Obama’s 100 Days: The Rational Peacemaker Needs To Be More of Himself

The quadrennial exercise of assessing a new president’s term by his first 100 days takes place tomorrow and never has the report card been so eagerly awaited as it is for President Obama. While there will be much discussion around his policies and their progress, his appointments, his race and his family, perhaps the issue that will receive little attention is how his leadership style is impacting all these elements of his life and how with greater awareness of his strengths he will be able to accomplish much more of what he wants to do. President Obama brings a strategic intelligence to the office–a style that has not occupied the Oval Office since President Eisenhower. The gift that Obama brings, and the nation desperately needs, is that of the foresight to redevelop systems that no longer work and to see the possibility of what can be created when we leave behind the rules and regulations that no longer serve their purpose. From the auto industry to Wall Street to our health care system, the mainstays of the American economic, indeed our entire way of life, are threatened by our resistance to change and the need to modernize. And most importantly, it is not just the mechanics of the systems that need updating, so too does our way of thinking about the quality of our lives and how we live them. Since some of his first cabinet picks went by the wayside as the public learned that they were unable to follow the rules that do exist, President Obama has demonstrated that he is able to see the bigger picture and is willing to follow his gut when the details do not necessarily support his impressions. The key for his success is to understand two fundamental points about his leadership: First, he is not a detail person, nor is he much interested in the day-to-day details of implementation, which is helpful for what we need from a President now. The challenge for him is to understand his inclination to pass over “the small stuff” and to know that he needs to be aware and the keep the counsel of the deatiled leadership around him. Second, he needs to recognize in his desire to stay “above the fray” that too often he has failed to put his own stamp, to make clear his vision and intentions to others and to allow ALL the details to fall to underlings. If President Obama is to succeed, he must hold his key advisers accountable for making progress and on his goals and HE must be willing to go to bat to make sure they happen if they are important to him–even if it means engaging others who might not necessarily hold the same view. One-hundred days is hardly enough time to assess a presidency and yet we do it. So far he has managed to move our country forward on the power of his personality and vision . . . if he is to continue to succeed he will need to put the best of his leadership talents into action and really make something happen!