Good Morning Sunday: Leadership Lessons to Learn from President ‘Barack Obama’

Tomorrow is Presidents’ Day in the United States, a federal holiday celebrated on the third Monday of February in honor of President George Washington – The first President of United States.

In honor of Presidents’ Day, today’s Good Morning Sunday posts features the leadership skills of the present President of United States – President Barack Obama.

What Leadership Lessons can you learn from Barack Obama.

There are clear lessons for every one of us from the way Barack Obama made it to the Presidency.

The odds were against him in every sense – had no father to raise him, he had left when he was barely 2 years old, he was not born in continental America, started life in the Democratic Party way behind Hillary Clinton and the likes, had very short political experience, he has been accused of associating with socialists and finally, he was a black to top everything.

But he still made it to the top, which position was until his ascendency the exclusive right of white men.

Whatever the Odds, Say, Yes, You Can, and you will

But how did he overcome all these negatives working against him? The answer is his belief Yes, You can. This perhaps is the best of leadership lessons you should learn from him. When you say that, you actually repose faith upon yourself. And faith is what drives people to success. It may not make you the next President, but you will certainly rise up the ladder where few people will dare compete with you.

Have a Clear Vision for Your Followers and Articulate It

Keep your vision simple, clear and consistent. Conveying a message today and the opposite next day will drive your followers away. When Obama was new to the Democratic Party, he just did that, and his simple magic word was “Change”, and he stuck to it for the rest of his fruitful life. Even to this day, if you had followed his speeches you will know that. With this simple message, he could take on his rivals who had better programs for the nation. But when Obama articulates, people listen, because they are simple and consistent, and his message was Change.

Smart Actions Rule over Experience

That Obama never had the experience of his rivals within and outside the Democratic Party is universal knowledge, but he still made it, because he knew that consulting his advisors can make him smarter. That set off his inexperience, and when he mixed his own philosophy and judgment with wiser counsel he fortified his leadership qualities. The rule is be open to new ideas and don’t be centric or an idealist. Listen to what your advisors have to say, but let the philosophy be your own.

Keep in Tune with Technological Changes and Accept Them

Did you know that Obama keeps in touch with his followers through social media ? If not, then you are missing out on something you should have known long before. In fact, he has his own social network where he not only connects himself with the masses, but also lets his followers connect among themselves.

He used E-mail, Flickr, You Tube and many other technological marvels to prep up his position. The benefits are there to see from Obama’s success. The rule of leadership is simple, keep in touch with those who will bring success to you.

Becoming a leader is more smart work than hard work, and retaining it is hard work. It is not a fit-and-forget job. Stick to simplicity and stay in touch with the masses and your subordinates, and leadership will follow you whether it is politics or business.

This Good Morning Sunday post was written by Nathan Brown. Contact us if you wish to contribute the our Good Morning Sunday series.