4 Valuable Lessons you can learn from Joe Biden's career about overcoming obstacles

By Dr. Laide Okubena

Posted  1,715 Views updated 3 years ago

Democrat Joe Biden defeated President Donald Trump to become the 46th president of the United States on Saturday, positioning himself to lead a nation gripped by the historic pandemic and a confluence of economic and social turmoil.

Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States in November 2020, defeating the incumbent Donald Trump, the first sitting president to lose re-election since George H. W. Bush in 1992. He became the second non-incumbent vice president to be elected president, and the first Democrat to do so. He is also expected to become the oldest president ( age 77) at the time of inauguration, as well as the first president from Delaware. Biden is expected to be inaugurated at noon on January 20, 2021.

His vice, Kamala Harris will be the first woman, the first person of color, and the first Asian-American to be the vice president of the United States.

Mr. Biden won the key battleground of Pennsylvania, propelling him over the 270 Electoral College vote threshold required to clinch the White House. The Trump campaign has indicated their candidate does not plan to concede. The result makes Mr. Trump the first one-term president since the 1990s.

Here are a few Success Lessons you can learn from this New President Elect.

Former Vice President Joe Biden once accepted the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction, the highest honour a civilian can receive. Getting to that podium, however, was not without difficulty. Biden's lengthy career in politics has featured multiple personal and professional setbacks, including the deaths of three family members.

 

Still, it seems Biden has lived by the advice his father once gave him: "Champ, the measure of a man is not how often he is knocked down, but how quickly he gets up."

Biden's career, with all of its ups and downs, teaches four valuable lessons about success.

1. Struggles, even tragedies, don't need to keep you from pursuing your goals

In November 1972, at 30 years old, Biden was elected to the Senate, winning by a margin of just 3,000 votes. Only a month after the professional victory, disaster upended his life.

While shopping for a Christmas tree, Biden's wife Neilia and daughter Naomi were killed in a car accident. His sons Beau and Hunter were badly injured but survived.

Biden initially said he would not accept the Senate nomination, but after Majority Leader Mike Mansfield kept calling him, he agreed to take office. Biden took his oath from his sons' hospital room.

He went on to pursue a career in politics, rising to become Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1987.

2. Learn from mistakes to ensure your legacy

In 1988, Biden entered the presidential race, but reports of plagiarism during law school and false claims about his academic record derailed his campaign. He later admitted to mistakes and pledged to be more candid in the future.

Over time, Biden became seen by many as a uniquely honest public figure. A 2015 CBS News/New York Times poll found that Biden topped the list of the most trustworthy politicians in either party.

In 1991, Biden faced controversy again, this time over his handling of the Clarence Thomas Supreme Court confirmation hearings, which involved allegations of sexual harassment by one of his employees, Anita Hill. Biden did not call three other witnesses who could have echoed Hill's charges, a move that some progressives found unfair.

In the years that followed, Biden promoted legislation that fore grounded women's concerns. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law the Violence Against Women Act, which Biden had introduced to Congress. And as Vice President, he became a chief advocate for the Obama administration's campaign to combat sexual assault on college campuses.

The VP also racked up other accomplishments: He oversaw a $840 billion economic stimulus package, led the administration's task force to strengthen the middle class, worked to reduce gun violence and became a key player in U.S. foreign relations.

3. Make perseverance your trademark

In 2015, personal tragedy struck again. Biden's eldest son Beau died of brain cancer at the age of 46. Biden's devastation played a role in his decision not to run for president in 2016, which he now says he "regrets every day."

But the 74-year-old back then said he plans to still stay actively involved in politics. And if Biden's career is any indication, that's not just talk.

"Failure at some point in your life is inevitable," Biden said in 2008. "But giving up is unforgivable."

Joe Biden Never Gave up on his Dreams of running for President at age 77 and he finally Won.

Success in life and career is a life long journey as we can see this clearly in his life, facing Setbacks and bouncing back again.

4.  President-Elect Biden’s Early Crisis Management Lessons For Business Leaders.

How President-elect Joe Biden will manage Covid-19 — the worst national public health emergency in modern American history — could become a role model for business executives on how to respond strategically, effectively, and efficiently to a crisis that strikes their organizations.

A reading of the corona virus plan on Biden’s campaign website, his speeches on the campaign trail, and his victory speech Saturday night provides eight preliminary lessons company executives should take to heart when they prepare or update their crisis management plans. 

Lesson 1: Be clear and straightforward

Lesson 2: Have specific goals

Lesson 3: Include objectives that must be met to achieve the goals

Lesson 4: Establish priorities

Lesson 5: Assign responsibilities

Lesson 6: Identify and obtain resources that are needed to ensure success

Lesson 7: Explain how the plan will be implemented

Lesson 8: Put experts in charge.

Question of the day.

What are the lessons you learn from the extraordinary Success story and Journey of the President Elect Joe Biden ?

Thanks for your attention and please enjoy your day.

Dr. Laide Okubena is a renowned Business Management Writer as well as a Real Estate Practitioner based in Lagos.

 

2. Joe Biden visits son's grave

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  • 4 Valuable Lessons you can learn from Joe Biden's career about overcoming obstacles
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