MGT 3100
Dr. Frank
Abstract
The United States of America has been led by numerous leaders with varying leadership and management qualities since attaining independence in 1778. The current American President Barrack Hussein Obama goes down in history as the first African American to become the American president since its establishment by the founding fathers. Obama has drawn a lot of controversies especially with his gay rights advocacy as well as snubbing his motherland Kenya during his African tour.
George Walker Bush was the 44th president of the United States of America and Obama’s predecessor. Bush is the second American president to have been the son of a former president. Just like Obama’s administration which has faced sharp criticism from critics, the Bush administration also faced serious criticism especially on foreign relation issues. The 2001 September 11 terrorist attacks on American soil also dented Bush’s administration.
This essay explicates crucial issues relating to the nature of both Obama’s and Bush’s leadership and managerial skills. Various areas of their lives have been studied and analyzed based on a given criteria. These include their domestic and foreign relations as well as important highlights of their administration. The criteria applied in analyzing the leaders include: trait approach, skills approach, style approach, situational approach, contingency theory, path goal theory, and leader-member exchange theory as well as servant leadership.Introduction
The concept leadership has no precise definition as various scholars have attempted to define it based on their own understanding. Leadership has been defined as a process that occurs in groups and entails influence and common goals (Northouse, 2012). As such, leadership is conceptualized as a process in which an individual impacts or influences a group of individuals to realize or achieve a common goal (Northouse, 2012, p.5).
Various leaders across the world have different leadership skills and qualities. As such, different personalities differ in terms of their approach to societal issues. People often exhibit certain qualities that make them stand out from the crowd. For instance, Nelson Mandela and Idi Amin Dada were great leaders during their time with varying leadership styles. While Mandela is famed for his democratic principles in South Africa, Amin is famed for his ruthless dictatorial regime in Uganda. The United States of American has been led by forty four different presidents with varying personal and leadership traits. As such, President Obama’s leadership differs to a large extent from his predecessor, George W. Bush.
Barrack Hussein Obama
Born in 4 August 1961 in Hawaii, Honolulu, Barrack Hussein Obama II is the current and 44th President of the United States of America. His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham was of English ancestry (Obama, 2004, p.12) while his father, Barrack Obama Senior was a Luo from Kenya. President Obama goes down in history as the first African American to hold America’s top seat (Nagourney, 2008). Obama’s childhood was replete with challenges owing to his multiracial heritage. While growing up, Obama was a member of the “choom gang” who a teenage group that spent time together and smoked marijuana (Obama, 2004, p.93).
Obama’s rise to the presidency has been a gradual one, having served as a rights attorney in Chicago and as the Illinois Senator between 1997 and 2004. Obama’s meteoric rise to the presidency gained ground during the 2008 Democratic Party primaries beating Hillary Rodham Clinton and later beating the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain. During his first term in office, President Obama issued executive orders directing the American military troops to be withdrawn from Iraq and ordered the closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. President Obama also signed various bills into law such as the 2006 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which was in response to the Great Recession and the 2010 Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act. Other major laws include the 2011 Budget Control Act, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act as well as the 2012 American Taxpayer Relief Act. President Obama also became the first sitting president to openly support same-sex marriage in 2012. The Obama administration also filed briefs in 2013 urging the United States Supreme Court to strike down California’s Proposition 8 and the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act as a violation of the American constitution.
On the international front, the Obama administration has been very vocal on issues pertaining crimes against humanity and the International Criminal Court as indicated by his decision to skip visiting Kenya during his African tour citing the pending Kenyan cases at the Hague-based court. The Obama administration has also been instrumental in ending the American military involvement in the Iraq War, signing the New START arms control treaty with Russia, ordering the American military involvement in Libya that ousted Libyan strongman Muammar Gadhafi. Under the leadership of President Obama, American troops have increased their presence in Afghanistan and conducted a military operation that resulted in the demise of Osama bin Laden, Al Qaeda’s leader.
George W. Bush
Born in July 6, 1946 in New Haven, Connecticut, George Walker Bush is an American businessman and politician who served as the United States of America’s 43rd President between 2001 and 2009. He is the eldest son of Barbara and George H.W. Bush, a former United States’ president. Bush was elected president in 2000 after a disputed election becoming the fourth American president to be elected while receiving fewer popular votes than his opponent. During this election, Bush won the election after the Electoral College voted him in despite losing the national popular elections to his main challenger, Al Gore.
