Organizational Leadership: a Look at Barak Obama

Organizational Leadership: A look at Barak Obama What defines a good leader? This age old question has been the subject of philosophers and scholars for time unknown. One thing is certain, that as times have changed and society has grown, the job of being a leader has become increasingly difficult. In the United States, being a leader is even more difficult as the office of the President is being held accountable for the country itself. The purpose of this paper will be to discuss organizational leadership as it pertains to President Obama, and determine whether he is a good leader. President Barak Obama is one of the most controversial Presidents to ever see office as he is the first black president and as his policies lean towards socialism. He inherited a complete mess of a country as the nation was left reeling from former President George W. Bush’s stint in office. Under George W. Bush’s time in office, the United States’ economy was lead into ruin due to the war on terror. President Obama’s job has been to try to end the war on terror and pick up the pieces of the United States economy. In his inaugural address, he pointed out that the nation was in trouble and that it would take long after his time in office was done to recover fully from the mess it is in. The question is, has President Obama helped to improve the nation, or is the United States worse off than ever? President Obama fills the mold of a good leader from an organizational leadership point of view. This means that he is capable of influencing others, adapting to change, exhibits ethical behavior, is part of an organizational culture and has a global perspective. Being an organizational leader means that you must first set a direction and tone for your leadership. Second, one must put into practice performance management so as to monitor and assess the organization as it changes. Third, organizational leadership must include the concept of change. (Johnson 2013) President

References: Brittain, Becky. "Obama will give up portion of his salary." CNN Politics. CNN, 03 Apr 2013. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/04/03/obama-will-give-up-portion-of-his-salary/comment-page-3/ Johnson, Walter. "Organizational Leadership." eHow.com. eHow.com, n.d. Web. 7 Apr 2013. <http://www.ehow.com/about_6567493_organizational-leadership-definition.html>.