Obama Receiving Attention for His Management Style
Having just caught Obama's daily press conference, I'm still amazed that we have a leader who actually wants to be in daily communication with the American people. While Bush lies curled up in a fetal ball somewhere (no doubt counting down the days until his body can leave Washington to rejoin his mind in whatever secret location it has been residing in since, well, August 2001?), Obama has hit the ground running and is doing everything he can to get his cool, calm, and collected intellect wrapped around this huge mess we all face.
The critics may have complained about Obama having no executive experience, but all evidence from the past two years points to the contrary, and not only have the world's leaders taken notice, but the world's executives seem to be pricking up their ears as well. There is an excellent piece up on Reuters today that is a good read:
Business could learn from Obama style, experts say
excerpt:
NEW YORK (Reuters) - If Barack Obama were a corporate chief executive, the incoming U.S. president already would be winning high marks for his management style, experts say.
The president-elect's steady hand and calm demeanor that have earned him the moniker "No Drama Obama" are traits business leaders could well learn from, according to management experts.
"What he's doing is masterful," said Paul Reagan, a management consultant and senior lecturer at Wayne State University in Detroit. "His value system is clear, and he spends a tremendous amount of time reinforcing that he does what he says he will do.
"His credibility right now is so high most people already see him as the corporate head," Reagan said.
It's a lengthy article and well worth checking out. How nice is it that we have someone who is able to inspire confidence in these uncertain times?
Except earlier in the summer Obama had no problem steering clear of press conferences and ad lib contact with the public. If things go badly in January or February, will he maintain this same style, or will he adopt another style (such as the famous "withdraw from the public" approach) that will draw further accolades? Al Gore used to interact with the public quite a bit until the press started its 2 year vendetta - every drop from his mouth was then twisted to create a new fairy tale.
December 2, 2008 2:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
He has no choice. If it isn't him it will be Gibbs. He knows he has to keep the American people involved in all his plans so he will be out there talking to them.
December 3, 2008 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
dont know desi...we will just have to wait and see....i will say this, adaptabilitiy is a good thing....what do you think?
December 2, 2008 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
One thing I have observed: Obama prefers to act from a position of strength. I'm sure he will maintain this position, and will play the media accordingly. Just a guess here, Obama's new lap-dog will be the MSM.
December 2, 2008 2:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree that like my two dogs at home, the MSM will crawl into President Obama's lap as soon he is inaugarated, being that he will then be holding all the treats.
Big difference between now and 2001-2008:
70% of the public is on to them ( I am discounting the Rush/Hannity Kool-aid drinkers) and will treat the MSM accordingly.
It will be up to the MSM to change its ways.
December 3, 2008 10:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sure, adaptability can be a good thing, steadfastness in the face of prevailing winds can be a good thing, crazed posturing for advantage can be a good thing, retreat and surrender can be a good thing.
There are quite a number of management styles, and there are different appropriate ones depending on the type and culture of the company and the particular circumstances.
You might say that coming into a chaotic situation it's good to project an image of calm. But certainly Steve Jobs, Michael Bloomberg, Larry Ellison, Donald Trump and Lee Iacocca had a good deal of success while showing something other than calm, and it's not like Obama has another personality up his sleeve to choose from. This is it.
December 2, 2008 4:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
So what is your point?
December 2, 2008 4:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Everything looks like the perfect approach when it's working and when it fails gets discarded or shoved to the side or modified.
At one point everything Japanese was the perfect future. Then they went through 10 years of stagnation and the US had the internet boom, so we stopped wishing we ate with chopsticks.
Trying to draw some massive "How to Do Business" lesson from a politician who's yet to take office is absurd. Does his approach seem competent? Yes. Does it have potential pitfalls? Yes. Does it suit the problems at hand? We'll see.
December 3, 2008 5:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I'd prefer to look forward to his administration working well (against unbelievable odds), and I expect it to do so. You seem to be looking forward to him failing. Your posts betray more than just healthy skepticism; you criticize his good qualities, such as his calmness as being the only personality he has (?)
At least it is a healthy and honest and competent personality. Do you really want someone in office with several personalities to choose from? I don't.
You seem compelled to put him down at every opportunity. He won, and he is going to be our next President. Picking at every thing that he "might" do, or "might fail at" is for the far-right to do. Why don't you wait until you have a substantive criticism once he is in charge instead of anticipating him crashing and burning with such relish?
I'm sure you'll have a great big list for all of us by January 31st. I'll bet he won't have all the troops home by then, the economy will still suck and we won't have universal health care either! Wow! What is he waiting for? Your list of grievances will be much more meaningful once he is in office than all this stuff you keep coming out with every time his name is mentioned here.
