Dear Mr. President,

After today—you’ll be able to stop campaigning and begin leading our nation. May I just say, this is great news for the American people. We’ve all grown weary of negative campaign ads blasting the other candidate. What we need now is a leader who can and will win the allegiance of both parties and all citizens by demonstrating competence at getting this country working again, by displaying empathy for all people, and by leading from principles rather than merely reacting to special interest groups lobbying for influence. We need a leader who will take a stand.

More than anything, however, I want to remind you that you are laying the groundwork for the next generation. The decisions you make will impact our children and grandchildren even more than us. We are at a crossroads with our national debt, our loss of morals and values and our broken educational system. If you make decisions that merely make you look better, but hurt us over the long haul, you are selfish. You’ll demonstrate poor leadership. May I suggest a simple leadership principle I learned long ago: the further out you can see into the future, the better the decision you’ll make today.

Believe me—young people today are watching, through every social media outlet you can imagine. They want a leader who can foster collaboration across the aisle not just represent a party. They need a model to follow, not just a speech to hear. They are actually hungry for a leader, but you must show yourself trustworthy. You have to earn it. If you’ll show us you are an authentic, life-giving, servant-leader, you’ll have millions of energetic young adults ready to serve with you.

This is your chance.

Tim Elmore

www.GrowingLeaders.com