Reading, Reading, Reading

I am having a dandy old time with my head buried in a bunch of books.
Currently, I am reading or listening to:

The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of the Learning Organization, by Peter M. Senge
In Defense of Food, by Michael Pollan (author of the Omnivore's Dilemma)
Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott
The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama
The World is Flat, by Thomas Friedman

I've been reading Fifth Discipline for months, Audacity of Hope for weeks, Fierce Conversations for a week or two, and In Defense of Food for a few days. I've been listening to the World is flat for a few weeks also.

I am very excited that I am on the verge of finishing one of these books. Wooohoo!
I've got less than 40 pages left of Obama's book. I've really enjoyed it--especially the current chapter, "The World Beyond Our Borders." If you haven't read this book yet, you should think about it. It's very interesting. I particularly appreciate the acknowledgment of the role we play in the system of global relationships:

"...nobody benefits more than we do from the observance of international 'rules of the road.' We can't win converts to those rules if we act as if they apply to everyone but us. When the world's sole superpower willingly restrains its power and abides by internationally agreed-upon standards of conduct, it sends a message that these are rules worth following..."
"In military parlance, legitimacy is a 'force multiplier.'"

Why I support Obama

I wrote this on another website a few weeks ago. I'd like to post it here as well.

My ideal leader is one who leads change in the system itself, rather than poking at the symptoms. My ideal leader can identify gaps in thinking and unused resources to go at a problem in a fundamentally different way. My ideal leader doesn't need to live his or her life just the way I would...he or she does need to hold the same fundamental values I do :
--empowering and motivating people (leading rather than managing)
--uniting people (leading with a shared vision)
--listening to people (feedback is critical!)
--constantly learning ("if you do what you always did, you're gonna get what you always got")
--attention to detail, or an ability to see gray (nuance must not be overlooked; "authority without wisdom is like an axe without a blade...fitter to bruise than to sharpen")
--pride through accountability (there is no pride in being babied, coddled, or let off the hook...we will need to work and sacrifice for what we want, and it will be so much sweeter when we get there)
--respect (for other's values, other's decisions, other's work, other's priorities...my way is just that--"my" way; other's see things differently...that's okay, and even GOOD)
--understanding motivation (being able to look past an action or a stereotype and relate to others through common threads of motivation)
--willingness and even dedication to identifying one's own flaws, or one's own contribution to an existing problem (this is how we move forward...we must look at ourselves first)

I believe Obama encompasses these fundamental values.