As a Think Pink Line blogger you know I’m a fan of Mrs. O.  So, I was anxious to hear her speech last night.  Well, what can I say?  Once a coach, always a coach.  I thought she did well, but she didn’t hit a home run.  Why?  Because she was over-coached.  Because she read what was on the teleprompter.  Because they coached the fire right out of her (I don’t think TPL blogger Marilyn Z. could call her angry based on that presentation). 

Mrs. O’s speech was well choreographed, she hit on all the points her handlers wanted her to make, but in the process her essence was lost.  The headline of an article in The International Herald Tribune says it all, “The careful rollout of a warmer Michelle Obama.” What a perfect example of women being expected to walk The Thin Pink Line.  Her focus on family and values was great, but she has so much more to say than that — and she usually says it with more gusto.  She faces the same problem Hillary encountered when she became First Lady and that Theresa Heinz Kerry was met with when she spoke at the same convention four years ago.  We want the spouses of our Presidents to be smart, but not too smart.  Passionate, but not too passionate.  And to have opinions but not come across as opinionated.  Come to think of it, that’s what we expect of so many women in the workplace.  And that’s The Thin Pink Line. 

So, what are the lessons we can all learn from Michelle O? 

1. When coached, keep the best of who you are and add to it, don’t subtract.  This is the Golden Rule of coaching.  Always lead with your strengths and add new behaviors that will help you to walk TPL. 
2. Play the game on the field and in bounds, but avoid the middle — that’s not where games are won.  If you receive feedback that you’re too quiet in meetings, don’t go to the extreme of dominating them.  Find 2 - 3 opportunities to give your opinion, affirm what someone else has said, or seek clarification that others need as well.  Going to extremes doesn’t work — for women or  men.  MIchelle played it too safe last night – she had plenty more field to use without being called out. 
3. Be strategic in your communications.  Choose the times when you can let the best of you emerge and when you should exhibit a broader range of communication skills.  The pundits may want a gentler, calmer Michele Obama but this doesn’t mean that’s all she can be.  Just once last night I wanted to see her diverge from the script and utter something totally passionate in true Michelle O. fashion.  I don’t think it would have detracted one bit from her message — in fact I think it would have enhanced it.  Think back to what happened when Hillary got tearful just before the New Hampshire primary.  We liked her even better. 

TAGS: Coaching, Democratic National Convention, International Herald Tribune, Michelle Obama, walking the thin pink line