Bush’s administration was rocked with ups and downs. Eight months into his first term of office as the United States President, the World Trade Center located in the US was attacked by terrorists in September 11, 2001. The events of the fateful day go down in history as the darkest day in American history. In response, President Bush announced the ‘War on Terror’ a global campaign against terrorism. This entailed the American invasion of Afghanistan in 2001 which was believed to harbor terrorist operations of the Al Qaeda group and the invasion of Iraq which resulted in the ousting of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein (Lindsay, 2011). This only served to increase criticism of US foreign policy both locally and internationally.
On the domestic front, President George W. Bush promoted various policies on the health care, economy social security reform and education. Under his tenure of office, the American Constitution was amended to ban same-sex marriages. In addition, Bush signed various bills into law such as the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, the Patriotic Act, Medicare and the No Child Left Behind Act. The Bush administration also saw national debates on heightened interrogation procedures, electronic surveillance and immigration issues. Just like his successor, President Bush’s administration received significant criticism especially for his handling of the Iraq War and Hurricane Katrina (Ahlers, 2006).
Trait Approach
According to Cherry (n.d) the trait approach or theory to personality is one of the main theoretical areas in studying personality. The theory holds that individual personalities are composed broad temperaments. As such, an individual possesses numerous traits such as outgoing and kind where a trait refers to relatively stable characteristics that cause an individual to behave or act in a given way (Cherry, n.d). Kassin (2003) defines traits as habitual patterns of thought, emotion and behavior. According to this approach, human traits are relatively stable over time thus influencing behavior and tend to vary across different people. For instance, some people tend to be shy while others are outgoing. As such, leadership traits are considered to be stable characteristics that are inherent and remain relatively stable over time. According to Saucier and Goldberg (1998) more factors need to be studied when describing human personality such as wealth, beauty and humor. As such, the approach focuses on the individual’s personal attributes such as his/her personality and physical characteristics, values and competences (Fleenor, 2006).
According to Northouse (20012, p. 19) the trait approach endeavors to pinpoint qualities of great people and accentuates the crucial role of traits in effective leadership. Effective leaders possess numerous traits such as integrity, sociability, intelligence, determination and self-confidence just to mention a few. Northouse (23) further elucidates that intellectual ability or acumen is positively associated with leadership. As such, leaders tend to have higher acumen than non-leaders. Obama’s high levels of intelligence can be seen from his academic pursuits where he graduated from the Columbia University and the Harvard Law School with a J.D. magna cum laude.
Self-confidence is another viable trait possessed by effective leaders. According to Northouse (2012, p. 24) self-confidence refers to the ability to be certain about one’s skills and competencies. Self-confidence encompasses self-assurance and self-esteem as well as the belief that one can make a change. Barrack Obama can be described as a self-confident man. Being the first black American president, Obama’s presidential win was driven largely by his self-confidence. His 2008 presidential campaign which projected the theme of change and hope portrays Obama as a self-confident man who believed that the can make a difference. In his part, George W. Bush appears less confident when compared to Obama. Being the former president’s son, Bush’s path to the presidency cannot entire be described as effort-driven as his father’s influence accelerated him to the presidency.
Effective leaders also possess determination. Northouse (2012, p.25) defines determination as the desire to get the job done. It includes persistence, drive and initiative. Barrack Obama can be described as a determined man keen to make a difference. For instance, Obama worked with the Developing Communities Project as a community organizer (Mendell, 2007, p.64). He also helped set up a college preparatory tutoring program and an organization advocating for tenants’ rights. Other than the above mentioned activities, Obama engaged in various community activities. His college activities also describe him as a determined person. For instance, Obama became an editor of the Harvard Law Review during his first year and president of the journal during his second year (Kantor, 2007).
Obama’s can be described as an extravert. This means that President Obama is sociable and outgoing thus projects his personality outward. Obama’s extraversion can be seen with how he conducted his presidential campaigns with particular emphasis on his presidential campaign speech with the slogan, “Yes We Can” and his presidential acceptance speech. His ability to connect with the audience as well as his good oratorical skills put him way ahead of his predecessor. Obama’s personal traits can be attributed as one of his strong points during the election campaign. Despite coming from a minority ethnic group, President Barrack Obama beat all odds to become the first African American president beating the Republican’s presidential candidate, John McCain by garnering many popular votes. In contrast, the same cannot be said of President Bush who rose to power following a disputed election. President Bush lost the popular vote to his main competitor Al Gore but was declared the 43rd United States President by the Electoral College.
