I have always enjoyed watching political debates even before The Donald made them must-see TV. I don’t really care which party the debate is for in the primary ones, I just enjoy seeing people being put in those situations.

There are of course, some parts of the debates that I don’t like. Here are some of them:

• I don’t like when the moderators insert themselves into the debate like what happened in the CNBC Republican debate. I took a journalism class in college and am pretty sure I remember something about not putting yourself into the news story. (I write blogs now rather than news because of this!)
• I don’t like when the debaters dodge the questions or decide to answer a previous question instead. Leaders don’t just give direction, they should be able to follow directions as well.
• I don’t like when debaters are disrespectful to each other or to someone who isn’t present. It is possible to question someone’s performance or ideas respectfully.

Although I enjoy watching the debates, there is one question that never gets asked (in a debate or anytime really) and I think it is the most important question.

What kind of team are you going to put together?

Being the President of The United States of America is a HUGE job and in these debates and campaigns so much is asked about the person running, including questions about their experience, voting records, personal lives and even things from 30 or 40 years ago. Although there is one person (and then two when the VP candidate is named) running, their success will be the result of the team they put together.

This is the case in business. There have been brilliant people who have failed because they didn’t have the right team in place. There have been some really average people that have succeeded because of the quality of their team. Imagine what happens when brilliant people surround themselves with other brilliant people and they all work towards the same goals?

This is true in sports as well. Does it really matter if you have the best coach if your players are terrible? Ask Alabama. Nick Saban is perhaps the best college coach in the country. But his success comes from the top recruiting classes he puts together and how he develops his players. When he tried in the NFL? He was unable to put together the same level of talent as he did in college and he failed. Pete Carroll wasn’t successful his first stint in the NFL nor was Bill Belichick. Brilliant minds and leaders they are, but their success comes from their teams.

Perhaps the best example of a President putting together a great team was Abraham Lincoln. In the book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005) by Doris Kearns Goodwin readers learn about the many rivals Lincoln faced off against in the election and how after winning he made those same rivals his cabinet members. Working with these strong personalities tested Lincoln’s leadership skills, but his humility allowed him to set his ego aside for the sake of the country.

Teams are the way ordinary people accomplish extraordinary things. The President of The United States should be an ordinary person, with the humility like Lincoln to put the right people in place and to lead them in the same direction.

Don’t you get tired of hearing all these ideas and promises from Presidential candidates only for them to fall by the wayside once they are elected? Why does this happen?

Well of course we can blame Congress because that is just so easy. But the reality is that every Presidential candidate has a vision for the country. Maybe you agree with it or maybe you don’t. The real question is can they execute that vision? And how will they do it?

They may not have all the answers. If they do, they aren’t being authentic. No one is a master of everything. Maybe a candidate is strong on Defense and light on the Economy. Does that mean they shouldn’t be elected? No! It just means they should be asked how they will put together a strong team that will execute their vision for the Economy. The teams they put together should fill in their gaps.

These Presidential debates are necessary because we need to hear from the candidates. We, the American people need to be able to see their visions as they do. But we must also have confidence in their ability to execute their vision. They will not and cannot do that alone.

So in one of the next debates (I feel like there is one a week right now) I want the moderators to ask the question that is never asked and then see what happens.

What kind of team will you put together to help execute your vision for the country? This question could change the discussion and should really let us see the candidates in a different light.

Personally, I don’t want a President that thinks he or she can do everything. That leads to burnout and ultimately to failure. As a country we need to come together and stand united and that can only happen if our leaders show us the way.