, there are things that can make voting for a person more difficult. A common method for this is to not be oneself. Both Dole and Clinton started chasing versions of themselves that they believed other people would like better than what they truly were.
But, in defeat, both of them showed that they could be presidential. In defeat, they chose to lead. They urged us to stand on the high ground. And, they meant it.
Their election night concession speeches were honest, thoughtful, wise. They strove to bring people together. Both Dole and Clinton showed that, at least on that on that particular night, they possessed the best qualities of American leadership.
Below is a list of ten commonalities of both speeches.
Some of the qualities you, undoubtedly, make part of your daily life. I challenge all of us to employ this list to make an even greater effort to be our best selves. Do these things and we won’t have to wait for defeat to be who the world needs us to be.
Kudos to all of you who already do these things.
Kudos to all of us who strive to Tune Up what we offer to the world.
- Thank the people who help you.
- Thank the people who succeed, even when they succeed and you don’t.
- Be open about your struggles and what you have learned. Reaffirm that even in defeat you haven’t given up on your vision.
- Give up any anger against your opposition and give them the chance to succeed, and hold them accountable for what the things to do. Ask your supporters to do the same.
- Reflect on what has happened, what is the same and what has changed.
- Vow to continue to stand up for what is right in America.
- Encourage everyone to come together to get things done.
- Reaffirm that the race is not for personal victory to for the vision and values we want to uphold.
- Share with others the gratitude you feel.
- Reaffirm your vision and dedication to creating a better future.
The speeches:
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