LeMon Aid: Tim Russert resonated with Sunday crowd

Unfortunately, I was still tethered. I had my Blackberry hooked on the waistband of my swimming trunks. Yes, I know!

I was reading a great novel while catching glimpses of my family and the grandkids making sand castles out of the corner of my eye when my Blackberry vibrated.

It was a Wall Street Journal Alert. And it was significant.

I could not believe the words I was reading. Tim Russert was dead.

After staring for a few minutes I walked to the shoreline where the kids had now constructed a castle, complete with a moat and drawbridge.

When I read everyone the words on the miniscule screen, I heard nothing until, “That cannot be true.” … “He was so young.” Then, more silence.

I never personally shook hands with Tim Russert, shared a meal or sat next to him on a shoeshine stand. Russert did not know me, but I knew him. A lot of us knew him from his show, “Meet the Press.”

If you wonder why Russert’s death stopped this nation, let me suggest that he had a quality of resonance.

Resonance, from the Latin “resonare,” literally means “to carry.” Russert “carried” with us. His words, demeanor, self-effacing humor, and love for his father, “Big Russ,” all carried something tangible to us.

There are people in my life who “carry” or “connect” with me. When their shadows darken the doorframe, I light up on the inside. Their presence makes my brain whir and my heart clap.

We are in the middle of a pivotal election in the history of our nation. There has been a gale of verbiage about “momentum,” “connecting with the crowd” and “stage presence.” We all want to glue ourselves to a candidate who is resonant with us leaving trust in his wake.

I have a word of caution.

We did not connect with Russert because he was just photogenic, verbally adept or had an extraordinary IQ. We emotionally saddled up to this man because he wore his humanity on his sleeve – and he became believable.

I will never forget the show Russert talked about working his way through law school by working on the same garbage truck as his father. On his final day before his last year of school, Russert took off the stinking gloves, boots and shirt and threw them in the back of the garbage truck. He said, “I pulled the lever and watched these foul-smelling things grind away, because I would never go back to this job again.”

Russert was an unvarnished, plain-spoken person who fashioned words out of his heart as well as his neo cortex. And we connected with him.

I am of the opinion that “slick” does not have “legs” in leadership. The leader gets in the door with his business acumen, verbal skills and reasoning ability. But authenticity keeps the leader in the corner office.

So, what defines the “Tim Russert Effect”? I have isolated five easily definable characteristics.

First, this person will connect with others within the first three to seven seconds when entering a room. Leaning slightly forward and smiling, this leader will introduce himself with a firm handshake and eye contact.

Second, the resonant leader can read nonverbal messages and follow up with an assertive question.

Third, when it comes time to expand the staff, the leader is intent on filling the workplace with people who can do what he cannot.

Fourth, without exception, the resonant leader has a natural sense of humor and knows how to have a good laugh at his expense.

Finally, resonance refuses to play the “pay-back game.” When there may even be a good case for evening the score, this person will not take the easy option.

I stared for a day or two, and I was sad for a while. Once you have met a resonant leader who was a whole person, there is always a hole inside that never quite fills up. Sunday mornings will never be the same.

Cal LeMon of Springfield-based Executive Enrichment Inc. solves organizational problems with customized training and consulting. He can be reached at execenrichment@aol.com.