Discussion Post 3 (Module 8). Obama: A Leadership Profile.

Running head: OBAMA1
Obama: A Leadership Profile
Student Name
College/University Affiliation
OBAMA

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Obama: A Leadership Profile
Typically, Barak Obama, former U.S. President, is cited as exemplary of a new leadership model speaking to new generations of young(er) citizens and voters. This idealized image of Obama is informed by actual (and justified) factors in Obama's earlier personal life, student activism, and subsequent professional career until the presidency. Then again, Obama is, just as any leader is, not as ideal, or perfect, as is usually characterized. The emergence of a state of iconic eternity is something reserved for a handful of exceptional leaders in history. Given his leadership style and impact, Obama is an effective statesman, often playing by playbook and sometimes going further, yet is not an exceptional leader, one believes, whose legacy is to endure for generations to come. Christianity factors in, moreover, as a shaping factor of any leader. Throughout, values and principles informed by a firm, strong belief in God and a sense of mission are shown to be essential prerequisites for any leader. That is, a leader's "natural" morality is critical in order to guide a leader's actions. In addition, execution excellence, made material by empathetic and constant engagement of concerned stakeholders, is just as important for a leader as vision and morality are. To put matters into perspective, a close examination is required into ways Obama has managed (or not) to exhibit effective leadership qualities running America's internal and external affairs after a particularly intense period of aggressive external engagement under former U.S. President George Bush. For current purposes, leadership traits are central to the current discussion post. That is, matching Obama's leadership style (and performance) with ten leadership traits discussed in the current course is a core part of the current discussion post. This discussion post, informed by course material and discussions, aims, accordingly, to examine former U.S. President Obama's leadership, execution-style, and traits in order to identify strengths
OBAMA

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and examine weaknesses.


The victory of Barak Obama in U.S. presidential elections in 2008 was hailed, domestically and internationally, as a watershed in U.S. politics. The first black man to assume such a high profile post, so celebratory statements went on and on, is an indication of sweeping changes in U.S. politics and, for that matter, society. The settlement of celebration glitter over, Obama had to face up to a wide range of domestic and international challenges. The "recklessness" of outgoing president Bush, so critics said (still say), required a presi...