Obama L.A

Right Brain / Left Brain President
Recent Titles in Contemporary Psychology Preventing Teen Violence: A Guide for Parents and Professionals Sherri N. McCarthy and Claudio Simon Hutz Making Enemies: Humiliation and International Conflict Evelin Lindner Collateral Damage: The Psychological Consequences of Americas War on Terrorism Paul R. Kimmel and Chris E. Stout, editors Terror in the Promised Land: Inside the Anguish of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Judy Kuriansky, editor Trauma Psychology, Volumes 1 and 2 Elizabeth Carll, editor Beyond Bullets and Bombs: Grassroots Peace Building between Israelis and Palestinians Judy Kuriansky, editor Who Benefits from Global Violence and War: Uncovering a Destructive System Marc Pilisuk with Jennifer Rountree Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact Mary Lou Dcosterd Creating Young Martyrs: Conditions That Make Dying in a Terrorist Attack Seem Like a Good Idea Alice LoCicero and Samuel J. Sinclair Emotion and Conflict: How Human Rights Can Dignify Emotion and Help Us Wage Good Conflict Evelin Lindner Emotional Exorcism: Expelling the Psychological Demons That Make Us Relapse Holly A. Hunt, Ph.D. Gender, Humiliation, and Global Security: Dignifying Relationships from Love, Sex, and Parenthood to World Affairs Evelin Lindner
Right Brain/Left Brain President

Barack Obamas Uncommon Leadership Ability and How We Can Each Develop It
Mary Lou Dcosterd

F OREWORD
BY
C HRISTOPHER C. S HOEMAKER
Contemporary Psychology Chris E. Stout, Series Editor
Copyright 2010 by Mary Lou Dcosterd All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Dcosterd, Mary Lou. Right brain / left brain president : Barack Obamas uncommon leadership ability and how we can each develop it / Mary Lou Dcosterd ; foreword by Christopher C. Shoemaker. p. cm. (Contemporary psychology) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-313-38072-3 ( hard copy : alk. paper) ISBN 978-0-313-38073-0 (ebook ) 1. Leadership Psychological aspects. 2. Left and right ( Psychology) 3. Cerebral dominance. 4. Obama, Barack Psychology. I. Title. BF637.L4D434 2010 158'.4 dc22 2010000525 ISBN: 978-0-313-38072-3 EISBN: 978-0-313-38073-0 14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5
This book is also available on the World Wide Web as an eBook. Visit www.abc-clio.com for details. Praeger An Imprint of ABC-CLIO, LLC ABC-CLIO, LLC 130 Cremona Drive, P.O. Box 1911 Santa Barbara, California 93116-1911 This book is printed on acid-free paper Manufactured in the United States of America Public figures referred to in this book were not interviewed. Descriptions of public figures are based on publicly available information. The book contains information about health and fitness. Readers should not regard any and all such information as a substitute for medical advice or prescription. The author and publisher disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects arising from the application of any health and fitness information contained in this book.
To That One . . . with heartfelt appreciation for bringing leadership back into the forefront.
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Contents
Figures Series Foreword Foreword 1 The Obama Phenomenon Leading with Both Sides of His Brain At First Blush Intelligence Personified From Intellect to Action Passion and Attitude Constructive Intolerance His Human Side Making History The Phenomenon Recapped 2 The Nature/Nurture of Leadership A Life Juxtaposed The Luck of the Draw Influences, Experiences, and Moments Heritage Recapped Leadership and the Brain A Leadership-Perfect Form
xi xiii xv 1 1 4 5 7 9 11 13 15 16 19 19 20 23 33 34 36
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Right- and Left-Brain Potentials A Leadership Model Right Brain/Left Brain: Counterintuitive A Leaders Line of SITE The MEGA Mind The Plus Factors Model in Context
41 41 43 45 47 49 50 59 59 64 69 73 77 79 79 83 88 91 95 97 97 98 100 103 105 106 108 110 112 115 115 116 119 125
Obama: Leading from the Right? Strategic Intent An Innovative Approach A Transformational Imperative Engaging Underpinnings Noting Breadth and Depth
Obamas Vision Realized Methodical: A Call to Action Expressive Excellence Grounded: Responsible with a Capitol R True Assertive Right Brain/Left Brain Summary
Obama and the Plus Factors: Sealing the Deal Resilient Energy Positive Thinking, Obama-Style What He Does and How He Does It Recharging the Energy Battery Savvy 101 Fundamental Awareness Power and Influence Perception as Reality Defining Moments
Becoming More Obama-Like From Values to Actions Leadership Must-Haves Your Call to Action Tools of the Trade
Contents
ix
Summary Thoughts Parting Inspirations Acknowledgments Appendix Notes Bibliography Index
132 134 137 139 145 155 159
Figures
3.1 3.2 6.1 7.1 7.2
Guiding Behaviors Sorted by Right- and Left-Brain Ability Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model (Complete) Energy Model for Traits of RESILIENT Leadership Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model (Partial) Sample Ratings for Traits of STRATEGIC Leadership
42 51 99 120 123
Series Foreword
I feel fortunate to hold the often enviable position of being the Series Editor of Contemporary Psychology for Praeger. It gives me a proverbial backstage pass and often giddy first looks at what has become what you are now holding in your hands. In some cases, it additionally affords me the chance to meet new authors and get to know them and their work at an intimate levelresulting in deep friendships and moving intellectual experiences. In the case of this project, I already have had the very pleasurable experience of working with Dr. Dcosterd in prior consulting gigs and with her in her first book in this series, the popular Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact (2008). The high-water mark reached by Dr. Dcosterd in her earlier book may wind up being eclipsed by this volume. I have previously noted that Right Brain / Left Brain Leadership is a truly impressive effortreally the first book of its kind that is an amalgam of neuroscience, leadership, strategy, and intuition. It is truly a major contribution to the field. Now Right Brain/Left Brain President: Barack Obamas Uncommon Leadership Ability and How We Can Each Develop It continues where Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership left off. It is a masterpiece of impressively researched writing blended with her own model of leadership into an understandable synthesis that is highly readable (and enjoyable!)regardless of your politics. Dr. Dcosterd deconstructs the complexity of politics, leadership, and human functioning and makes it all understandable and accessible. I like how she transforms her book into a tool box, filled with things such as her Ten-Point Executive Summary, her Right and Left Brain Toolkits, her Tools of the Trade, and forms galore, all of which comprise a leadership how-to, conveniently packaged into a book! She doesnt stop there, either, as she helps us to make our new learning actionable. And remember, this is in the context of a very enjoyable book. While history will be the final judge of this president, as well as of all presidents, no president
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Series Foreword
has been so completely researched and considered so early on in a presidency as Mr. Obama herein, and that makes this book historic as well. Chris E. Stout Kildeer, Illinois Series Editor, Contemporary Psychology
Foreword
Dr. Mary Lou Dcosterd, one of our nations leading experts in leadership psychology, now brings her extraordinary talents and groundbreaking Right Brain/ Left Brain Model to an examination of the leadership style of President Barack Obama in Right Brain/Left Brain President. Regardless of ones perspectives on Obamas policies, there can be little doubt that he is an extraordinarily charismatic leader, able to excite and galvanize a wide political spectrum both in the United States and around the worldto rally to his call. In the first year of his administration, Obama confronted a breathtaking array of challengeshealth care, climate change, a struggling economy, and wars in both Iraq and Afghanistan. His ability to lead a highly polarized electorate to solutions in all of these areas will be the ultimate measure of his leadership skills. In a broader sense, we are at the front edge of an era of great challenge and changewhen the very nature of the international community and the nation-state are in significant flux. In such an environment, the single most important determinant of success or failure will be leadership. The demand for visionary, pragmatic, committed, and inspirational leaders has never been higher than it is in these opening decades of the 21st century. Across the spectrum of human activityfrom government to the private sectorthe world needs leaders who are at once strategic and innovative (right brain), while at the same time methodical and grounded (left brain). The age of petty, self-serving, narrow, jingoistic, and bigoted leaders has long past; the world can no longer afford that sort of self-indulgence. There is too much at stake. In my experience in both the U.S. Army and the private sector, great right brain/ left brain leaders are not born. They are created, nurtured, and grown through structured programs of leader development that share universal components but are tailored to the particular institutions or governments in which individual leaders are to serve. To design and implement such leader-development programs, however,
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we must first understand the fundamentals of the psychology and physiology of leadership. Dr. Dcosterds seminal research and writings on leadership provide an invaluable point of departure for understanding leadership, thereby establishing a foundation upon which leader-development programs can be fashioned and implemented. Such programs will allow the successor generation to manage their dayto-day issues and challenges with a strategic perspective and to look across their minds to discover untapped potentials. Within that framework, Dr. Dcosterd has undertaken a detailed and rigorous analysis of Barack Obama and his rise to political prominence. Using her right brain/left brain methodology, she has examined his remarkable abilities to harness his leadership potentialsmany of which are just now reaching their maturity. Right Brain/Left Brain President is a first-class guide to 21st-century leadership through an up-close look at the man who is at the national power epicenter. Barack Obamas leadership skill sets are examined through the prism of Dr. Dcosterds model that identifies and then applies ten key behaviors to maximum leadership impact. This book then shows how Obamas unique brand of leadership is the result of his ability to leverage his full brain potential in how he thinks, decides, and acts. As such, he possesses significant right- and left-brain integrated skill sets that enable him to address a complex array of challenges, despite his relative lack of executive experience. Right Brain/Left Brain President is a significant contribution to an enlightened perspective on leadership and will be one of a series of applications of Dr. Dcosterds methodology to specific leaders. Emerging leaders of all political stripes should read this book, digest its lessons, and then apply them to their own development. Christopher C. Shoemaker, PhD Senior Vice President for Strategy L-3 Communications Services Group and MPRI Dr. Shoemaker has a PhD in political science and is a graduate of West Point and a retired colonel in the U.S. Army. He served on the staff of the National Security Council during the administrations of both President Reagan and President Carter.