Skills Approach
Northouse (2012, p.43) defines leadership skills as, “the ability to use one’s competencies and knowledge to achieve a set of goals. Leadership skills include a leader’s knowledge, problem solving skills and social judgment skills. According to the Mumford group, “problem-solving skills are a leader’s creative ability to resolve new and unfamiliar, inaccurate organizational difficulties” (Northouse, 2012, p.44). Both leaders can be said to possess problem-solving skills. When plagued with the 2001 September terrorist attacks, Bush reacted with finesse to avert the crisis by launching the Global War on Terror. Similarly, Obama has been keen to address issues affecting the country such as the increase in drug-related violence.
The style approach emphasizes the behavior of the leader (Northhouse, 2012). As such, the approach largely focuses on what leaders do and how they act. Basically, there are two general types of behaviors namely relationship behaviors. While relationship behaviors aim at helping subordinates feel comfortable with themselves as well the prevailing situations and with each other, task behaviors are largely focused on the accomplishment of goals. During the American invasion of Iraq, Bush sought the support of her allies such as Britain and Australia thus placing a strong emphasis on task relationships. Bush was aware that the American success depended on support from her allies. On his part, Obama has large invested on interpersonal relationships with his presidential team.
Using this approach can be used to analyze the leadership of both Obama and Bush. Judging from their leadership it is evident that Bush is high in task behaviors unlike Obama who is high in process behaviors. According to Gardiner (2010) Bush’s international leadership was considerably smarter than that of Obama. Gardiner adds that Bush may not have been popular internationally, but the US was widely feared. As such, America’s ‘enemies’ such as the Al Qaeda terrorists were hunted to the ends of the world while her real allies were treated in respect something that is lacking with the Obama administration.
Situational Approach
The situational leadership theory was largely expounded by Paul Hersey and Ken Blanchard. The situational leadership theory is based on two key concepts namely the individual’s maturity level and leadership style. Leadership styles can be categorized in terms of relationship behavior and task behavior that leaders provide to their followers. Leadership styles can be grouped into delegating, participating, selling or telling. Under delegation, the leader is still involved in decision making though the responsibility has been passed on to other group members. A leader may also participate in decision making by providing less task behaviors about how the task will be accomplished. Selling often involves using two-way communication and providing socio-emotional support while telling is characterized by one-way form of communication in which the leader defines the member’s individual roles. As such, the leader highlights what, when, how and where an individual will perform a task. Using this approach to analyze both President Obama and George Bush, it is evident that both leaders vary in their approaches. Obama is more of a ‘seller’ while Bush was a ‘teller’.
Contingency Theory
The contingency theory is based on the premise that the optimal course of action is dependent or contingent upon the external and internal situation. Scott (1981) argued that the apt way to organize was influenced by the nature of the environment to which the party must relate. The contingency approach as postulated by Fred Fiedler entails the relationship between situation favorableness and the leadership style. The favorableness of the situation derived three dimensions namely the leader’s position power which is obtained through formal authority; the leader-member relationship which is the most vital variable in determining the favorableness of the situation; and the degree of task structure. The contingency approach holds that situations are favorable to the leader when all the above three dimensions are high.
Using the contingency theory to analyze the leadership of both Obama and Bush, it is evident that both leaders served during varying circumstances. Bush’s reign occurred at a time when the vulnerabilities of the US security systems were exposed by the terrorists. His response was largely driven by the fact that the US enjoyed high leader-member relationship as indicated by its unilateral action against Iraq backed by close allies like the United Kingdom. Similarly, US enjoyed the priviledges of the global leader. The reign of President Barrack Obama has been characterized by the rise of China as a superpower which is threatening US hegemony. Similarly, Obama is trying to redeem the American image which was tarnished during the US invasion of Iraq.
Path-Goal Theory
“Path-goal theory is about how leaders motivate subordinates to accomplish designated goals” (Northouse, 2012, p.137). Northouse (2012, p.137) explains that “subordinates will be motivated if they think they are capable of performing their work, if they believe their efforts will result in a certain outcome, and if they believe that the payoffs for doing their work are worthwhile”. The path-goal theory was postulated by Robert House in 1971. The approach states that a leader’s behavior is dependent to the motivation, performance and satisfaction of his/her subordinates. As such, a leader tends to behave in a way that complements his/her subordinates abilities and compensates for their deficiencies. The theory was largely inspired by Martin G. Evans’ work of 1970s in which the follower perceptions and leadership behaviors of the degree to which following a certain conduct will lead to a certain goal. As such, a leader’s conduct is acceptable to juniors when seen as a source of satisfaction and motivational when need gratification is dependent on performance, and the leader coaches, facilitates, and rewards actual performance.
