Barack Obama is one of the most prominent political figures in the history of the United States of America. His leadership has been a center of attention for many years because he has greatly impacted American society and brought changes into different spheres of life. The former president’s personal qualities have affected many of his decisions and they are often referred to as phenomenal. Barack Obama has developed the habits of a truly productive president which made him the most sought-after worldwide leader (Hutchings et al., 2021). Even states which do not have friendly bonds with the U.S. are inspired by Obama’s leadership. Hence, this paper aims to analyze the leadership style of Barack Obama and provide its characteristics.
Barack Obama’s leadership style refers to the transformational one due to his innovative decisions and reforms implemented during his presidency. Before exemplifying Obama’s actions, it is vital to explore the nature of a transformational leader. This type presumes that a chief works with the teams to identify the necessary changes leading to means for the community outcomes. The leader’s behavior influences followers and inspires them to work beyond their supposed abilities, inspiring people to achieve unplanned or outstanding results. Finally, transformational presidents change the country as a whole, not by taking radical measures, but rather by changing individuals’ attitudes and perspectives.
For many reasons, this notion has become associated with ex-presidents of the U.S. Barack Obama, especially. Even before becoming a president, Barack Obama had a very charismatic nature attracting attention from both American residents and foreigners (Horowitz, 2010). A charismatic leader can attract others to his side and encourage them to achieve a goal greater than themselves. A charismatic approach is transformational if it causes constant changes in people who share the leader’s vision. During the election, he prepared a promising speech about the changes in Washington and leading America to a better future (Hutchings et al., 2021).
It could be indeed titled a transformational promise since it was based upon the prosperous alterations in the society that could eliminate all the troubles dragging from the past. Especially, it concerned racial issues because, after centuries of living among slavery and discrimination, Americans truly hoped Obama could ensure stable development and prosperity.
The first term of Obama’s governing the country has been increasingly influential for his further career in terms of foreign and local affairs. His presidency was of great importance for the country since he impacted many spheres of life. For instance, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, was one of the milestones in the history of the American healthcare system (Horowitz, 2010). However, during the second term, people thought he became more alienated; yet, he pursued his goal of sustaining stability in society.
One of the primary traits of a transformational leader is charisma which typically is a driver for change. Obama’s charismatic nature helped him win the hearts of millions of Americans and foreigners.
Thus, he is historically acknowledged as one of the most prominent speakers in the United States (Paquin et al., 2017). Most notably, the ex-president was able to impact the racial issues by delivering speeches on this sensitive topic without any prejudice towards any race and showing his ability to serve every race in the country.
On the other hand, Obama’s ability to impact people aligns with his skill to serve them. Being a servant-leader means not putting one’s interests first. In other words, this type of leadership is a commitment to humility. Such administration presumes that a president dedicates every little success to those they serve (Paquin et al., 2017). A leader who helps other people raises the relationship between the manager and subordinates to an even higher level compared to the leader-manager. The meaning of their life is to serve people and reveal their potential.
Obama’s servant-leadership style is expressed via his communication with individuals. He claims that any society can function more effectively if a president listens to people carefully (Paquin et al., 2017). What is more, he has strong convictions regarding humanity principles, that is, that each person has a voice and all are equal. Obama was an inclusive-oriented leader who thought to care for each of his team members to ensure they were all satisfied with the conditions (Hutchings et al., 2021). Not to mention that he was sincerely interested in others and tried to hear people’s problems to solve them. As a result of his inclusiveness into citizens’ affairs, he received much support from numerous celebrities and politicians. Being a servant leader means giving and gaining, and in Obama’s case, it worked well.
In conclusion, Obama was considered both a transformational and servant leader who could impact American society by bringing positive changes into numerous fields. The ex-president could transform the healthcare system, solve racial issues, improve foreign policy relationships, and, finally, unite people. His main goal throughout his two-term presidency was serving the American citizens who could evaluate his efforts and contribute to a better future together.
References
Horowitz, I. (2010). Legalism as an executive ideology: Foundations of Barack Obama’s leadership style. Perspectives on Political Science, 39(3), 160-165. Web.
Hutchings, V.L., Cruz Nichols, V., Gause, L., & Piston, S. (2021). Whitewashing: How Obama used implicit racial cues as a defense against political rumors. Political Behavior, 43, 1337-1360. Web.
Paquin, J., Massie, J., & Beauregard, P. (2017). Obama’s leadership style: Enabling transatlantic allies in Libya and Mali. Journal of Transatlantic Studies, 15(2), 184-206. Web.