Leadership is the art of getting people to achieve more together than they would independently. This is challenging for any leader but as the scope of the role increases and the impact of mistakes rises, it puts enormous pressure on leaders to get it right. In that context, how is President Obama doing in his first six months on the job?
Knowledge@Wharton recently examined President Obama’s leadership style asking whether his ambitious agenda is too broad and diffuse, or whether it’s energizing and indeed exactly what is needed in today’s highly connected and challenging economic and political world.
Personally I think the President inherited a gigantic mess across a number of fronts and has aggressively tried to tackle many things. He has done a solid job of explaining how it’s all connected but the timing is challenging with high unemployment, fear, and record deficits and debt. It’s the same for any leader: make sure your priorities feel obtainable and energizing for your team by helping show the big picture, a roadmap for achieving them, and emotional support to inspire.
Obama’s personal style also comes under scrutiny in the article and among citizens. He’s the Joe-Cool President, a young, technologically savvy, seemingly unflappable leader who doesn’t have to rattle swords to make progress. He seems to actively view Congress as a peer and lets them do the heavy lifting on legislation, coming in at the end to help seal deals. Some have said this delegates too much, others feel he is not being specific enough on his key focal points, and others have simply said that’s he’s more pragmatist than ideologue. Personally I think Obama’s challenge is that his amazing campaigning style raised expectations so high that no human being can obtain them. I suggest that he continue to stay highly visible, talking about his one key initiative (health care) until it makes the necessary progress. When that’s done, he can shift his attention, at least in terms of media focus, to something else while reminding us of the progress made across a number of initiatives. This will allow him to leverage his selling skills while not overwhelming people.
What are your thoughts on the President’s leadership style?
Photo credit: Loretta Rosa
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