I felt so short next to Obama it made me instantly regret not drinking enough milk as a kid (and I’m lactose intolerant). That aside, still grateful to have met him in person and experienced first hand the calm, controlled and empathetic demeanor that characterised his leadership. His inspiring message to reject pessimism and cynicism echoes the wisdom that fear, not failure, is the greatest obstacle to achieving our dreams. It served as a personal reminder that the obstacles in business and life rarely have any grounding in reality.