Well I have been a little lazy this past weekend because I am only starting to write my weekly entry on Sunday night when it should have been written on Friday night. I came up with this idea while I was watching CNN as usual and it occurred to me that many people want different things from leadership so I thought I would voice what I want. Every one of us wants different things based on our circumstances, goals and what we see in the future. This is by no means reflective on the American election but are merely qualities, traits or distinctions that I would expect in any leader, be it the President of the United States or the Prime Minister of the U.K.
Having discussed leadership in my Master’s Thesis, I have a wealth of books on the subject so I thought I would use some of that literature to discuss leadership as it relates to the three candidates coming up to the Presidential election. The first book I will reference is entitled:”The Wisdom of Alexander the Great” by Dr. Lance B. Kurke published by the American Association of Management. It is a great book and here are some valuable points from it:
- Reframing problems is a cognitive tool that can change the world. This means that a good leader will look at a situation beyond partisan lines to see what the overall effect of an issue will be. Dr. Kurke gives a great example of the oil situation where the current administration gives the oil companies tax breaks which have not done the oil price any good. Dr. Kurke suggests a great emphasis on renewable energy and focusing on hydrogen powered cars etc… America needs a smart leader who can make intelligent decisions based on the now and the future rather than the past.
- Building alliances is a common tool in a leader’s tool kit. This is a great point in today’s era of the “global village”, America needs a President that will work with the global community as well as the leader’s of the world we do not like. The greatest humanitarians of our time have been people who talk. America needs a leader who can communicate effectively and efficiently and look at a situation from both sides including the side that does not benefit America. The USA is one nation in a new global economy and once the right leader figures this out, I believe a lot of the problems with other nations can be solved.
- Establishing identity is paramount to leadership. Every leader needs a distinct identity, the ability to establish an aura of charisma or inspiration. Someone who does things a different way while ensuring that the people understand his motives, thoughts and logic behind a decision. Leadership is often misunderstood as a quality that cannot be understood, I think every good leader comes from common roots, he or she understands what it is like at every level of society. This is good leadership.
- Directing symbols, the final leadership process is probably the least consciously used and most misunderstood process. Dr. Kurke emphasizes the power of words and this is something that many people glaze over because they believe words are just a facade. Every good leader can put power behind his words, so much so that people do not need to see actions because they understand that such words will facilitate action.
My next discussion comes from the book entitled: “An Unorthodox Guide to Doing the Right Thing: Leading Quietly” by Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr published by the Harvard Business School Press. The USA needs a quiet leader because he or she see’s the world as it is rather than what the politics dictate, they are realists who see the world as a kaleidoscope rather than a fixed target or well-mapped terrain. Quiet leaders are idealists but realize that idealism is part of all society but it needs to be tempered with reality. Lastly Quiet leaders need three traits according to the author which is restraint, modesty and tenacity. This last trait is something that I think is critically important in a leader, because without tenacity we would have leaders who have no conviction in their actions would have be indecisive at best.
To round out the discussion, I would like to go over some famous quotes by people on the ideas of leadership:
- Leadership is not rank, privileges title or money. It is responsibility - Peter Drucker
- Leadership is the art of mobilizing others to want to struggle for shared aspirations - James Kouzes and Barry Posner
- Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other - John F. Kennedy
- Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without strategy - General Norman Schwarzkopf
- People ask the difference between a leader and a boss… The leader works in the open and the boss in covert. The leader leads and the boss drives. - President Theodore Roosevelt
- It’s no exaggeration to say that a strong positive self-image is the best possible preparation for leadership in life. - Dr. Joyce Brothers
- A Leader is someone who knows what they want to achieve and can communicate that. But you will only succeed if you know what you are doing is right and you know how to bring out the best in people - Margaret Thatcher
- Take the course opposite to custom and you will always do well - Jean Jacques Rousseau
- Coaches who outline plays on the blackboard are a dime a dozen. The ones who succeed are those who can get inside their players and motivate them. - Vince Lombardi
- If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. - John Quincy Adams.
This is by no means the full list of leadership qualities but merely some results of some research I have done in the past as well as today. All I wish to say is that I urge people to consider what they want in a leader rather than what that person had done or said they will do. If you can figure out what you want than please vote accordingly but for myself, I know the kind of leader I want based on what I have read, researched and experienced in life. That person is Senator Obama, who is that person for you?
