President Obama and Leadership

It has been far too long since I've put pen to paper however; as with many of us, the doldrums created by President Obama's mediocre leadership has made it difficult to address the woes that our nation faces.  I spent four days last week on a high country solo backpack deer hunt in the Cascades of Central Oregon.  An adventure such as this provides one with long periods of quiet time.  These protracted moments are conducive for constructive thought and so, I was finally able to wrap my mind around something that has bothered me during the term of this presidency.  Though he may be likable, President Obama is an ineffectual leader.  I'm not really sure that he grasps the philosophical nuances of leadership and it's concurrent effect on those who choose to follow you.  Everybody knows that our nation, and the world for that matter, are suffering through difficult economic times.  Any student of American history also knows that no president has ever been able to directly impact the rise or fall of our economy however; their indirect influence can and has, had deleterious effects on the rate of economic growth.  Their body language, their daily activities, their tone of voice, and who they surround themselves with can, and does have a direct impact on the American populace.  In my view, President Obama has isolated himself on an island of ambivalence, and will remain ensnared there until he can escape the confines of his rigid ideology.

President Obama is now in full campaign mode for 2012.  His popularity on economic matters continues to decline and the Republicans are still waiting for a party standard bearer to appear.  To muddy the waters even more, Congress is about as popular as mosquitoes or wood ticks.  The extremes on either side of the political aisle remain vociferous while the middle ground remains disarmingly quiet.  The political arena is ripe for the appearance of a candidate with true leadership skills.  Why has Obama the Candidate, failed to transform into Obama the Leader?

Humans are gregarious creatures and all of us are willing to follow a leader particularly if the leader's interests parallel our own, they provide us with a sense of security, and their values closely resemble our own.  Nationally, we Americans present a philosophical conundrum.  We want a national leader however; we don't want them interfering in any significant manner in our daily lives.  A leader must try to get every individual in a given group to buy into what the leader has planned.  US Army Field Manual 22-6 defines leadership as, the process of influencing people by providing purpose, direction, and motivation while operating to accomplish the mission and improving the organization.  Dictionary. com defines leadership as, 1. the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group. 2. ability to lead. 3. an act or instance of leading; guidance; direction. 4. the leaders of a group.  By now, all of us have heard President Obama proclaim on numerous occasions that he is ensnared in troubled times that were caused by his predecessors.  I don't know about you but, I've become fatigued by this incessant blame game.  I want to know what my leader is going to do and not have to listen to whining about how tough it is.

During my military career, I had the opportunity to take charge of two groups that were under achievers.  I was brought in to fix the problem.  I never became transfixed by the situation that I'd inherited.  Doing so would've solved nothing.  Initially, I sat back and let the group figure out who I was, watched the interactions within the group, identified the strengths and weaknesses of all the players, and then I developed a course of action to implement our goals. Finally, I got everyone in the group to buy into what we were about.  Notice my use of the plural pronoun, WE.  In order to be a successful leader, you must inculcate into the group a sense of WE.  You cannot tolerate an atmosphere of Us and Them.  It was equally important to maintain a sense of individuality for each member of the group while getting all of them to pull in the same direction.  Was I a great leader?  No.  I was an efficient leader because I operated outside of a sense of self.  President Obama's failure to exclude a sense of self from his leadership style is his greatest weakness.

Our Nation's ills effect all of us and it is a president's task to somehow involve all of the players on the field.  I seem to remember President Obama saying that he would rather have a single successful term than two mediocre ones.  If this is true, where are his daring attempts to involve all of the players on the field?  Instead, we all have had to endure his posturing to keep power.  Rather than being a leader, President Obama is a sycophant to his political ideology.  Our nation is now at a fork in the road.  It is time for us to follow the trail illuminated by Doers and turn our backs on the dimly lit path taken by Talkers.

De Oppresso Liber