Obama Fails the Leadership Test
Most Conservatives agree on one thing when it comes to our president, Barack Obama - he is not a leader! But before we eschew his various failings along that line, let's ponder what it is that makes a good leader and then we can more readily see what his shortcomings in that very important department are.
Leaders are people who inspire others. They inspire others with shared ideas and they motivate others to work for a common cause.
They do not place themselves above others or shirk the responsibility bestowed upon them by the people's trust to pursue selfish endeavors.
Leaders are never divisive -that is antithetical to the whole idea of bringing groups together! They don't pit one group over the other, but instead continually work to bring groups together, again for the greater good.
But most importantly, a true leader NEVER asks of those who follow or look up to him/her for guidance to do anything that they, the leader, are not ready and willing to do themselves!!
I am vividly reminded of a time when I worked as a waitress during college. The manager of the steak house I worked at found himself short a dishwasher on a very busy Saturday evening. Instead of calling up an employee who had asked off to visit with grandparents she hadn't seen in quite some time or asking a waitress to take on the role and giving the other waitresses a heavier load, this manager rolled up his sleeves and jumped up to his elbow in soap suds, bellowing managerial type orders while he scrubbed pots for nearly two hours!
He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done and to keep up the morale of his employees. He wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty! Managing and leading are so very similar. Each demands that the leader or mgr look at the big picture and make decisions that will make those who follow respect him and want to be a part of his team.
Now, understanding all of those tenets of what makes a good leader, it is easy to see that President Obama is severely lacking as one. He refuses to get to work on a jobs bill, to tackle the hard issues in D.C. and work with Congress, but instead chooses to golf incessantly and travel on the taxpayer's dime. One can not imagine Obama up to his elbows in the "soap suds" of hammering out realistic legislation and policies to help bring our economy back around!
Obama has been perhaps the most divisive leader in recent memory. He has played the race card so many times, its edges are creased! He talks of those who have too much, those who haven't enough, about how America is not a Chrisitian nation, about how Republicans want to hurt women and push granny off the cliff!
The negativity we now associate much of the time with our current president is never conducive to strong successful leadership. Positivity and optimism are what propels change that benefits everyone. Leaders must stay tuned to the positive to inspire, encourage, motivate and set the example for what can be achieved through mutual understanding and a mutual desire to work hard to achieve it.
Jimmy
2:40 pm on Friday, August 3, 2012
I dont disagree with you, the qualities of a good leader and the qualities of a good community organizer arent very compatible...
To be fair, I dont think Obama ever said anything about throwing granny off a cliff...it was in a tv ad paid for by a liberal advocacy group...
Either way, you stirred the pot pretty good. Should be fun to follow the comment thread on this one!
Vanessa Hall Green
3:49 pm on Friday, August 3, 2012
Oh, you know what i meant Jimmy. I am well aware that Obama didnt actually utter those words. I am referring to the sentiment expressed by the left that he has most certainly supported by error of omission and which shows what a divisive President he is by his not stopping such talk-if he says nothing to refute it, he might as well have said it. It just shows his lack of leadership in keeping Americans on the high ground.
Brian Crawford
4:41 pm on Friday, August 3, 2012
Those are some pretty serious charges there Vanessa. I would love to hear some specific quotes, taken in context, to back any of that up. Your problem is, there aren't any. This Obama the "great divider" notion is a complete Republican fantasy.
Howard Johnson
6:08 pm on Friday, August 3, 2012
I don't think I've ever read a worse analysis of anything. Pure drivel. I particularly like the anecdote of the manager who rolled up his sleeves and did the dishes. Oh, that was a real zinger!
And next time, at least use spell check - 'Chrisitian' nation - such errors in comments are one thing, but your are self identifying as a Freelance writer who is smarter than the President of the United States, and that demands a higher standard.
rhelm
8:13 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
We're reaching new lows here dacula patch.