Chapter 1
The Obama Phenomenon
The fact that my 15 minutes of fame has extended a little longer than 15 minutes is somewhat surprising to me and completely baffling to my wife. Barack Obama1
Leading with Both Sides of His Brain

The world watched in awe on November 4, 2008, when Barack Obama was elected the next president of the United States of America. Few can recall a time when a U.S. national election had such far-reaching impact. Certainly the existing context shaped the moments intensity, what with the full weight of global economic crisis upon us, the war on terror ever intensifying and environmental threats looming. How would we ever get on a better track, begin to reverse the damages done and grow in a new direction? Now, more than ever, we needed leadership, not more of the same, or a slight tweak in the status quo. We needed a full-spectrum leader, someone who led with intellect and vision, who could connect with all people and yet who could stand strong. We needed a leader with a steady hand and an open mind. The world was seeing those qualities in Barack Obama. America chose a young, charismatic Harvard-educated African American as their political star. It was Barack Obama who would lead us through the challenges of our time and return our nation to the very ideals upon which it was founded. From candidate to president, we noticed in Obama a marked departure from Washington politics as usual. His campaign, for one thing, was run like a prudent, savvy, hi-tech business. Novel strategic outreach maximized the internet to attract targeted demographic groups and the ever-chanted mantra Yes we can built and held momentum. Experiencing Obama through rallies and high-profile media appearances further reinforced that this was not typical campaigning. Something was different about the man and his politics.
Once selected, the president-elect led his transition team, a fresh, diverse group of top thinkers and functional experts, fluidly through their orientation to the White House. In the face of unprecedented global crisis, Obama masterfully modeled the sensitive balance of power needed by an incumbent. The inauguration was carefully crafted in a way befitting the historic event that it wasthe induction of the first African American U.S. president. President Obamas quintessential genuineness combined with his celebrated heritage to excite and uplift the masses. Following the gala the newly sworn in President Obama marked his first weeks in office with a firm, fair, and decisive hand. Upon closer examination of the Obama phenomenon we note the root of his allure. In descriptors like prudent, savvy, fluid, genuine, masterful, engaging, uplifting, firm, fair, and decisive, we recognize a wide range of behaviors along with a breadth and flexibility in both style and perspective. In President Obama we saw an ability to be intuitive, strategic, and innovative, able to know the way while recognizing implicit opportunities and threats. We also experienced someone who was as pragmatic and definitive as he was at relating well to others. Put another way, in President Obama we saw someone who was leading with both sides of his brainable to act from a set of behaviors, some more right brain in nature, some more left brain and to shift smoothly between apparent brainstyle differences. More to the point, what we noted was that Obamas brain-style shifts occurred not as an exception, but as a ruleas a dynamic interplay between right- and left-brain behaviors, a seemingly natural and effortless flow that made his brand of leadership so powerful. In essence, President Obama was leveraging his brain in the manner in which it was set up to function, through a sharing and collaboration of skills enabling the whole to be truly greater than the sum of its parts. If this is the way our brains are set up to function, why dont we all think and act this way? While many if not all of us have the capacity for such dual-brain engagement, few leverage it. Most are constricted by preferences, behavioral habits that cause us to think and act in a more singular fashion. You may have heard it said that we use only a small part of our brains. For most of us, regardless of our base intelligence or expertise, this is certainly true. Expressions like we are creatures of habit and great minds think alike illustrate our tendencies toward what is known and familiar. The expression opposites attract refers to an emotional pull, an excitement we feel when we are in the company of someone or something different. All too often, though, our initial excitement soon turns sour. While we gravitate toward the different, we are socialized to what we already know. We sometimes say that we dont like to step out of our comfort zones, an indicator of how we unwittingly thwart our brains diverse potential.2 Leaders in particular tend to gravitate toward their preferences. After all, it is often those very preferences that made them successful in the first place. Over the years and through their many roles and challenges they hone a leadership approach that nets results. Today, however, those who lead from controlled prefer-
ences may find themselves vulnerable. Such vulnerability is aptly expressed by one senior vice president interviewed who relayed that never before had he worked harder, accomplished more, and yet felt less successful. Todays leadership vulnerability is evidenced in a number of ways. Some leaders are reaching goals they never thought possible and are being asked yet for more. Other leaders are coming into broken situations confident they can turn things around but finding it more difficult than they thought. New leaders are given more and more responsibility with less and less experience or training and are becoming quickly overwhelmed. Still others feel ineffectual at addressing escalating people challenges, like low morale. Some simply cannot keep up with the rate and pace of change. The net result is that many of todays solid leaders are getting the message that they arent making it. Bright, capable, hardworking, well-intentioned leaders are receiving lower performance ratings, being moved out of assignments, or are holding their own but never really feeling on top of things. The lucky ones are succeeding but at greater personal cost. So what is happening? Simply put, the rules have changed. In the past, it was enough for a solid leader to leverage his or her strengths and for the most part succeed. Today, however, with intensified profitability challenges, greater workforce complexities, new environmental and social circumstances, and the world moving at lightning speed, it is harder for leaders to get to the goal line. In order to succeed in todays work climate, leaders need to act from a more complete range of business, organizational, and interpersonal behaviors.3 Obamas ability to extend himself and lead from a wide range of behaviors enabled him to ultimately win the election. Obama demonstrated a breadth and depth in leadership ability. While his opponents were calling attention to their well-honed strengths (preference leadership), and in fact overplaying them, Obama called on his breadth (multiple leadership behaviors) and depth (nuance traits within a given leadership behavior). Obama showed a facility beyond leadership as usual. The result was that a wider audience believed presidential candidate Obama was the best person to meet the diverse challenges of our time. In my previous book, Right Brain / Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact, a top ten list of right- and left-brain leadership behaviors were identified that if accessed, would enable leaders to better leverage their right and left brain potential and thereby better address the complex issues of today. In a followup to that work, Right Brain /Left Brain President will examine Barack Obamas broad-based leadership style through the lens of integrated right- and left-brain thinking. More specifically, this book will present the following:
The Obama phenomenon aspects of Obamas leadership that captivated so many so quickly as compared to the status quo An understanding of how the brain is structured for right- and left-brain leadership engagement An understanding of how Obamas background enables him to engage both sides of his brain with such ease and uidity
Right Brain/Left Brain President An explanation of ten core leadership behaviors that cull and integrate our full brain abilitythe right-brain/left-brain leadership model using President Obama as exemplar Steps and tools for how you too can become more Obama-like in your leadership approaches how you can extend your brains leadership ability
What follows is an interpretation based on publicly available information. No direct collaborations were sought. The book is apolitical in intent, a case-study of a leader/exemplar as a development tool. To begin we examine the Obama phenomenon. What was it precisely that enabled Obama to captivate so many so quickly? Think about it. One and a half million people braved the January cold on Inauguration Day 2009 to be a part of Obamas swearing in. Record numbers around the globe tuned in to watch. Yes, it was historic, but the appeal was as much about the man as it was about the milestone. What specifically are the characteristics that enabled Obama to rise to such heights? Seven dimensions of the Obama phenomenon will be identified, beginning with Obamas vintage quiet strength, what we notice at first blush.
At First Blush
When we first came to know Obama we noted a quiet strength. We saw a man measured in his words, polite and unassuming in demeanor, and above all, thoughtful in his approach. It was this initial unobtrusive persona that compelled those around him to speak while he listened. He listened, observed, and began what would be a lengthy discovery process. Obama was no doubt taking in the host of issues his nation, its people, and, for that matter, the world was facing. This quiet strength is one contributor to Obamas uncommon leadership ability. To initially lead from an inconspicuous posture affords a unique view of the other and of that around you. It is how to assure that information comes the leaders way. Information is power, and Obamas quiet strength enables him to garner that power. While the naysayers and pundits reacted to Obamas reserve, questioning his experience and resolve, Obama was in fact demonstrating a key leadership strong suit; he was in reflective mode. Obama was no doubt gathering information. He was leaving no stone unturned as he formulated his assessment. What such a leader uncovers through reflective study informs the base upon which strategies are built, strategies that are more enlightened. Such is a far better scenario than entering into a situation with ones mind already made up and getting blindsided. Obamas quiet strength is one of not only reflection, but also of patience. He is progressive, an iterative leader, and one who moves methodically toward a goal. He once said, If you are walking down the right path and youre willing to keep walking, eventually, youll make progress.4 Obama walks down his proverbial paths assimilating information as he goes, looking for validations, problems, issues, opportunities, and interconnections. Such thoughtfulness ensures first and foremost
that the paths selected are the right ones. It allows for sound conclusions, effective planning, and fertile results. Obama has likened his progressive tact to building a house brick by brick. Such leaders know all too well that if you start at the appropriate point and move forward, from that assured place no goal is insurmountable. A segment from Obamas last rally of the 2008 election campaign in Manassas, Virginia, further captures his step-by-step approach. Heres my point, Virginia. Thats how this thing started. It shows you what one voice can do. That one voice can change a room. And if a voice can change a room, it can change a city, and if it can change a city, it can change a state, and if it change a state, it can change a nation, and if it can change a country, it can change the world.5 The Obama phenomenon began not with a flame, but with a spark; a gentle, yet potent beginning. From these unassuming roots a movement took hold and grew in astonishing fashion. Obama was in fact now well past his fifteen minutes of fame and on his way to the journey of a lifetime.
