President Obama
Question one
President Barrack Obama is the 44th president of United States with the American story. He comes from a middle-income family, and he used hard work and education to get ahead in life to where he is at the present. He is also the first African- American to hold the presidential office.
President Obama has displayed several traits during his time in the presidential office and before, that has contributed to his strong leadership. First, he is a good decision maker. By surrounding himself with people who have different views from his, he can get different perspectives. He, therefore, can make decisions that have the American people in mind. He has brought the Democratic and Republican parties together and brought a unanimous way of leading the people. He has shown decisiveness numerous times when he takes action during his time in office such as the decision to reduce gun control.
President Obama is very confident, and this has led to the ability of Americans to trust him to enough to give him a second chance in office. With the economic disaster and a multi-trillion debt that he found when he took the office, he continues to assure Americans that they can make out of these challenges unbroken and stronger. In one of his speeches, he said, “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin the work of remaking America.” (Crotty, 2012, p. 212)
Obama is certainly a family man that shows his caring nature. He finds the balance between his family and his work. He has been seen countless times going to his campaigns and meetings with his family. They also have time to sit down and take dinner together. Also, the creation of free health care shows his concern for the health of Americans.
President Obama has also shown respect and fairness in his leadership. All along, he has supported the diplomatic way of dealing with issues. This shows respect for organizations such as the Iran country. At first, he resisted the planting of militant groups in Iran and his first approach to the issue was diplomacy. He displays fairness to all economic groups. He cut taxes from the small business and the middle-income families. He treats everyone fairly regardless of the age, gender, race and social status. (Marks, 2009, p. 18)
Integrity is the main trait that should be held by leaders. This trait distinguishes between good and bad leaders. President Obama has shown several ways in which he has stuck to his morals and ethics. First, basic fidelity to his wife and his ability to admit his mistakes by avoid blame-shifting.
As Obama was growing up, he was a man of many firsts. Obama was the first black and also African-American to be elected the president of the Harvard Law Review. Although he lost the race to be U.S congressman to Bobby Rush, he persisted and ran for the United States Senate seat against Alan Keyes that he won. Eventually, he became the first African-American president of the United States. This shows Obama’s hard work, persistence and self-discipline which are the traits that should be possessed by leaders before any other additional traits that show the leader one is.
Question 2
Obama is self-aware man and coming from a middle class family, he did not have it all and had to work to get to where he is. With the knowledge of how difficult life can be, he has made it easier for everyone to get their ‘American dream’. By reducing and sometimes eliminating the cost of some services, he has eased the life of Americans. He can tie his own experiences to show Americans that it is possible to make it.
President Obama is also very charismatic; a person who attracts influences and inspires people by their personal qualities. This has made his agenda, to serve the people of America by eliminating racism and fear. He has also worked hard to get rid of selfish leaders who take offices for their personal gain. President Obama is also giver and has dedicated his life to serving the people of America by putting their needs first.
Question 3
Both ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’ contributed to President’s Obama exemplary leadership qualities.
Obama’s early life was characterized by hardships and struggles, but he learnt to endure them and seize the opportunities he had. This experience made him humble as well as in touch with the common citizens. Authenticity in him is inspired by his experience in life and has made him the darling of the people. During his campaign for the US Senate, the Americans loved him, and he gained a lot of popularity. Obama is considered as a role model for all the people who want to make it in life despite circumstances. His nurture was very essential for him to develop his leadership traits and political talent. (Crotty, 2012, p. 45)
Despite his ability to understand the people, President Obama has also been influenced by his surroundings. For leaders are not born but made. His time with the attorney Lawrence Tribe working as a research assistant shaped his law career and also his time as a community organizer instilled in him, leadership traits made him a great leader.
Therefore, both factors contributed to Obama becoming the leader he is today. His successes and traits can be traced back to his time he was growing up and also the circumstances that he encountered during his childhood.
Bibliography
Crotty, William. The Obama Presidency: Promise and perfomance. United States: Lexington Books, 2012.
Marks, Jennifer. President Barrack Obama. 1st Edition. Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2009.
