March/April 2009 Edition

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Leadership Lessons from U.S. Presidents 
by Stew Bolno, MBA, EdM

This January, we witnessed the quadrennial inauguration of the President of the United States. History tells us that the perspectives and decisions of each President make a difference. Whether or not you agree with their policies and political beliefs, their leadership skills helped every one of them to achieve success.

Effective leadership is not only essential for leading a country, it is also critical to leading an organization, a department, a team, or a project. The role of leader is highly complex. Below is a list of examples, principles, and questions to help you measure up to the challenge that is part of high-level leadership.

• High level leaders demonstrate grace under pressure. - Barack Obama will be installed as President in January 2009. He would not have achieved that position if he was not capable of effectively leading his team of professional associates and supporters. One can only imagine the excitement of his 16-month long campaign as he surprised the experts and defeated his opponents in the Democratic primaries and the general election. Undoubtedly, there were highs and lows. The intensity of the presidential contest could have only added to the tension and emotional level. Within the campaign team he was known as, “No drama, Obama.” This took root and, most certainly, kept things calm and rational as tactics were developed and key decisions made.

Question: Do your team members see you as a calming figure or someone who adds to the tension during times of stress?

Leadership Learning Point: Effective leaders benefit more when they are perceived as the sanest, as opposed to the smartest, person in the room.

• High level leaders act from a core set of values. – George W. Bush is steeped in his morality and religious values. They have an impact on how he views the world. Whether a person agreed or disagreed with his decisions, there is little doubt about where he stands on any particular issue.

Question: Could your associates communicate your core values in regard to leading your team?

Leadership Learning Point: Effective leaders multiply their effectiveness when their supporters are aware of priorities and core values so that there is greater congruence when they have to make a decision.

• High-level leaders gain loyalty from their supporters. – Bill Clinton had a unique sensitivity to the emotions of others. This enabled him to touch his team members in a powerful way. Since he did not govern in a pure, ideological manner, this skill enabled him to keep supporters on his side, even when he signed bills for which they disagreed. There is little doubt that his true believers would have created strident opposition if the same bills were initiated, supported, and implemented by other Presidents.

Question: What have you done to better understand the motivations of others so as to increase loyalty from those within your sphere of influence?

Leadership Learning Point: As a leader you are required to deal with people who vary widely in personality and intellectual perspective. You need to find a way to get them on your side.

• High-level leaders are considered to be trustworthy. - George H.W. Bush (41) worked tirelessly as a war President in removing Iraq from Kuwait. Although he was not highly persuasive when communicating on television, his history of personal integrity enabled him to accomplish his goal of forming strong coalitions with other world leaders when he required their support in pushing Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait.

Question: How would others respond if they were asked to comment on your reliability and integrity?

Leadership Learning Point: Your ability to gain support and loyalty in the present and future is a function of how you have impacted on others in the past.

• High level leaders create and communicate a clear and inspiring vision - Ronald Reagan took an image from our national history as well as a President from the opposing party in order to transmit his vision for America as, “a shining city on a hill.” This picture illustrated an optimistic image and framed the distinctive differences between America and Russia in the “cold war” battles. His words increased levels of confidence and hope during a difficult time in American history. He was not called “The Great Communicator” for nothing.

Question: What image have you created for your team so that they maintain high levels of spirit and focus on meaningful goals?

Leadership Learning Point: A requirement of your position is to clarify the end game for your team so that they are always looking up, even during moments of challenge and disappointment.

• High level leaders are persistent in their pursuit of goals - Jimmy Carter demonstrated intensity and commitment in his efforts to bring peace to the Middle East. He was able to encourage Israel’s Menachim Begin and Anwar Sadat of Egypt, to strike a deal that laid the groundwork for peace after a decades-long period of animosity between their countries. This successful agreement resulted in a Nobel Peace Prize for all of them.

Question: How do you gain commitment, as you strive to achieve
the tasks that are essential for goal attainment?

Leadership Learning Point: Opportunity occurs when it meets up with planning and persistence.

• Leadership requires the ability accept short-term losses in order to achieve long term objectives - Gerald Ford pardoned Richard Nixon to ameliorate the downward spiral that was created by the Watergate fiasco. This decision may have cost him victory in the general election against Jimmy Carter. However, it was his opinion that the country needed to be healed. Today, he is rightly perceived that by doing this he avoided a long and drawn out trial of his predecessor. This would have created headlines, while detracting from a need to reverse the low morale mood of the country and focusing it on the more significant issues of honest government and dealing with a damaged economy.

Question: What short-term losses have you taken in return for long-term goal achievement?

Leadership Learning Point: Success does not move in a straight line. Sometimes sacrifices have to be made to achieve a greater good.

• Leaders need to be willing to take a chance, at times, and surprise those whom they lead – From the beginning of his political career, Richard Nixon was known as a “hard liner” on Communism. However, as President, he recognized an opportunity to change the world by going against history, as well as his own nature, in the pursuit of a higher purpose. Many political experts have stated that his diplomatic efforts encouraged the Chinese communist leaders to adopt a larger world-view in their attempt to “modernize” their culture and their economic system.

Question: When was the last time you did something “unpredictable” in order to take yourself out of your own comfort zone, so as to achieve a grand and meaningful goal?

Leadership Learning Point – The need to move outside your “comfort zone” may be an overused cliché’. However, being rigid by always staying in your comfort zone will limit your imagination, your ability to succeed in a dynamic environment, and stifle your most creative team members.

• Leaders recognize that sometimes a personal strength can be overused – Lyndon Johnson was ambitious, highly confident, and strong-willed. This helped him attain power as Majority Leader of the Senate, Vice President, and President. However, during the Vietnam War, these very characteristics worked against him as he chose to actively direct Generals even though he, himself, had no military experience. This led to uncertainty, confusion, and added unnecessary complexity to an already difficult situation.

Question: What personal strengths do you possess that have become liabilities when overused or used inappropriately?

Leadership Learning Point – From time to time, take an inventory by finding ways in which to obtain opinions regarding your behavior. This can be done by engaging in short informal conversations or using methods that provide confidential feedback on how others perceive their interactions with you.

• Leaders have a sense of self, as well as a sense of humor – Although John F. Kennedy was President for less than three years, he was beloved by the American public. He connected with the citizens in ways that touched their hearts as well as their minds. His self-deprecating humor, and warm smile, earned him a loyal following that has continued decades after his death.

Question: How do you demonstrate your “lighter” side to others?

Leadership Learning Point – Since you are a leader, we can presume you take your job seriously. However, taking yourself too seriously is likely to be a form of arrogance. This may, inadvertently, move you to diminish the lessons you can learn from others who could be of great help.

While each of the Presidents mentioned above displayed very different behaviors and world views, we can learn something from each of them. In fact, you probably can learn something valuable from the one with whom you have the greatest disagreement in regard to political perspective.


Stew Bolno (MBA/EdM) is a Senior Learning and Development Consultant with Team Builders Plus. He has facilitated seminars on Leadership and coached executives since 1984. He has taught management courses on the university level and has conducted leadership workshops at the Wharton Small Business Development Center.

The 4 Hats Leaders Wear is a skill-based/full-day workshop. For more information about the program, please email Stew or call him at 856.596.4196 ext 206.

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