Intelligence Personied
Obama was off and running, his direction fueled by his own brand of intellect. Intelligence is not a discrete trait. It is multidimensional. Intelligence (IQ ) tests have numerous scales in order to garner a full view of ones smarts. Being regarded as bright in IQ terms requires demonstration of ability across the intellectual spectrum. How quickly a person can grasp new information, how well short- and longterm memory functions, how well you reason, problem solve, and sort through social cues are some of the many IQ dimensions. So how bright is Obama, and what makes his brand of intellect unique with respect to leadership? He is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He was the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. We can make assumptions that Obama must possess a more than respectable IQ based on these accomplishments. What may be more germane, though, is his attitude about learning coupled with his ability to seek and rapidly assimilate broad-based information. We would refer to these qualities as thriving on knowledge and being a quick study. If you think about his tenure in politics, how he went from community organizer to Senator, presidential candidate, and then to president, managing each expanded opportunity with impressive role command, we see that it is both his intellectual ability along with his intellectual outlook that set him apart. President Obama embraces learning. He leverages knowledge to extend an already primed intellect. Such learners make both great students and exemplary teachers, moving with ease forth and back between scholar and educator functions. Consider the following example from his first prime-time press conference on February 9, 2009. A reporter was asking about the presidents plan to arrest the current financial crisis and questioning an aspect of Obamas direction. The actual question was, Mr. President, in your opening remarks you talked about that if
your plan works the way you want it to work it will increase consumer spending, but isnt consumer spending or overspending how we got into this mess and if people get money back into their pockets, do you not want them saving it, paying down debt first before they start spending money into the economy? This was Obamas response.
Well first of all, I dont think its accurate to say that consumer spending got us into this mess. What got us into this mess initially were banks taking exorbitant wild risks with other peoples money based on shaky assets and because of the enormous leverage where they had one dollars worth of assets and they were betting thirty dollars on that one dollar, what we had was a crisis in the financial system. That led to a contraction of credit which in turn meant that businesses couldnt make payroll or inventories which meant that everybody became uncertain about the future of the economy so people started making decisions accordingly, reducing investments, making layoffs which in turn made things worse. Now you are making a legitimate point that our savings rate has declined and this economy has been driven by consumer spending for a very long time, and thats not going to be sustainable. If all were doing is spending and were not making things, then over time other countries are going to get tired of lending us money and the partys going to be over, in fact the party now is over and so the sequence of how were approaching this is as follows: Our immediate job is to stop the downward spiral and that means putting money into consumers pockets, it means loosening up credit, it means putting forward investments that not only employ people immediately, but also lay the groundwork for economic growth. And that by the way is important even if you are a fiscal conservative because the biggest problem we are going to have with our federal budget is that if we continue a situation where there are no tax revenues because economic growth is plummeting at the same time as we have more demands for unemployment insurance weve got more demands for people who have lost their health care, more demand for food stamps, that will put enormous strains on the federal budget as well as the state budgets. So the most important thing we can do for our budget crisis right now is to make sure the economy doesnt continue to tank and thats why passing the economic recovery plan is the right thing we should do even though I recognize that it is expensive.6
The presidents reply walked us through the query in professorial style. He put the question into context: how and why the financial crisis began and the resulting snowball effect. He then conceptualized the steps to recovery. We heard, in essence, a compelling, concise, and detailed perspective. Obamas response showed that he had done his homework, internalized his lessons, and come to sound conclusions. While the preceding example shows solid comprehension and decision making, Obama also demonstrated another intellectual qualitythat of openness. There is nothing that will limit intellectual capacity more than a closed mind, and in Obama we see much the opposite. His eagerness to consider new possibilities
expands his intellectual potential tenfold. Obama has a genuine appreciation for diversity in thought. In fact, he extends beyond recognizing differences, for example, how a liberal versus a conservative would view the world. Obama also possesses an uncanny ability to truly appreciate the different or the unusual. He finds utility where others might instead be dismissive. Reading the following statement that he made once about hip-hop music is a simplistic yet poignant illustration of this point: The thing about hip-hop today is its smart, its insightful. The way they can communicate a complex message in a very short space is remarkable.7 Some might view this music genre as something they either like or dont like. Others might find it strange, perhaps even offensive. Obama thinks in more objective terms to consider that which is outside the norm. His consideration does not necessarily imply endorsement, but he is willing, nonetheless, to think about something by recognizing a value contained within it. While some may be uneasy about a man in his position who contemplates with such range, Obama is anything but boundary-less. He may cast a wide net of initial interest, but he seems to then rely on proven theory, reason, and context to build parameters and caveats upon which determinations are ultimately made. His thinking moves fluidly from the divergent to the convergent starting from a wide array of data points and ultimately boiling points down to a sensible conclusion. He has the uncommon ability to both consider vast possibilities and apply high-level scrutiny. Considering sizable possibilities to the extent that Obama does shows accelerated right-brain thinking while advanced analytics points to a pronounced left brain at work as well. He moves seamlessly between right- and left-brain thinking in order to glean the most that a circumstance has to offer. Obamas intellect has multiple distinct strong suits. Now the question becomes, can he translate his intellect into action?
From Intellect to Action

On January 22, 2009, the Los Angeles Times wrote, In a grinding first full day as president, Barack Obama moved decisively to distance himself from the previous administration, pushing top military leaders for a plan to withdraw combat troops from Iraq and issuing a string of orders to make government more open. The article went on to list additional day-one actions by the president addressing a range of priorities at home and abroad.8 On January 29, 2009, the Canadian Press compared Obamas action-oriented start to that of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was noted for passing fifteen major bills in three months during his first term as president. For Obama, the article noted an impressive start ten days into his presidency, signing bills and executive orders that countered some of the work of his predecessor, George W. Bush, describing Obamas steps as a burst out of the starting gate. Other early actions taken by President Obama that were noted in same article included signing into law the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, sending his $825
billion stimulus package to Congress, granting a televised interview to the Dubaibased Al-Arabiya news network, overturning the Bush administrations ban on U.S. funding to international family planning organizations, ordering the Transportation Department to come up with fuel-efficiency standards, sitting down with congressional Republicans and hosting a bipartisanship cocktail party at the White House, freezing salaries of his staff, and even relaxing the White House dress code.9 While Obamas intellect was well recognized during the campaign, many feared he was too intellectual, too theoretical. They questioned his authority, that he would not be able to move from intellect to action. Obama demonstrated early on that his academic nature does not preclude action. Within his first few weeks in office we saw a flurry of activity across varied issues. From foreign policy to relationships with lawmakers at home to the economics of the nation and fiscal responsibility for his very own team, Obama took a series of specific steps covering an assortment of matters at hand. Obamas initial actions as president traversed multiple paths, showing that he possessed not only diversity in thoughtwhat he was willing to considerbut also diversity in what he was willing to commit to, in his actions, as well. We saw a man who thinks before he acts, one who moves through an all-encompassing discovery process while entertaining divergent and even disparate views and who then takes action across a broad plain. In addition to acting with widened scope, how the presidents thought process translates into action on a single issue is interesting. He seems to typically incorporate an action plan that is dual in nature, attacking a problem from two sides. A second clip from Obamas February 9, 2009, press conference illustrates this point. When he was asked about his position on Iran, the president replied with a two-pronged approach. The actual question was, What is your strategy for engaging Iran and when will you start to implement it? Will your timetable be affected at all by the Iranian elections and are you getting any indications that Iran is interested in a dialogue with the United States? Consider the presidents response:
I said during the campaign that Iran is a country that has extraordinary people, history and traditions, but that its actions over many years now have been unhelpful when it comes to promoting peace and prosperity both in the region, that their financing of terrorist organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas, their bellicose language that theyve used towards Israel, their pursuit of a nuclear weapon, that all those things create the possibility of destabilizing the region and are not only contrary to our interests but are contrary to the interests of international peace. What Ive also said is that we should take an approach with Iran that employs all of the resources at the United States disposal and that includes diplomacy. My national security team is currently reviewing our existing Iran policy looking at areas where we can have constructive dialogue, where we can directly engage with them. My expectation is in the coming months we will
be looking for openings that can be created, opportunities where we can be sitting across the table, face to face diplomatic overtures that will allow us to move our policies forward in a new direction. Theres been a lot of mistrust built up over the years so it is not going to happen overnight and it is important that even as we engage in this direct diplomacy that we are very clear about certain deep concerns we have as a country. That Iran understands that we find the funding of terrorist organizations unacceptable, that were clear about the fact that a nuclear Iran could set off an arms race in the region that would be profoundly destabilizing. So there are going to be a set of objectives that we have in these conversations but I think that theres the possibility at least that there could be a relationship of mutual respect and progress and I think if you look at how weve approached the Middle East, the appointment of George Mitchell as a special envoy to help deal with the Arab-Israeli situation, some of the interviews Ive given, it indicates the degree to which we want to do things differently in the region, now it is time for Iran to send some signals that it wants to act differently as well and recognize that even as it has some rights as a member of the international community, with those rights comes responsibilities.10
Obama intellectually comes to understand the situation from all angles. He then begins to weigh his options, quickly translating those options into measured steps that address the situation from multiple sides. In the case of Iran, he sees the need to both open a dialogue as well as to make clear certain expectations. This two-pronged approach is not the usual politician flip-flopping on an issue, but rather an insightful leader seeing the need to approach problems bilaterally. How, though, was the new presidents approach received by the public? Did his initial actions resonate well with the people? In a January 29February 1, 2009, Gallup poll, his overall job approval rating was 66 percent. Matters such as instituting higher fuel-efficiency standards, limiting interrogation techniques on prisoners, tightening ethics rules for administration officials, and naming special envoys for the Middle East and Afghanistan and Pakistan were areas of the presidents highest ratings. In summary, the poll indicated that the president received respectable initial ratings, referred to as strong overall approval, that he was initially on the right track.11 What can be concluded from early polling regarding his presidency was that Obama was off to a solid start in terms of the decisions he was making.
