{"id":561,"date":"2021-02-10T01:12:06","date_gmt":"2021-02-10T01:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/allred10.com\/?p=561"},"modified":"2021-03-02T15:24:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T15:24:02","slug":"lead-like-a-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/allred10.com\/?p=561","title":{"rendered":"Lead Like A President"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"mount-rushmore-55477_640\"Leadership is essential in every type of organization; be it a business, a club, athletic team, government entity, church, non-profit, and even a family.\u00a0 The most public leader in the United States is the President of the United States (POTUS).<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever there is a group of people or a team working together to achieve an objective, there must be a leader.\u00a0 Without leadership, the team will stop working together and the objective will not be achieved.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Most leaders are moderately successful or they don’t last very long.\u00a0 If the organization achieves exceptional success, the leader must be exceptional.\u00a0 The exceptional leader will use best practices, but best practices are not as important as the attributes of the leader.\u00a0 Leadership will only be<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0effective if the leader has these four essential attributes to lead like a president:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  1. Persuasive<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  2. Passionate<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  3. Process Oriented<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
  4. Principled<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most organizations have a President or a leader with a different name that performs the same function.\u00a0 The principles of leading like a president apply to all leaders from the CEO of Microsoft\u00a0to the shift manager at Walmart.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Persuasive<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The persuasive leader is one who shows by his\/her actions, attitude and speech that the fellow-citizens (employees, teammates, club members, etc.) are people and not objects to be exploited nor ignored.\u00a0 Fellow-citizens are treated as the most valuable resource of the organization.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    It might be said that Franklin D. Roosevelt was the most persuasive of the presidents.\u00a0 After all, he served 12 years in office, more than any other POTUS.\u00a0 These are the words he used to persuade fellow-citizens to follow him.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cLet us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The same concept was expressed by Thomas Jefferson in these words, \u201cThat government is the strongest of which every man feels himself a part.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Both presidents assured their fellow-citizens that everyone was important for the country (organization) to be successful.\u00a0 This is a very persuasive and motivating leadership concept.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Ronald Reagan was called\u00a0\u201cThe Great Persuader\u201d because of his ability to communicate his plans in a way that everyone could understand and a majority could support.\u00a0 He was very specific as to how to make persuasive leadership work in his organization, the government.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cSurround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don’t interfere as long as the policy you’ve decided upon is being carried out.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The basic premise of persuasive leadership<\/a><\/span> is that all opinions are heard, fully vetted and a satisfactory consensus is achieved, therefore micromanaging is unnecessary.\u00a0 There is a more common style of leadership which is known as autocratic or compulsory, which is more like bullying.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    It is much more difficult to be a persuasive leader.\u00a0 It requires a constant effort to regard everyone as a person who is worthy of consideration.\u00a0 It requires treating others as we would like to be treated.\u00a0 It requires self-control and overcoming pride.\u00a0 It is difficult, but the organizations of persuasive leaders are much more successful because everyone works harder for someone who persuades rather than compels.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Passionate<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    Most people seem to have a basic need to be committed to something, a sports team, a political party, salsa dancing, the Food Network, etc.\u00a0 The exceptional leader of an organization will be passionate about the goals of that organization.\u00a0 In addition, they will spend a good share of their time helping others in the organization to be as passionate as they are.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Our nation began with a leader who was passionate about freedom, liberty and justice.\u00a0 George Washington said, \u201cThe Constitution is the guide which I never will abandon.\u201d\u00a0 He knew that the Constitution was the map to maintaining those principles for which that he had fought and for which many other Americans had died.\u00a0 Notice, he said, \u201cNever.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    No one could doubt the passion of \u201cGive \u2018em hell, Harry\u201d Truman.\u00a0 He was passionate about motivating his fellow-citizens to do better.\u00a0 He said, \u201cAmerica was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The passionate leader will always lead with enthusiasm.\u00a0 \u201cRough Rider\u201d Theodore Roosevelt loved serving as the POTUS and he expressed it this way, \u201cFar and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Passion, when properly focused and controlled, is a very powerful thing.\u00a0 It is how teams, armies, corporations, etc. win the most important battles.\u00a0 An exceptional organization must have a passionate leader<\/a><\/span> that inspires everyone to do his\/her best so that the organization will achieve its potential.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Process Oriented<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    The process in any organization refers to how the work of the organization is accomplished.\u00a0 It includes those who work in the organization plus key suppliers, partners, contractors and collaborators. \u00a0Processes also include the methods to improve those same work processes to achieve better performance, reduce variability and improve products or services.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    An exceptional leader will understand how things get done in the organization.