The Making of a Great President
Case Incident #1 - Ch. 12, page 408: "The Making of a Great President" 1. Do you think leaders in other contexts (businness, sports, religion) exhibit the same qualities as great U.S. presidents?
I definitely think that leaders in other contexts have some of the same qualities as great U.S. presidents. The characteristics of a leader are made for any type of setting, whether in the public eye as a U.S. President or as a hometown leader as a school administrator.
2. How important do you think charisma is to a president's greatness? A CEO's greatness? Can a CEO without charisma be effective?
I like to think so. Many people are not very charismatic and can still be successful. Leaders need to have good communication skills in order to relate with people surrounding them. For example, a CEO will require a high level of charisma to ensure he/she is can relate to his employees. Sometimes the CEO is rarely visible at a company however, you do have some CEOs that like to make their presence known and hold one-on-one conversations with several employees while touring their own facility instead of being isolated in his/her office. 3. Do you think being in the right place at the right time could influence presidential greatness? CEO greatness? Alternatively, can being in the "wrong place at the wrong time" affect an otherwise effective leader?
Yes, and at times can be the deciding factor on how people will remember you. But being in the right place at the right time can only take you so far. Once you are there you have to make the right choice. For example, the Civil War took place while Abraham Lincoln was President. Most people would agree that he would have been a great President regardless of whether the Civil War would have taken place or not but without a doubt that greatly defined his presidency and legacy. Steve Jobs helped to create Apple and steered it to become extremely successful and the world phenomenon that it is right now. Last
I definitely think that leaders in other contexts have some of the same qualities as great U.S. presidents. The characteristics of a leader are made for any type of setting, whether in the public eye as a U.S. President or as a hometown leader as a school administrator.
2. How important do you think charisma is to a president's greatness? A CEO's greatness? Can a CEO without charisma be effective?
I like to think so. Many people are not very charismatic and can still be successful. Leaders need to have good communication skills in order to relate with people surrounding them. For example, a CEO will require a high level of charisma to ensure he/she is can relate to his employees. Sometimes the CEO is rarely visible at a company however, you do have some CEOs that like to make their presence known and hold one-on-one conversations with several employees while touring their own facility instead of being isolated in his/her office. 3. Do you think being in the right place at the right time could influence presidential greatness? CEO greatness? Alternatively, can being in the "wrong place at the wrong time" affect an otherwise effective leader?
Yes, and at times can be the deciding factor on how people will remember you. But being in the right place at the right time can only take you so far. Once you are there you have to make the right choice. For example, the Civil War took place while Abraham Lincoln was President. Most people would agree that he would have been a great President regardless of whether the Civil War would have taken place or not but without a doubt that greatly defined his presidency and legacy. Steve Jobs helped to create Apple and steered it to become extremely successful and the world phenomenon that it is right now. Last