Passion and Attitude

Perhaps there is more to Obamas high approval ratings, though, than his actions alone. What of his passion and attitude? Given the state of the nation in February of 2009, with Wall Street continuing to plummet, more businesses failing, and record unemployment, for the overall optimism level to be at 61 percent seems notable. Perhaps Obamas passion and enduring positive attitude were an added attraction. Likely his fervor and sheer optimism made us believe in the promise of
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good things to come. Obamas optimism can be bigger than life in what he projects can be achieved. He reminds us that yes we can accomplish our goals. Like his thinking, Obamas attitude is two-pronged. We see a man who smiles and laughs and who relaxes the crowd. At the same time he is sure to put us on notice about what we all need to do to contribute to the solution. He conveys simply and to the point what he expects, while he is sure to stress the positive and the hopeful. Obama seems a believer in the premise that in the darkest of times, there is always a way out and that we will be stronger for it. The following portion of Obamas inaugural address typifies the attitude and passion from which he leads.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our landa nagging fear that Americas decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights. Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met. On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics. We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.12
In the presidents opening inaugural remarks we experience a leader coming into his charge well aware of the challenges and intending to face those challenges
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head-on. His enthusiasm excites us as he leverages the full weight of history to stake his claim. The passion and attitude conveyed through his words unleash a resolve and confidence born from fundamental beliefs in the power of the human spirit. His yes we can persona is adopted as our own.
Constructive Intolerance
While Obamas passion is exhilarating and his attitude instills promise, there is still the matter of reconciling all that had gone so terribly wrong. How could we begin to settle the personal toll and injustice that was at that time occurring? Many had lost their jobs and homes. Others lost all or part of their life savings, and for what? We had been swindled by those who played an unsuspecting system for all it was worth. Passion and positive thinking alone would not suffice. Obama, though, was also demonstrating formidability. He declared that if we were to move from where we were to where we needed to be, certain practices could no longer be tolerated. Better still, Obamas brand of limit setting was and is productive, referred to here as constructive intolerance. Constructive intolerance is much like constructive criticism. It is meant to build us up rather than tear us down. It is first and foremost a line in the sand being drawn, indicating that certain acts will no longer be permitted to occur. We frequently heard Obama relaying some version of the phrase I will not tolerate this as president. Constructive intolerance is an assertive leadership action showing through both firm demarcation and rational argument why things must and will change. Done and said in this manner, as an imposed boundary, it is hard to argue with, even for those who are most opposed.13 Consider the following example of Obamas constructive intolerance as he takes a stand on the controversial matter of executive pay, more specifically, executive pay tied to government bailout moneys. Obama is announcing his decision for an executive salary cap.
My administration will do what it takes to restore our financial system; our recovery depends upon it. And so next week, Secretary Geithner will release a new strategy to get credit moving againa strategy that will reflect the lessons of past mistakes while laying a foundation for the future. But in order to restore our financial system, weve got to restore trust. And in order to restore trust, weve got to make certain that taxpayer funds are not subsidizing excessive compensation packages on Wall Street. We all need to take responsibility. And this includes executives at major financial firms who turned to the American people, hat in hand, when they were in trouble, even as they paid themselves their customary lavish bonuses. As I said last week, thats the height of irresponsibility. Thats shameful. And thats exactly the kind of disregard for the costs and consequences of their actions that brought about this crisis: a culture of narrow self-interest and short-term gain at the expense of everything else.
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This is America. We dont disparage wealth. We dont begrudge anybody for achieving success. And we believe that success should be rewarded. But what gets people upsetand rightfully soare executives being rewarded for failure, especially when those rewards are subsidized by U.S. taxpayers. For top executives to award themselves these kinds of compensation packages in the midst of this economic crisis is not only in bad taste its a bad strategy and I will not tolerate it as president. Were going to be demanding some restraint in exchange for federal aidso that when firms seek new federal dollars, we wont find them up to the same old tricks. As part of the reforms we are announcing today, top executives at firms receiving extraordinary help from U.S. taxpayers will have their compensation capped at $500,000a fraction of the salaries that have been reported recently. And if these executives receive any additional compensation, it will come in the form of stock that cant be paid up until taxpayers are paid back for their assistance. Companies receiving federal aid are going to have to disclose publicly all the perks and luxuries bestowed upon senior executives and provide an explanation to the taxpayers and to shareholders as to why these expenses are justified. And were putting a stop to these kinds of massive severance packages weve all read about with disgust; were taking the air out of the golden parachute. Were asking these firms to take responsibility, to recognize the nature of this crisis and their role in it. We believe that what weve laid out should be viewed as fair and embraced as basic common sense.14
In this example, the president walks us through a rationale that begins with what we need to know about the mistakes that were made and moves to the solutionin his mind the need to restore trust in our financial system as a precursor to restoring the system itself. He calls out certain shameful self-serving practices and is explicit about what makes people most disgusted, to have a select few reward themselves for failure, and to do so with someone elses money. Obamas position stated in this manner is fairly difficult to argue with. He closes with a bottom line: what his administration is asking for, for these stakeholders to be realistic and to be a part of a logical solution. Obama sets a firm limit, provides a context and a rationale. He is clear about his bottom line. Obamas intent is to put the brakes on an out-of-control situation in productive fashion. Constructive intolerance is a key component to great leadership. It instills the fundamental accountability, fairness, and integrity necessary for bona fide success. Without certain boundaries and, more importantly, without leaders themselves who are willing to properly open their eyes to issues such as these and to set and uphold limits, we remain at risk. Larry Bossidy, former chairman and CEO of Honeywell International, and Ram Charan, advisor to CEOs and top executives, wrote a book called Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done. The book is about driving for results, what organizations and specifically leaders need to attend to in order to be successful.
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An interesting quote from their book is, Leaders get the behavior they exhibit and tolerate. 15 We see in Obama the makings of a leader who is willing to take a stand and not tolerate that which undermines fundamental and long-term success. Furthermore, he is willing to model in himself what he expects of others. Obama showed his willingness to demonstrate the behaviors he expected from others when at the outset of his term he froze pay increases for his own team. Obamas intent to make the White House and other government buildings greener in support of energy conservation is another such example of his modeling. Modeling seems an ingrained behavior for the president since it surfaced in a day-to-day aspect of his personal life. You may recall the moving line from Obamas acceptance speech: Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House.16 When first questioned about what breed of dog the Obamas were considering, the then president-elect stated that they would like to find a rescue animal. In looking initially to find a rescue puppy Obama rather matter-of-factly exhibited the community-minded values he wants others to be thinking about.
His Human Side

On February 10, 2009, at a town hall meeting in Fort Myers, Florida, the newly inaugurated president, Barack Obama, was with a community hit hard by the economic downturn. A woman stepped up to the microphone declaring her familys desperation. She was jobless and homeless. Please help us, she pleaded. The president stopped for a moment, asked the woman her name, walked over to her, looked her in the eye, and replied, I am going to do my best. Then he did something more. The president, visibly moved by the moment, hugged the woman and gently kissed her on the cheek. Momentary silence fell over the room, followed by gracious applause.17 This was not political posturing. This was genuine human connection. We first knew Obama as a reserved, thoughtful candidate. As the campaign wore on and later as he assumed office, we came to know Obama as a compassionate and committed partner in our struggles. Slowly, we were coming to understand a number of things about our new president. He seemingly had a firm grasp on the daunting tasks his administration was facing. He had his initial direction sorted, and it appeared also that both his head and his heart were in the right place. Extending from his professionally poised intellectual persona was a genuineness, a deeper human side. Obamas human side enables him to transcend age, gender, race, religion, and class to relate to a multitude of people. He demonstrates time and time again a capacity for empathy, not sympathy, that distinguishes him. As he moves further into his presidency, Obamas accentuated human qualities will afford the opportunity to foster renewed hope and personal accountability in the American people and to address problems at home and abroad that until now have seemed irreconcilable.
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Beyond compassion and empathy, another of Obamas admirable human qualities is his ability to admit mistakes. In early February 2009, former Democratic leader Tom Daschle stepped down from nomination as Secretary of Health and Human Services due to irregularities with his past tax filings. On February 3, 2009, on a CNN live interview with Anderson Cooper, when questioned about problems with Tom Daschles appointment, Obama replied, I think I screwed up. When was the last time we heard a prominent leader say that? The exchange with Anderson Cooper went as follows:
Cooper: Do you feel you messed up in letting it get this far? Obama: Yes, I think I made a mistake and I told Tom that. I take responsibility
for the appointees.
Cooper: What was your mistake letting it get this far or should you have pulled
it earlier?
Obama: I think my mistake is not in selecting Tom originally because I think nobody was better qualified to deal with both the substance and policy of health care. He understands it well as anybody, but also the politics which is going to be required to actually get it done. But I think ultimately I campaigned on changing Washington and bottom up politics and I dont want to send a message to the American people that there are two sets of standards, one for powerful people and one for the ordinary folks who are working every day and paying their taxes. Cooper: Do you think youve lost some of your moral high ground you set for yourself on Day 1? Obama: Well I think this was a mistake. I think I screwed up and I take responsibility for it and were gonna make sure we fix it so it doesnt happen again.18
Stated simply and directly, no defensiveness or excuses, the president took full responsibility, admitted his mistake, and walked us through his learning. With respect to Obamas human side we see a man who possesses empathy and compassion, one who is genuine in his commitment to help. We also see a man who sees mistakes as an opportunity to learn, as a fact of life, as something we need to own up to. What we see overall in terms of Obamas human side is that he is grounded in morality and reason, in the difference between right and wrong, and in what works and what doesnt. Some examples of Obamas moral imperative include the following:
Obama points to the distortion and erosion in values in Americas governing systems and processes, calling Washington politics badly broken. What Washington needs is adult supervision19 was one joking, yet nonetheless revealing reference Obama made to how he would characterize this circumstance. Obama has described the dierence between what he sees as free versus fair trade. Obama notes the inhumanity in health care as a privilege rather than a right. Obama asserts that the questionable treatment of prisoners of war is an inhumanity that cannot be justied.