December 3, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
I actually got tears in my eyes, again, watching this press conference. It's just such a comfort to have a president-to-be that displays all of the leadership traits that I value, and that as a manager I found myself inspired to do a better job emulating: a clear, consistent, thoughtful vision for the way forward (as mentioned in the excerpt); the ability and confidence to surround oneself with strong people capable of doing their jobs well; and a talent for fully listening to and critically assessing a variety of points of view to arrive at the best decisions possible. Not to mention dealing with the drama baiting of the press (as when they brought out some of the more slighting comments made between Obama and Clinton in the primaries) in a humourous, yet respectful, way!
December 2, 2008 6:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bravo - for you and for Obama!
December 2, 2008 8:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
I continue to be impressed by Obama's public persona. It's so different than the example Bush has set over the past eight years.
December 2, 2008 8:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
you can say that again and again...the difference is overwhelming and positive.
December 2, 2008 10:55 PM | Reply | Permalink
Every time I see/listen to him I am reminded that he is the man for this time...His calm assuredness, his easy demeanor, his attention to detail, his genuine smile...all give me a sense that for the 1st time in a long time we have a LEADER. I am more and more impressed with him every day. We are in for a rocky ride the next few years, but I am supremely confident that this is the man we want in charge through the tough times.
December 3, 2008 1:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sometimes I feel like dropping to my knees and weeping in gratitude!
December 3, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
He's not president yet. So while he waits, he has to keep himself in the news. I think that is a better explanation for the daily press conferences and rolling announcements.
Once he is sworn in and actually starts DOING stuff we'll be in a better position to judge any kind of management style he may have.
http://daily44.wordpress.com
December 2, 2008 11:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
Nonsense.
December 3, 2008 12:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
Obama is a true alpha male just doing what he does naturally.
December 3, 2008 12:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Part of me thinks Obama is just the common sense guy with a decent grasp of reality. . . you know the one we always hope for when we go for the "aw shucks" Mr Smith.
I mean really, what he says is so often just so much common sense. Not the common sense that comes from being a trust fund drunk frat boy who gets a big bonus every time he bankrupts another company. But the common sense that comes from having to work for a living, but realizing the work you've been lucky enough to do isn't such a bad deal.
December 3, 2008 2:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
The grandma that raised him was VP of a bank. He went to a cherry prep school from the time he was 10. When did he have to "work for a living"? He hopped from prep school to Occidental to Columbia, graduating college in the normal 4 years. He didn't have a wife or kids until much later, so could go take a lower paying organizing position. I can't wait for the Book of 'Bama to come out.
December 3, 2008 5:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
See you went for rational to completely asinine. I agreed with all your posts until this jargon. He was on food stamps for a time when he was a youth and he went to Occidental and Columbia and Harvard on scholarships in which he finished paying off just a few years ago. His car had a hole in it so wide you could see the ground while he drove. Going to a good school doesn't mean you have life given to you, he worked, studied and succeeded by his own hands, worked in the STREETS with struggling people and THAT shaped his views. PUHHHLEAZE spare me the warped bullshit. Read the damn books before you spout your crap again.
December 3, 2008 10:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
I've been through this.
He was on food stamps while grams was VP of a bank and his step-father was a Shell oil manager. So mum came back to Hawaii and qualified for food stamps - whoop de doo.
He & Michelle were pulling down average $250K per year for 8 years with no kids and their own house before they paid off student loans. Why? Because it was a low-priced loan, cheaper than the 2000 Congressional campaign Obama put on his credit card, so no incentive to pay off early. That doesn't make him poor.
That doesn't mean I think he was idle rich, but please, receiving a scholarship doesn't make you poor either.
December 3, 2008 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
He also likes arugula.
December 3, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
If he was not idle rich (like Bush which is what mcrose68 was talking about), does that not mean by definition that he was "working for a living"? Remember how that was what the original argument was about?
December 3, 2008 11:19 AM | Reply | Permalink
Des cannot abide Obama. That is the bottom line. Anything about him, including his achievements are points of derision because she can't stand him. Scholarships? Schmolarships -- he didn't get them because he was poor, so what's the big deal? (if that is true, it had to be because he is smart) Good grades? Who cares? (I think someone who earned good grades might be better equipt to solve our country's many problems, but what do I know) Worked with the poor in a low-paying job? He wasn't married at the time, so it doesn't matter that he did this work that he believed in. (Single men don't want to make a lot of money? News to me!) He had student loans? She turns this into a negative when she implies that he is disengenuous because he didn't pay them off early despite the fact that he was pulling down a big salary!
If he caught a bullet while saving a child from a terrorist, Des would find a way to make it into a negative.
December 3, 2008 11:34 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not saying that Obama was raised as a poor child without any advantage. I'm saying he seems to have the common sense that comes from knowing that you might have to pay for your own tab.
In my humble opinion, the measure of a person is not so much the experience you have but what you take from that experience.
December 5, 2008 1:41 AM | Reply | Permalink