Kristi Reed
8:29 am on Monday, August 6, 2012
Hi rhelm - Our blogging platform is a way for members of the community to share their opinions and ideas. The opinions expressed in our blogs are those of the author and not of Dacula Patch. If you would like to post your own blog, please feel free to do so by clicking here: http://dacula.patch.com/blog/apply
rhelm
2:20 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Scratch the 'patch' part. Better?
It feels like I'm living next door to Ted Nugent at times.
JK
8:31 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
Somewhere in a village in Texas, an idiot is in hiding. We have not had a true leader since Ronald Reagan. Nobody has stirred the people, reached a consensus with Congress or has been involved in world changing events ("Tear down that wall!") since that time. And, we had a balanced budget at the end of President Carter's term...something to ponder. This posting against our current president is right out of Rush's playbook, and sounds just as stupid!
JK
8:34 pm on Monday, August 6, 2012
With the luxury of an opinion comes the responsibility of intelligence.
C.J.
10:23 am on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
RE: "He refuses to get to work on a jobs bill..."
Ahem... Three words: American Jobs Act
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/08/address-president-joint-session-congress
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/09/08/fact-sheet-american-jobs-act
http://www.levin.senate.gov/newsroom/speeches/speech/senate-floor-speech-on-the-republican-filibuster-of-the-american-jobs-act/
Jimmy
8:29 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
He 'proposed' the AJA. Then he handed it off to Harry Ried and went golfing. Meanwhile, Harry had other things to do and didnt bother himself with the AJA.
Bottom line- Obama exhibited nothing that could be described as leadership, he couldnt even get his own party on board.
C.J.
12:17 pm on Thursday, August 9, 2012
Let me get this straight. President Obama proposed detailed jobs legislation, with tax cuts for workers, tax credits for employers who hire, and spending on things like repairing roads and bridges (see link above to fact sheet). Economist estimates for jobs expected to be created by this proposal range from 1 million to 2 million. He then called a joint session of Congress to explain it to them and the American people. He traveled all over the country encouraging people to contact their elected representatives to support it.
Subsequently, the Senate tried to pass the bill in full, but Republicans blocked an up-or-down vote on it. Then the Senate tried to pass various components of the bill, and, each and every time, Republicans blocked up-or-down votes on those components. And of course, the Republican-led house never even put the legislation up for a vote.
After all of this, you Republican Party sympathizers falsely claim that "President Obama doesn't have a jobs plan" and have the temerity to blame him for the fact that the Republicans have done nothing in the House and blocked up-or-down votes on efforts to put Americans back to work?
President Obama is responsible for Republican Party intransigence. Why? Because tax cuts and infrastructure repair is socialism?
Classic.
GregRodgers
3:03 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
"Leaders are never divisive -that is antithetical to the whole idea of bringing groups together..."
This is said with Republican Blinders on...
Was it Mitch McConnell who said, " “The single most important thing we want to achieve is for President Obama to be a one-term president.”
Thus began the era of the divided do nothing government.
When Barack Obama came into office, he bent over backwards to be fair. In some case, it was to his detriment. As time wore on, he saw this an said forget it, and you know what who could blame him.
Republicans want an all or nothing....you can not lead those who will not listen.
This article and opinion is a complete...FAIL.
Our Government (Federal and Local)....a complete failure as well.
Jimmy
8:47 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Actually, the only bending he did was forward, bowing to foreign leaders in the middle and far east...his leadership style basically consists of standing behind the dias, reading the teleprompter and ordering congress to do something...then when they dont, he blames the original problem on Bush, and the continuing problem on republican obstructionism in the house and/ or senate. Hoping all the while that the great unwashed dont realize that he had a democrat controlled congress and senate for the first two years of his term, and still has a democrat controlled senate.
There are a lot of adjectives I could use to describe Barack Obama. Some are even positive. None are the word 'leader'.
avery
11:04 pm on Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Its too easy to blame president obama for this country mess. Look all around people. Its the politicians who make or break this country along with big banks. Vote obama out of office and watch the s**t hit the fan when 10 years of not paying taxes Romney gets in.