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While many may agree with these ideals in theory, Obama makes them the platform from which his policies will develop. George Lakoff, professor of cognitive science and linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley, writes of Obamas moral imperative. Lakoff frames it around what he calls the Obama code, how Obama communicates his moral vision. Lakoff writes, Like other self-aware and highly articulate speakers, he connects with his audience using what cognitive scientists call the cognitive unconscious. Speaking naturally, he lets his deepest ideas simply structure what he is saying. If you follow him, the deep ideas are communicated unconsciously and automatically. The Code is his most effective way to bring the country together around fundamental American values. The Lakoff article, titled The Seven Intellectual Underpinnings of the Obama Code, is an important read that helps shed light on the presidents moral grounding.20 To sum up Obamas human side we first would say that he is a sound and polished professional who also leads through true emotional connection. Added to that one-two punch is someone who leads by example and owns up to his own mistakes. Lastly, Obamas human side is punctuated by morality, making him someone we should be able to count on to do the right thing. In many ways we see in Obama quintessential human qualities that when melded with his core leadership skills equate to fundamental greatness. As such Obama represents a significant step change from usual high-level authorities, those whose qualities equate more with power. Power as an aspect of leadership is far more impactful in the long run than power as leadership in and of itself.
Making History
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer. Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference. Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabledAmericans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America. Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day. Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.21
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Those infamous words were spoken by the first African American president of the United States in Chicago, Illinois, on November 4, 2008. Obama, rising up against all odds to win the 2008 presidential election, is the crowning glory on his leadership allure. Obamas election marked a dramatic step change in our civil rights movement, sparking moving commentary from a man who had until that moment held the highest-ranking position in the United States for an African American. Colin Powell was the first African American member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the first African American Secretary of State, to name two of his distinguished accomplishments. General Powell had this to say on a CNN televised interview: It hit me hard. I was expecting it, I supported him, but it was still an electric shock. I was sitting in my chair, my kids were crying and I thought, we did it. What a great country America is.22 In his interview General Powell recounted memories of the army as a place where he was treated as an equal and thereby able to excel. He recalled his commanders telling him that they didnt care about his background or race, they cared only that he did what was expected of him and did it well. Think of the civil rights milestones Powell saw in his lifetime. Just forty-some years ago James Meredith, Powells contemporary, was the first African American student to attend the University of Mississippi. Merediths admission was far from routine; in fact it was a monumental civil rights event. Meredith was denied admission twice, and on October 1, 1962, he was barred from entering Ole Miss. Riots ensued, and President John F. Kennedy sent in federal troops and U.S. Marshals to restore order. The violence resulted in two people dead, forty-eight soldiers injured, and twenty-eight U.S. Marshals wounded by gunfire. Meredith went on to complete his education, graduating in 1963 with a degree in political science.23 There have been countless Meredith-like instances in our lifetime stories of inequality, based on race, gender, lifestyle, that have scarred our lives. The election of Barack Hussein Obama, an African American with an unusual name, gave healing impetus to the ongoing fight for equality. It is a magnificent accomplishment and, as such, a moving element of Obamas remarkable appeal. Obama commented, My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or blessed, believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success.24 History was made as an important milestone barrier in human existence was broken.
The Phenomenon Recapped

There are seven distinct aspects of Obamas appeal, and now, early into his presidency, he is holding onto and in fact growing that allure:
The Obama Phenomenon An unassuming beginningObama came to us with a quiet strength. He was measured in his words, polite and unassuming in demeanor, and, above all, thoughtful in his approach. It was this initial unobtrusive persona that allowed those around him to speak and him to listen. He took note and began a lengthy discovery process of the complex issues his nation was facing. The nature of his intelligenceObamas eagerness to consider new possibilities expands his intellectual potential tenfold. He possesses a genuine appreciation for diversity. He not only sees things from dierent perspectives but has an uncanny ability to appreciate the unusual. Actions we can supportObama intellectually comes to understand situations from all angles. He weighs his options and quickly translates those options into measured steps that attack an issue from multiple sides. His passion and positive attitudeThe passion and attitude Obama conveys unleash a resolve and condence born from fundamental beliefs in the power of the human spirit. His formidabilityObama demonstrated early on in his presidency that he was formidable. He showed that if we were to move from where we were to where we wanted to go, certain actions could no longer be tolerated. Better still, Obamas brand of limit setting is productive, referred to as constructive intolerance. His human qualitiesObamas human side juxtaposes sound and polished professionalism with true emotional connection, a powerful one-two punch. Added to that one-two punch is someone we can count on who is grounded in whats right, leading by example, and who accepts and admits to his own mistakes. He made historyThe election of Barack Hussein Obama, an African American with an unusual name, gave great impetus to our ongoing global ght for equality. It is a magnicent accomplishment and as such a moving element of Obamas remarkable appeal.
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How then did Obama become who he is today? What is attributable to his makeup and what to his experiences? Why is Obama able to leverage his brain differently than perhaps the typical leader, to act beyond behavioral preferences with such facility? These are the questions to be answered next.
Chapter 2
The Nature / Nurture of Leadership
As it was, I learned to slip back and forth between my black and white worlds, understanding that each possessed its own language and customs and structures of meaning, convinced that with a bit of translation on my part the two worlds would eventually cohere. Barack Obama1
A Life Juxtaposed
In understanding how Barack Obama became the leader he is today there is much to sort through, beginning with the complexities of his background. As the preceding quote reflects, he was from two worlds. Yet as far apart as those worlds were, there was also much in his lineage that was shared. In exploring the interplay of his heredity, what is referred to as nature, with his life experiences, what is referred to as nurture, the disparities and constants will be revealed. Obamas biracial background was his most defining contrast, yet there were many others. In fact, his was a life juxtaposed, one of kindred links and vast distinctions. Certain stabilities were ever present while contradictions were posed to him at nearly every life juncture. This very milieu, one requiring continuous reconciliation of what remained constant in his life with that which diverged, appears to have been a rich breeding ground for his unique leadership traits. In terms of the consistencies in Obamas life, the most pronounced is the fixed and central role his mother and her parents played. Distinctions and incongruities, on the other hand, came from the more striking multifarious life circumstances surrounding his familial path. His mother was a white woman born in the Midwest. She was an only child from a middle-class home. Obamas father was a black man from a prominent Kenyan family. The two met, fell in love, and married while both were students at the University of Hawaii. Each parent was notable in ability
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and perspective. Barack grew up exposed to the nuances of culture from this very beginning. He was exposed further to diversity growing up in Hawaii amid mixed ethnic and social groups and living for four years as a young boy in Indonesia with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. Obama attended public, private, and international schools and was for a time homeschooled by his mother as a supplement to his Indonesian education. He attended college in California, New York, and Boston, each locale and experience distinct. Throughout Obama s life he had only brief contact with his father and little connection to his fathers family. Following his fathers death he journeyed to Kenya hoping to settle his heritage. His career was an outgrowth of his own existence, reaching across communities, peoples, and political parties with the aim of building unity. His life with wife, Michelle, and daughters, Sasha and Malia, is punctuated by the traditional family stability he himself had not experienced. He was exposed to varied faiths and religions and came ultimately to his own spiritual choice. As Obamas life evolved he was faced with the isolation and inhumanity of racism along with the embrace and adoration of millions.2 Looking back over Barack Obamas composite existence, five categories of influence are considered. They are as follows:
What he inherited from and experienced through his parents The inuences of his maternal grandparents The impact of his stepfather and experiences in Indonesia Education, career, and faith Life with wife Michelle and their children
The distinct configuration of these impacts allowed Obama to in fact coalesce a potent result. While some individuals may have been lost in the complexities of such an uncharacteristic life, Obama had extraordinary inspirations to provide guidance and to feed his compelling potentials. Understanding both who Obama is and how he came to be engenders reverence for his uncommon brand of leadership. To begin, basic background information may prove helpful. How do genetics and our environment work in consort to determine behavioral outcomes?
The Luck of the Draw

The precise formula for how much of our makeup is attributable to genetics versus the environment remains under debate. Theorists can agree, though, for example, that our intelligence is to a great extent the result of our genes. The extent to which our environment can impact our intellectual propensity is part of the larger deliberation. In Obama s case, strong suits in what he inherited (intelligence-wise) and how his mind was encouraged make for nature/nurture conclusions to be more readily drawn.
