Barack Obama :: American Politics, Leadership

In 2007 when then Senator Barack Obama announced his run for the presidency of the United States, the country was experiencing great turmoil and people were ready for a change in leadership. No matter what political party you held, it appeared to be an overwhelming sentiment that people were looking for a shift in direction, especially relating to the bad economical positions a lot of Americans had found themselves in. All of the challenges that the country was experiencing was a sign that the next President would have to lead based on social, political and economical environments. This diverse demand was aligned with the more contemporary study of match the leader’s style with the demand of the assignment. To better ensure a leader’s effectiveness, many high profile leaders are being singled out as a way to correlate success with a leader’s approach. As a contemporary leader, President Barak Obama’s leadership style is constantly being critiqued. Although many still debate the effectiveness of his presidency, most people agree that his transformational leadership approach was the prescribed style the country was in need of. Leadership Traits I believe that defining a leader by one set of traits can be challenging, if not impossible. That is mostly likely that when you research leadership traits you come across various opinions; among them is Baker (2001) who believes that when leaders are defined they should be defined based on the traits associated with three systems. These systems (Baker, 2001) include the classical system, the equilibrium system, and the transforming system. Each of the systems (Baker 2001) has traits associated with them, for the exception of the transforming system. If we buy into Baker’s trait theory (2001), the transforming system would be the group that would set the stage for defining the leadership needs that the United States was experiencing when President Obama took office. In the transforming system the leader’s role cannot be defined in advance, but emergences from the dissipative or transforming processes (Baker, 2001). As we see the constant introduction of challenges since President Obama took office his leadership style has had to adjust to function effectively. Leadership Styles As defining what leadership traits are has evolved, so follows the leadership styles and how they are best used. Some of these styles include charismatic leadership, transformational leadership, transactional leader, situational leaders, directive leadership style, coaching leadership style, supporting leadership style, and delegating leadership style.