\u00a0 W. Edwards Deming, often known as the \u201cFather of Quality Improvement\u201d said, \u201cIt is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, a passionate and persuasive leader who does not understand the processes of the organization cannot effectively lead the organization because he\/she does not know what the organization is capable of doing.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Government is more complicated than most organizations but there are some basic processes that effective POTUS have understood.\u00a0 Our second president, John Adams, wrote, \u201cThe essence of a free government consists in an effectual control of rivalries.\u201d\u00a0 Things have not changed much since 1796.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The founding fathers feared the over-reaching processes of most governments, reminiscent of the one from which they had recently gained independence.\u00a0 Thomas Jefferson cautioned, \u201cIf we can but prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people, under the pretense of taking care of them, they must become happy.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Finally, in more modern times, John F. Kennedy reminded us of the key process to keep government working in behalf of the country.\u00a0 \u201cLet us not seek the Republican answer or the Democratic answer, but the right answer. Let us not seek to fix the blame for the past. Let us accept our own responsibility for the future.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    If any organization, including government, is going to be successful, the exceptional leader<\/a><\/span> will understand the processes of the organization and will work within those processes.\u00a0 The leader will also simultaneously work for process improvement.\u00a0 This requires competency at the job and cooperation with others who are involved in the process.\u00a0 Otherwise, failure is certain.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Principled<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    A principled leader has a personal code of conduct with integrity at its core. \u00a0Integrity<\/a><\/span> can be defined as a firm adherence to a code of moral values; incorruptible.\u00a0 It is the stuff of which great men and women are made.\u00a0 It is absolutely essential for an exceptional leader.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    John Adams wrote, \u201cOur Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.\u201d\u00a0 If that is true and the President is the defender of the Constitution, he\/she must also be a moral person.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    We have had our share of men who were not moral persons.\u00a0 In modern history, the two presidential examples that are the most obvious are Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton.\u00a0 Both committed immoral acts while in office and lied to the American people.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Harry Truman puts it a little more passionately, \u201cRichard Nixon is a no good, lying bastard. He can lie out of both sides of his mouth at the same time, and if he ever caught himself telling the truth, he’d lie just to keep his hand in.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Bill Clinton is no better but political correctness does not allow anyone in authority to say it the way that Harry did.\u00a0 Some excuse Clinton\u2019s behavior, but being unprincipled is the death of true leadership and brings shame upon the organization.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    When a leader compromises his integrity or diverts her moral compass, the problem has a ripple effect in the organization.\u00a0 In addition to the potential problems created for the organization by the leader himself, there are two typical responses from others in the organization.\u00a0 Those with integrity will begin to look for a way out because they have lost trust in their leader.\u00a0 The less honest people are likely to follow the actions modeled by their leader. Dishonesty, lack of trust and turnover combine to do tremendous damage to the organization.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Dwight D. Eisenhower summarizes the importance of being a principled leader. \u201cThe supreme quality for leadership is unquestionably integrity.\u00a0 Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The Four Ps<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

    In summary, it is apparent that few leaders exhibit the qualities of being persuasive, passionate, process oriented and principled; even those who seem to be successful in their respective organizations.\u00a0 We talk of a \u201cglass ceiling\u201d for women because of external forces that keep them from advancing.\u00a0 The glass ceiling for those who do not exhibit these four qualities is self-imposed and it applies to all leaders and not just the POTUS.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Every leader can have a measure of success but they have damned themselves to a lesser success than they otherwise would have achieved.\u00a0 For example, a leader who compels, rather than persuades, will be successful only as long as he\/she doesn\u2019t need to rely on others to manage.\u00a0 Since this type of leader will not tolerate anyone questioning him\/her, the best and brightest employees leave for a better working environment.\u00a0 These organizations are plagued with perpetual turnover at the managerial level.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    A leader who is not passionate fails to inspire others to do their best work and the entire organization becomes a tedious place to work with little potential.\u00a0 When the leader is not process oriented, the organizational growth and prosperity will be severely limited because the leader lacks the requisite knowledge for improvement and the competition will overcome the organization.\u00a0 Finally, an unprincipled leader will succumb to their weaknesses, lose the respect of others and cause havoc in the organization because, as Eisenhower said, \u201cno real success is possible.\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    The four Ps of leading like a president are essential in any organization. The exceptional leader will exhibit all four of the prerequisite attributes:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Persuasive<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
    2. Passionate<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
    3. Process Oriented<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n
    4. Principled<\/span><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Now, lead like a president and reap the rewards of exceptional leadership.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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