The Nature/Nurture of Leadership
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With respect to our genetic inheritance we each possess a still undetermined number of genes. Estimates range as low as 20,000 and as high as 100,000. With each step closer to understanding our full genome, the estimate adjusts up or down. The sheer variation in numeric guesswork points out the complexities of it all. Our genetic makeup is part of an intricate code to our traits. Our genes are carried on chromosomes in pairs, one pair part from one parent and one pair part from the other, but the random nature of splitting that occurs during conception nets infinite trait possibilities. Some traits are dominant and some recessive, making it more or less likely that a trait will be passed on. Moments before actual conception, genetic configurations shuffle again in a dancelike process called crossing over. Crossing over makes it virtually impossible for any two individuals, with the exception of identical twins, to be genetically the same. This is why siblings possess as many disparities as they do likenesses. Our genotype is our actual genetic composition, while our phenotype represents our observable characteristics. We could carry a trait that is unexpressed in us per se, but remains a part of our makeup and therefore passes along to future generations. As a result Obama may share certain traits with his parents and some perhaps with his grandparents. As he is an only child but has several half-siblings, he will share fewer traits with them. Still, in all, his genetic code represents a one-ofa-kind constellation, the luck of the draw. A Sociocultural Context Ones makeup can be further configured based on the nature of traits themselves. Certain characteristics are influenced by a single gene pair. Such is the case for many physical traits eye and hair color, for example, and for certain illnesses as well. Behaviors and abilities are not as straightforward. They are the result of multiple gene pairs and multifactorial traits, those influenced by both genes and the environment. Intelligence is one such trait. Intelligence is first of all multifaceted. Varied abilities make up ones intelligence quotient (IQ); therefore, it is actually a collection of traits with multiple genes involved in its formulation. Intelligence is thought to be at least to some extent influenced by ones environment. Opportunities afforded us along with the values and expectations of key figures can impact academic performance.3 Which factors may have contributed to Obama s brain power, and what is the nature of his varied mental abilities? These are two interesting queries to probe. Ethology, the study of behavior in the context of environment, examines interweaving aspects of ones biological, functional, and cultural heritage. An ethological perspective is important when examining Obamas development. Ethology takes into account all aspects of ones life while also striving to find not so much how we are different from one another, but that which is common across cultures as a result
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of our overarching biological heritage.4 Ethology provides an interesting perspective when examining someone with Obama s diverse roots and encounters. The ethological perspective would factor into his genetic inheritance the adjustments he had to make in the context of a cross-cultural existence. It would acknowledge the struggles of a biracial existence. Most importantly, ethology would zero in on commonality across Obamas human experience. Such a theoretical view could help explain the ultimate professional vision Obama came to both for his country and for the world. Obama s outlook, that from unity we find salvation, reflects an ethological inclination. Through his personal life path he had come to know the shared aims of people. Someone with a more homogenous existence would have had less opportunity to develop such insights as intimately as he. In the following words spoken repeatedly during his campaign for the presidency, Obama makes the case for that which we all share:
We have a stake in one another . . . what binds us together is greater than what drives us apart, and . . . if enough people believe in the truth of that proposition and act on it, then we might not solve every problem, but we can get something meaningful done for the people with whom we share this Earth . . . There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America; there s the United States of America.5
Ethology looks also at certain times, called sensitive periods, when the environment has greater impact on our learning than at other times. Learning language is one such example. It is easier for a child to learn language at certain times, perhaps coinciding with specific aspects of physical maturation, for example, the development of muscles in the larynx enables greater ease in the formation of uttered sounds. Many social behaviors are also considered to be influenced by sensitive periods.6 It will be interesting to investigate which of Obamas behaviors may have been impacted by such sensitive periods.
Nature / Nurture Simplied How then does the nature/nurture equation boil down to straightforward terms? As a child I spent summers at a beach community with many arcades and boardwalk entertainment venues nearby. One arcade game stands out as an applicable analogy. Using this game will more simply illustrates how nature /nurture dynamics occur. This example is presented as a visualization exercise ( good too for brain development), so be patient and play along. Picture a large square machine with glass windows at eye level on all four sides. Through the windows you are staring with fascination at three tiered steps piled with coins quarters, to be exact. The steps move back and forth independently, pushing the coins closer and closer to an edge. As coins pass over the edge they fall into a collection bucket as a player s winnings.
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To play the game you insert quarters one at a time. The quarters fall randomly onto one of the steps. As your coins are added in, the configuration shifts and you stand a chance of winning some money. To increase the likelihood of a win, intermittent exaggerated movements are programmed in, changing the configuration further, moving coins closer still to the promised land. Eventually quarters do fall over the edge, and your prize is realized. Think of one of these machines brand new, stocked with quarters, as representative of your genetic makeup. The coins this machine came equipped with are in essence your single-gene expressed traits and multiple gene propensities. Some quarters are bright and shiny ( representing positive traits) while others are dull or marred (representing negative traits). Think of the movement of the steps as your normal maturational process, your development unfolding from birth through adulthood. Each time you play (adding in coins) it represents a life experience and/or a key influence (some good, some bad). Accelerated jolts symbolize sensitive periods opportune life moments. Quarters that fall over the edge become the manifestation of your behaviors and abilities. As play goes on and more coins drop, they represent your behaviors and abilities evolving in the context of culture and the environment. Exceptional behavioral qualities, such as what we see from Obama s brand of leadership, come from precise and improbable combinations of strong innate markers/good genes (vast numbers of bright and shiny coins lined up close to the edge) along with frequent and diverse prompting from the environment (continuous plays combined with frequent accelerated jolts). Obamas life was such that his innate robust markers were complemented by key influences, experiences, and moments.
Inuences, Experiences, and Moments

We come now to Obama s five key influences his parents; his maternal grandparents; his stepfather and time in Indonesia; his education, career, and faith; and finally, Obamas life with wife, Michelle, and their children. Each will be examined as related to an ultimate leadership impact whether from individuals, circumstances, or timing. We begin first with Obamas key orchestrator, his mother. (Stanley) Ann Dunham
In my daughters I see her every day, her joy, her capacity for wonder. I wont try to describe how deeply I mourn her passing still. I know that she was the kindest, most generous spirit I have ever known, and that what is best in me I owe to her. Barack Obama 7
Barack and his mother shared an enduring bond born from love, shared qualities, and no doubt the challenge one faces growing up with an unusual name. Obamas mother was named after her father, Stanley. Her middle name was Ann, as most everyone came to call her. Stanley Senior was apparently expecting a boy.
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Stanley Anns challenge was compounded by the number of times she and her family moved, requiring introductions to a new group of snickering peers each time. She lived twice each in Kansas and Washington and in California, Oklahoma, Texas, and Hawaii. Anns name was far from her only distinction. She was seen by her peers as a forward thinker well beyond her years and time. Her intellect, compassion, and quest for justice set her apart. Hers were not the usual teenage preoccupations. Anns interests were less about her immediate social sphere and more about the issues facing humanity. Her perspective and concerns would ultimately take her to a life that transcended typical borders. Not surprising that such a woman gave rise to a son whose vision was to change the world. She studied at the University of Hawaii and earned a PhD in anthropology. Son Barack was born during the early part of her education, after her marriage to Barack Obama Senior. Years later, following a divorce from Baracks father, Ann and then six-year-old Barack moved to Indonesia, where she remarried and had a second child, Maya. Though her second marriage ended in divorce as well, her career remained centered in Asia. She worked in the field of rural development supporting human rights and the rights of women.8 Of his mother, Obama relays that she taught him the following values:
Honesty plainly and simply, do not lie. Fairness what is good for one is good for all. Straight talk be direct, say what you mean. Independent judgment be your own person, form your own impressions.9
In addition to her basic values, Obamas mother possessed a quiet strength, marked compassion, and interminable resolve. While Ann was gentle at heart and viewed the world through an open lens, she was also forthright in her convictions. Her colleagues and influences transcended race, class, and perspective. She was both intellectually disposed and learning driven. She worked hard to pass her academic ethic on to her son, even tutoring him for a time while they lived in Indonesia. Obama describes being awakened by his mother every morning at 4:00 a.m. for his lessons. In his autobiography, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Obama references his mother s unwavering determination and rebut to her sons objections as she worked with him tirelessly day in and day out to enhance his Indonesian education. He recalls that she was tenacious in her approach, unfazed by the resistance of an opposed youngster. She provided disciplined instruction, relaying a potent and charming defense: This is no picnic for me either, buster.10 Anns tact was notably effective, as we often heard Obama reference the moment along with his mother s direct quote in public addresses on the campaign trail. She seemingly impressed her son with her passion and her perseverance, not to mention her love and commitment.
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In his second book, The Audacity of Hope, Obama speaks more of the cherished role his mother played in who he had become. He spoke of her unending compassion and thoughtfulness for others, almost to a fault. Obama described her valuescentric approach to life, her basic commitment to understand the plight of others, her benevolence, honesty, and integrity. He relayed how committed and determined she was to meet her goals and how passionately she approached her causes. Obamas appreciation of the unusual no doubt was born from his mothers wonderment. She was both full of life and fascinated with its intricacies.11 When reading Obamas recollections of his mother one can t help but feel her as an inspiring presence. It would be difficult to not be stirred by such a person. From his mother s intellect, magnanimous spirit, and unfaltering love would spring crucial aspects of Obamas character, worldview, and transformational perspective. From mother Ann, Obama would receive the necessary orientation to iteratively face and come to terms with the inconsistencies of his being. As a result of her maternal brandthat of a tender soul mate, a protector, a teacher, and a champion both of him and for the worlds injustices, Obama grew from a solid foundation and could ultimately chart a meaningful course. His mother maintained amicable relationships with both former husbands. She sought to instill in her children enduring, positive impressions of their fathers. In doing so she paved the way for son Barack to assimilate that which his father and stepfather could offer and pass on, traits and perspectives that from a missing father or his stand-in are more typically thwarted. From Stanley Ann s acceptance and tolerance her son s own empathic lens was roused, opening many doors, the first of which was to his fathers world.
