I have previously blogged on the
way that consumer preferences are being used to determine voting sympathies and
intentions ( witness the recent amazing turnaround in fortunes of Gov Arnold ‘I’ll
be back’ Schwarzenegger ) now Douglas B. Sosnik, a strategist in the Clinton White
House; Matthew J. Dowd, a strategist for President Bush’s two campaigns (and
adviser to Schwarzenegger); and award-winning political journalist Ron Fournier,
have written an insightful book looking at the keys to winning leadership.

They discovered that
successful leaders, even those from disparate fields, have more in common than
not.

The book takes you inside the
reelection campaigns of Bush and Clinton, behind the scenes of hyper-successful
megachurches, and into the boardrooms of corporations such as Applebee’s
International, the world’s largest casual dining restaurant chain.

Their view: whether you’re
promoting a candidate, a product, or the Word of God, the rules are the same in
Applebee’s America .

• People make choices about politics, consumer goods, and religion with their hearts, not their heads.
• Successful leaders touch people at a gut level by projecting basic American values that seem lacking in modern institutions and missing from day-to-day life experiences.
• The most important Gut Values today are community and authenticity. People are desperate to connect with one another and be part of a cause greater than themselves. They’re tired of spin and sloganeering from political, business, and religious institutions that constantly fail them.
• A person’s lifestyle choices can be used to predict how he or she will vote, shop, and practice their religion. The authors reveal exclusive new details about the best “LifeTargeting”
       strategies.
• In this age of skepticism and media diversification, people are abandoning traditional opinion leaders for “Navigators.” These otherwise average Americans help their family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers negotiate the swift currents of change in twenty-first-century  America.
      
• Winning leaders ignore conventional wisdom and its many myths, including these false assumptions: Voters only act in their self interests; Republicans rule exurbia; and technology drives people apart. Wrong, wrong, and wrong.
• Once you squander a Gut Values Connection, you may never get it back. Bush learned that hard lesson within a year of winning reelection. The three declare their
  intention to "help twenty-first-century American leaders think anew about
  the people they serve—a people that, despite an increasingly multiracial
  society, "seem to be seeking more homogeneity in their lifestyle
  choices."

Since the 1990s, they argue,
the key to winning the hearts, dollars and votes of the American public and its
leaders is appealing to "the three C’s, connections, community, and civic
engagement." They talk about a society drowning in information but
desperate for meaning.

There are clear lessons to be
drawn here for the police service. Obvious opportunities to cognitively
position the police (and the police estate) at the heart of a community. To
provide a place where people can meet in safety. To become more accessible as a
location for community resource. To make policing relevant and integral to the
three C’s.

The great and good have lined
up to praise the book. Here is the endorsement by Hilary Clinton:

“For anyone interested in how
Americans make connections and build community in the 21 st century, this book
is a must read. Whether your interest is in the political world or the business
world, Applebee’s America explains how community and shared values can determine how we vote, where we
worship, and even where we dine. Whether you manage a restaurant or a political
organization, there are certain consistencies that matter to people: community,
communication, and authenticity.This book examines current trends and provides
fresh thinking and new ideas and strategies for anyone interested in
influencing large groups of people.”

All in all, a thought
provoking and worthwhile read.

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