Congratulations to President-Elect Obama. Not only did he make history last night, but he also won our Changing Aging poll (I’m kind of surprised the networks didn’t ask him about that last night.)No matter who you voted for, one thing you have to admire is the discipline and tremendous skill with which the Obama campaign ran their campaign. There are a lot of lessons there for aging services providers and others working on transformation. Here are several I took away. Please feel free to add others:- Have a Vision and Think Larger: Obama and his supporters went into Iowa last year with a vision. ‘He could become President.’ It was a pretty audacious goal at that time. We now know the rest of the story.- A Message That’s Easy to Get: Change … Yes We Can. Pretty easy to understand.- Everyone Feels a Connection: It’s evident that people felt a meaningful connection to Obama, the campaign, and each other. The social media use by this campaign – where people can talk directly with each other (instead of at each other) – was unprecedented. So were the number of small donors who were moved enough by the effort to make a contribution.- Celebrate: I was struck by the festive atmosphere conveyed by the Obama campaign over and over … from the rally in Denver to the victory party in Grant Park last night. The lesson: we have to take time to celebrate along the way in the transformation journey.- Stay on Track: The discipline of the Obama campaign was unbelievable. They had so many potential distractions, yet they never abandoned their vision for making it reality.- Embrace Change: Change is uncertain. Uncertainty can be scary. The Obama team made ‘Change’ their daily headline. They turned uncertainty into a positive, a rallying point, rather than a fear factor.- Work for Somthing Bigger Than Yourself: On the campaign trail, Obama repeatedly challenged people to go beyond themselves. That same spirit has to be present to drive innovation. One person can’t do it.- Always Continue Building: The really hard work now begins for President-elect Obama. He stressed that last night in his victory speech. There’s a lesson for all of us involved in transformation work: The building never stops.