Barack Senior Barack Senior was described as a mischievous child and confident adult. He was the son of a tribal elder and prominent farmer, a man noted for being clear in his beliefs and able to hold true to them. Barack Senior s mother left her husband and children, so he himself was abandoned and raised by his stepmother. Barack Senior was a capable student chosen by his countrys government to study in the United States. At the University of Hawaii he was their first African student. A leader at heart, he was the first president of the International Students Association. He graduated in three years at the top of his class and was inducted into the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa society. He was later accepted with scholarships to both Harvard University and New Yorks New School. He left his wife and two-year-old son Barack in Hawaii to attend Harvard, where he earned a PhD. He returned to Kenya following his studies to support his country s development. He and Baracks mother were by then divorced but maintained a friendship and bond.12
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A defining account of his fathers demeanor was relayed in Obamas autobiography. Obama detailed a story about his fathers handling of racist comments at a local Waikiki bar. This was a tale told to Obama by his grandparents and coincidentally confirmed by another source later on. As such, Obama came to believe the account was accurate. The instance took place one evening when Barack Senior joined his father-in-law and some friends for a quiet social respite. While most patrons were enjoying themselves, one man blurted out his disgust with having to share his evening with a black man. This mans exact words were far cruder than my rendering. To everyone s surprise, Barack Senior quietly and politely approached the man in question and attempted to preach to him about the evils of his thinking and of what good can come when we respect one another.13 From this portrayal we picture a man who influences through knowledge, one able to express himself well in the moment. Barack Senior used this encounter to positively sway rather than to avenge. Over time, this story would repeat in memory and meaning for his son, perhaps helping to shape a context and propensity for how discourse could be addressed. It was an interesting illustration if nothing else for how to keep your cool and take a leadership high road. When Obama was ten years old his father came to Hawaii for a brief stay. During that visit a particular event stood out in Obamas recount, this time not a story he heard but an event Obama himself witnessed. Told also in his memoirs, Obama described that his teacher, knowing his father was in the area, requested that he come and speak at his class about life in Kenya. Obama was then attending prep school Punahou Academy. His adjustment to the school had been difficult amid social, class, and race distinctions, not to mention his classmates reactions to his unfamiliar name. Anticipating his fathers appearance caused great angst for the young Obama, fearing it would worsen the existing divide with his peers. Instead, however, the event proved to be surprisingly interventional. Obama referenced how his father seemed able to quickly captivate his classmates through his presence, words, and gestures, with talk of lions, tribes, and the like, the students imaginations were roused. Their sense of wonder was heightened. Barack Senior was able to draw in his listeners, to teach them of Kenyan culture and African landscapes and to interest them in the plight of his people. Obama described further how his father ended with a unifying perspective, speaking directly and, one can assume, passionately about what all people have in common.14 Interesting facts appeared to be carefully interwoven with dramatic appeal, sincerity, and analogous logic. We can envision a speaker of impressive wisdom, confidence, and fervor, yet someone also gentle in spirit. Through his fathers fluidly expressed perspectives, commanding presence, and positive ease, a power was perhaps sparked in his son. The eloquence and magnetism we see in Obama today may in fact emanate from distinct paternal traits kindled in this sensitive moment. The origin of Obamas own inner spokesperson was being fashioned. Obama and his father would have only occasional written contact in the years to come. Yet, through the additional recollections of his
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mother and grandparents Barack Seniors favorable attributes would continue to be reinforced. What else was known was that Barack Senior worked as an economist, eventually becoming senior economist in the Kenyan Ministry of Finance. He published various papers, some of which were controversial and as such hampered his career. He married three times, first to a Kenyan woman, then to Obama s mother, and then to an American he met while attending Harvard. He had eight children, and son Barack Obama was his only namesake. Barack Seniors tragic 1982 death followed a series of misfortunes in his later life.15 Upon hearing of his fathers death Obama made plans to journey to Kenya. In a chronicle from that time Obama describes an urgency he felt to unify the pieces of his life, to complete his own story by once and for all confronting both the void of his fathers neglect and the nature of Obamas own ultimate ties. He points to a need to face his circumstance and to find closure, a defining moment with respect to ones personal honesty, nerve, and insight.16 From a leadership perspective it speaks to Obamas ability to confront and to reconcile trying circumstances. More poignantly, moving through such a chasm and emerging resolved, better able to press on, speaks to leadership courage. Obamas father, it seems, was a brilliant man. He could be poised, articulate, and charismatic. He was likely a serious student and a man of convictions. We can see many of these positives in his son. His merits, though, existed within the confines of perhaps a restless discontent, not the least of which is evident in the abandonment of his son. Barack Seniors ultimate personal and professional success was compromised, his namesake left to contend with a fathers convoluted legacy. President Obamas handling of this most personal struggle is a testament to his resolve and an indicator perhaps of his present-day ability to constructively and ably manage those who cross the line. Gramps and Toot Obamas maternal grandparents, whom he called Gramps and Toot, were constant, loving figures in his life. Stanley and Madeline Dunham appeared to be completely committed to their grandson. Obamas grandfather had a gregarious nature, while his grandmothers cornerstones were steadfastness and good old-fashioned common sense. His grandfather was a salesman, and his grandmother painstakingly worked her way up from secretary to first woman vice president of a local bank. One was adventurous, the other tried and true. They raised Obama for a time while his mother and half sister remained in Indonesia. His grandparents lives reflected in so many ways what is good and basic about Americans. They were hardworking, placed family first, respected those around them, led decent lives, and tried to set a good example for their daughter and grandchildren. Theirs became the story of rather typical parents whose only child embarked on an atypical life. As basic as they were in most respects, they each possessed certain
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distinctions. Obamas grandfather wrote poetry and had a great sense of wonder. His grandmother hailed that small part of her own Native American heritage, Cherokee to be exact, that her family rebuffed. Their collective nuances took hold in their daughter, giving way to Anns defining characteristics. Theirs was a fascinating testament to both the intricacies of genetics and the power of close familial relationships. It was Anns parents support of who she was and the life she chose that would act as a safety net of sorts for both her and her son. As Obama walked the tightrope of his own reconciliatory process, Gramps and Toot seemed there to catch him if he fell. Obamas grandparents also told stories that inadvertently provided answers to many of his unasked questions. This in and of itself must have been of great comfort. Questions like, Who was my father, what was he like, why did he and Mom get married? may have filled a young Obamas mind, and through casual conversations with Gramps and Toot, certain of lifes confusions were clarified. Their unobtrusive company over the course of Obamas childhood may have braced periods of inner void. They were a gentle push when he was apprehensive and a buffer against his overwhelming existential truths.17 Special Man / Special Place Obama lived for several years with his mother and Indonesian stepfather, Lolo Soetoro. Indonesia itself, a faraway place, was an extraordinary playground for a young boy. Young Barack (or Barry, as he was called) had his mother by his side to brace the experience. He also had his stepfather, Lolo, as interpreter and guide. Lolo was the youngest of ten children. He met Baracks mother while studying for his masters degree at the University of Hawaii. He was described by Obama as a caring and committed presence. For several years, when Barack was about age six to age ten, Lolo taught his stepson how to pragmatically navigate life with an extraordinary cultural context as backdrop. In comparison to Obamas U.S. existence, Indonesia was raw, unfiltered, primal, and even treacherous. Lolo himself had a traumatic past. His father and brother were killed during the Indonesian national revolution, their family home was destroyed, and his mother was left to flee with her nine remaining children. From this origin, Lolo had firsthand experience with the stark realities of life. While Obama lived with his mother and Lolo in Indonesia he himself witnessed certain forms of harshness and experienced unusual customs, rituals, and habits. He saw immense poverty and deprivation. Perhaps the fact that Obama was so young afforded him a more palpable view of the experience. He could take in much of Indonesias strife, sheltered somewhat from the scrutiny someone older would possess.18 Of equal bearing, though, was Obamas mothers complementary support. What his mother had to offer in terms of nurturing and hope for how the world could be was coupled with Lolos insistence on how in fact it was. Obamas time with Lolo and his mother in Indonesia may also have been important in another respect. It
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afforded Obama his only approximation to traditional family life as he lived with a mother and father and, for a time, with his new baby half sister, Maya. Obama returned to Hawaii around his tenth birthday, his mother wanting him to have the benefit of continued U.S. education. He took with him a responsible and respectable father figures perspective of the importance of inner strength. In Lolos words, If you cant be strong, be clever and make peace with someone who is strong. But always better to be strong yourself. Always.19 On Education From his initial educational experiences in Indonesia to his postgraduate schooling at Harvard, each learning chapter chronicled Obamas development as a student, a leader, and a man. Obama is in fact a student of life. Knowledge forced the difficult questions and provided the critical answers. A most striking account of his educational process is shown in how he first came to understand racism. He had been living in Indonesia for three years when the epiphany occurred. Obama describes that he and his mother were at her place of work and he was left to occupy himself in the library. He stumbled onto a Life magazine and was looking at the photographs. Interested by one photo in particular, he began reading what he thought would be an article about a man who was gravely ill. Obama contemplated the various maladies the man may have had. He was shocked to discover that the man was black and had undergone botched skin treatments to make himself appear white! The thought of such a process, or, more to the point, such a need, shook Obamas world. Certainly the picture of blacks and whites depicted by his family did not match up with this horrifying fact. Though he kept his fears to himself he described the experience as forever changing his perspective. While he respected his mothers worldview, how she saw people, he couldnt help wondering why that position now seemed so incomplete.20 From this harsh reality Obama was forced to think about learning in a different light, how perhaps you need to be empowered in your own learning process. Confronted with a startling reality, he would come to realize the limitations of his current knowledge base. He found out the hard way that facts could be skewed, even by those with the best of intentions. Obamas then kindled critical thinking would prove to be his hardwired approach to lifes complexities. While his mothers embracing perspective could set foundational knowledge, it would be up to him to ensure that the subject matter was both fully exposed and amply dissected. And while his mothers perspective may have been subjective, her support, along with Lolos shoring of Obamas fortitude, perhaps readied Obama for lifes later challenges. Obamas initial discovery of prejudice may have shaken him in the moment, but the significant forces looking out for him ensured a foundation solid enough to withstand the inner quake. Responding favorably when seemingly prompted or pushed is what learning theorists refer to as readiness. Readiness is about the circumstances under which