The theory identifies four leadership behaviors namely supportive, participative, directive and achievement-oriented leader behaviors. Directive behaviors are those in which followers are let by their leader to know that which is expected of them, in addition to telling them the manner in which the tasks are performed. Achievement-oriented behavior occurs where a leader sets challenging goals for followers to perform at their highest level. As such, the leader shows confidence in the followers’ ability to meet his/her expectation (House and Mitch, 1974). Supportive leader behavior aims at the satisfaction of junior workers preferences and needs. As such, the leader is concerned about the follower’s psychological wellbeing. Participative leader behavior, on the other hand, involves leaders consulting with followers and asking for their points of view before making the final decision.
Before using this theory to analyze the leadership styles of both President Barrack Obama and George Bush, it is pertinent to note that the American president does not unilaterally make a decision. As such, the president is surrounded by a bureaucracy commonly referred to as the Presidency. In this regard, both leaders are participative leaders in the sense that they consult with their advisers before making the final decision. Similarly, the leaders often let their followers know what was expected of them.
Leader-Member Exchange Theory
Leader-member exchange theory defines leadership as a process that is focused on the interaction between followers and leaders. As such, the theory elucidates that leaders interact with the subjects. Northouse (2012, p.165) describes leadership making as “a prescriptive method to leadership emphasizing that a leader should develop high-quality exchanges with all of the leader’s subordinates rather than just a few”. Unlike Bush who rarely interacted with common people on a one-to-one basis, Barrack Obama interacts with commoners frequently. For instance, Obama has delivered a series of weekly internet video addresses since his pre-inauguration period through his presidency term. Similarly, Obama has been conducting virtual interviews from the White House since 2012 (Compton, 2012).
Transformational Leadership
“Transformational leadership embroils an extraordinary form of influence that moves followers to achieve more than what is generally expected of them. It is a process that often involves visionary and charismatic leadership. Northouse (2012, 85) adds that transactional leadership denotes to the interactions that occur between leaders and their followers. Being a good leader requires one to be aware of the feelings and thoughts around you. As such, a leader needs to persuade people to believe in his/her cause and adapt to their thinking.
Barrack Obama is a charismatic leader and a beacon of hope to many people. He is frequently referred to as an exception orator owing to his inspiring speeches (Gallo, 2008). Various opinion polls that have been conducted rate Obama as the most popular world leader. For instance, a research conducted in 2009 by Harris Interactive indicated that Obama was the most respected and powerful world leader (Freed, 2009). Obama’s works, Dreams from My Father and the Audacity of Hope still inspire many people across the world. Bush, on the other hand, seems to be a stark opposite of Obama. Though he is a public speaker and has written a book, Decision Points, Bush’s presidency was marked with controversy. A recent survey of presidential scholars rated his presidency among the worst indicating that Bush is not a charismatic leader.
Authentic Leadership
According to George authentic leaders possess five basic characters (Northouse, 2012, p.254). These include: demonstrating self-discipline establishing trusting relationships with others having strong values about the right thing to do, being passionate about their mission, understanding their purpose, and acting on their values. Obama is passionate about his purpose. His zeal to serve Americans and the world in particular can be seen through his inspiring speeches that instill hope across the world. Though Obama has garnered a couple of critics, Obama’s presidency can be described as one driven by passion. Bush, on the other hand, was not necessarily driven by passion but the moral duty to step into his father’s shoes. Similarly, critics have argued that Bush was always favorably treated while in military service owing to his father’s political standing (Romano, 2004).
Discussion
Barrack Obama and George Walker Bush are leaders with opposing personal attributes. Whereas Bush was born in a rich family, Obama was born in a middle class family. Obama’s multicultural heritage in a predominantly white society partly influenced his life as an astute leader. During his college years, for instance, Obama was keen in advocating for the rights of black people. His support of gay rights can be attributed to his desire to advocate for the rights of minority groups in the society.
In a nutshell, Obama’s and Bush’s presidencies have been mired with significant controversies. Bush’s foreign policies made him a controversial figure internationally as depicted by public protests occurring during foreign visits. For instance, a journalist hurled a shoe at Bush during a media briefing in Iraq. At the domestic front, President Bush’s administration was one of the most popular and unpopular. As indicated above, one can easily analyze and discern the leadership and personalities of both Barrack Obama using various theories such as the traits approach and the situation approach just to mention a few. For instance, using the contingency theory, one can argue that Bush’s administration differ from Obama’s administration owing to the varying prevailing conditions during their tenures.
References
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