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someone is able to take in knowledge. More specifically, Obama was at a critical maturational point when he discovered the provocative Life magazine article, that which learning theorist Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky referred to as a Zone of Proximal Development. Vygotsky believed that under the right circumstances learning can hasten development, nudging one toward further knowledge when the matter under consideration is aimed just beyond ones current scope.21 Though it may not have felt like it at the time, Obama was primed to handle this realization. More importantly, it would become the basis for his evolution into the consummate thinker he is today. Obamas rich educational experiences in all included foreign, homeschooled, and private settings for elementary and secondary school and competitive colleges and universities. His preparatory experience at Punahou Academy would serve not only to enrich his mind but also to bring his social and racial challenges to the forefront. One of only a few other black students, he found his time there painfully crystallizing. Obama reports a period later on at Punahou Academy when he withdrew socially. Though his mother and perhaps by Obama himself saw it as a low point, it may actually have been a time of healthy detachment and reflection as he continued sorting through the maze of his existence. Perhaps this moment was the beginning of his reflective nature, a leadership cornerstone of his today.22 Obamas undergraduate years would mark two notable leadership milestones. He would connect directly with a passion for public speaking, and he would frame his professional positioning, how he would make his life contribution. His fathers influence, that of a captivating speaker, would come to bear in Obamas finding his own voice, while his mothers humanitarian plight would contribute to Obamas newfound direction. Upon entering Occidental College in Los Angeles, California, Obama had his first foray into public speaking. He was participating in a student rally and found himself front and center, speaking before a crowd for the first time. Perhaps at his disposal was the memory of his fathers address to Obamas classmates long ago at Punahou. Obama himself now readily engaged his audience just as his father once did. Through the words chosen, the passion in his voice, and the emotional connection to his fellow students, Obama unleashed his own brand of expressive facility, the first of many defining speaking engagements to follow. A young persons college existence is a time for sorting a direction. When you are on your own for the first time, academic and social experiences fuel personal and professional growth. Obama would draw from the potent combination of past influences and present opportunities to begin to shape his future. Until then he had felt constrained but was slowly evolving to see possibilities before him. Obama relays this key moment as an awakening, confirmed while listening to an admired blues artists recording. Previously, when listening to the singer, he had heard despair and vulnerability in her voice. Now he heard an inner strength. He heard promise. His exact reference was this: Her voice sounded different to me now. Beneath the layers of hurt, beneath the ragged laughter, I heard a willingness to endure. Endureand make music that wasnt there before.23
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For Obama, it was time to rise above his immediate scope and shed past lament. Instead, he would consider an outlook more future focused, born of prospects and fortitude. The varying brands of determination, learned first from his mother and reinforced from each key familial influence, in their own unique way would pave a fresh path forward. He had come from a long line of individuals steeped in convictions. Now was his time to leverage those forces into his own personal brand. A Career Path Obamas work as a community organizer would eventually follow. In community organizing he would choose, as did his mother, a grassroots direction. Obama opted to work in a setting where he could have direct impact on the people themselves, to live where they lived and, through that connection, impact their lives. Community organizing is far from a glamorous line of work. It doesnt pay particularly well. It carries with it little if any direct hierarchical authority, yet it is actually a substantive vehicle for developing and exercising broad-based leadership skills. Community organizing is atypically challenging in the intricacies of how one actually makes an impact, beginning with its resource constraints. To get anything accomplished you must be able to leverage marked networking and consensusbuilding skill. You must be able to inspire and engage, to fit in and to redirect. It is work that in many respects requires you to act from a wider leadership platform than if you had positional authority. As a community organizer Obama had to influence without rank, relying instead on multiple forms of interpersonal and functional impact. He had to become a role model, someone others trusted and would aspire to be like. He had to demonstrate an understanding of the peoples circumstances and provide knowledge in a way that was accepted. He had to work with little to no infrastructure and deliver results in spite of those limitations in order to establish basic credibility. It was through the role of community organizer that Obama would begin to, in effect, coalesce his primed right- and left-brain abilities into leadership strong suits. Through this work, Obama was able to explore the bounds of his purpose and test his ability to inspire and make an impact. Obama would drive change in ingrained systems and mindsets and leverage the expanse of his knowledge base into plausible solutions. Obama began his work as a community organizer in Chicago, and after a time, deciding he wanted additional education, he left to attend Harvard Law School. Many he worked with in Chicago thought he wouldnt return, but he completed his degree, and with limitless opportunities to choose from he came back to Chicago to continue the work he had begun there.24 On Faith Going back for a moment to the period just before Obama was to enter Harvard, another developmental milestone would occur. That event was Obamas formal
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engagement in a religious faith. As part of his community organizing work, he was reaching out to local churches. In his life history Obama describes one Sunday morning when he attended a particular church service. As the service unfolded he found himself touched in a deeply personal way by the experience. He relays that through the preachers poignant message and the congregations moving embrace, Obama found what he realized to be a missing element of his life. He had been raised to understand and appreciate all religions but not to subscribe to any one set of formal beliefs. He referred to his mother as one of the most spiritual people he knew, though she herself did not experience her spirituality through formal religion. Instead, she in essence practiced her faith through her values. Obama came to understand that unlike his mother, he sought a communal connection, an affiliation. So on that Sunday and in a specific church Obama embraced his faith. Within a formal religious tradition he would find kinship. Obama was soon after baptized into the Christian religion. He was a part of a community and he would in fact belong.25 Michelle Robinson Obama was coming into his own. He seemed clear in his desire to be connected, in work, in faith, and now in his personal life. Not surprising that within the same time frame he fell in love with Michelle Robinson. Obama met Michelle the summer after his first year of law school while interning at the Chicago firm Michelle worked for. She represented everything he had come to cherish and appreciate. He has described the First Lady as the love of his life, as possessing deep beauty through and through. Obama revels at her appeal, how everyone seems to take to his wife so readily. He respects her as an intellectual partner, as a wife and mother, and as an accomplished individual.26 Early in her tenure as First Lady, Michelle Obama demonstrated her character depth and broad appeal. Newscasters have commented on First Lady Michelle as collectively possessing traits of several former White House matriarchs. She has been said to have the allure of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, the compassion of Rosalynn Carter, the candor of Betty Ford, and the work /life ethic of Hillary Clinton. These likenesses indicate that Michelle Obama in fact epitomizes a modern-day feminine force. She is comfortable in her beauty, her soft side, and equally at ease as an accomplished professional. Above all, one sees in the First Lady integrity, a honed internal compass, and a genuine sense of commitment to all that she does. The definitive grounding we see in Michelle Robinson Obama emanates from her family. She frequently references the impact her family life had on her. She grew up in a traditional household, her parents committed to their marriage and children. The Robinson family lived a decent, humble life, endured tough times, and through it all stayed true to each other.27 It is thought that you can judge the self-worth of an individual from the stability of the partner they commit to. From that perspective Obamas esteem seems in a
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very good place. Barack and Michelle Obama joined to build a family of their own. With daughters Sasha and Malia they would carve out their future together, and Barack Obamas life would be complete.
Heritage Recapped
Obama has had a less than ordinary life journey. His ancestry and exposures are remarkably atypical as each significant influence presented a conundrum. Obamas mother and he had an unbreakable bond, yet she herself was a free spirit. Stepfather Lolo Soetoro took on the role of a typically committed stepdad but did so in the context of his distinct culture. Obamas maternal grandparents were rock solid in how they cared for their grandson. While they led an average life, they themselves possessed certain distinctions. Obamas father may have made a significant impression through relayed family stories and on his lone visit; however, Barack Seniors lifelong absence left his son to reconcile a primal loss. All in all, Obama was stretched developmentally, but by virtue of the continuous and devoted supports he could draw from, his ultimate inner strength was brought to life and his integrated rightand left-brain style thrived. In addition to Obamas primary influences there is also the timing of events to consider. Experiences came into play through sensitive periods and readiness. Living in Indonesia with a loving family as a very young boy afforded him unique exposures through a palpable lens. Learning as he did about racism and from the context of his mothers life perspectives set the tone for how he would become empowered in his own learning. As a young college student he drew from his father s past image as he took his first foray into public speaking. His mothers humanitarianism would move him to a world of potential contribution. Obamas work in community organizing helped not only to bring out his influencing skills, but also to affirm his plight. Obama embraced faith at a propitious moment. All in all, a chronology unfolded that led him to where he is today. His marriage to Michelle and his resulting fatherhood was his personal affirmation. His push to the presidency validated his professional reach as Obama became the next of history s groundbreaking leaders. Overall, Obamas childhood, schooling, professional life, and eventual spiritual and family connections moved him through his self-discovery. Added to what were exceptional hardwired traits, he progressively built a leadership base from which to test and hone his values, behaviors, and abilities. Grounded in learning, driven through work, and comforted by faith and family, he was able to firmly establish his identity and sort an ultimate life direction. Everything he came from and all he came to know pointed to the promise of renowned contribution. This is where he would seat himself, in contributing substantively and in legendary fashion. What follows shows how Obamas unusual life collage enables his brain to work precisely as it was intended to.
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Leadership and the Brain

There is much to understanding the human brain, but what do we need to know about how the brain functions and develops that is specific to leadership, or, more to the point, particular to leadership Obama-style? For simplicity, the information on the brain is broken down into ten basic facts. The following executive summary relays that knowledge: what leaders need to know about how our brain functions; the brains tie-ins to leadership; and, most importantly, the connection of each of these ten points to how our exemplar came to be.
TEN-POINT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. InterrelationshipsWhile our brain is organized into specic structures, each with areas of primary responsibility, our behavior is the result of a complex interplay among those constructs. Our brains structure and function stresses interrelationships.28 Obamas life was one of interrelationships. Hemispheres of our mindThe brain is divided into two hemispheres: the left and the right. Each brain hemisphere controls specialized preferences in thinking and behaving. A network of bers connects one hemisphere to the other, allowing for an interplay between both sides of the brain. While certain preferences are rooted in one hemisphere or the other, full brain engagement comes through a cross-pollination of right- and left-brain perspectives rather than through the cultivation of polarized camps.29 Obamas is a perspective of unity and commonality. He is open to disparate viewpoints and seeks ultimately to leverage diversity by bringing camps together to fully integrate thoughts. Left brain The left hemisphere or left brain is our grounded tactician, able to plan, reason, and execute in the moment. The left brain controls sequential and linear thought. It is where our verbal and analytical abilities come from. It helps us see things as they are. It is ordered, quantitative, logical, realistic, and practical. The left brain reasons from part to whole and communicates in names and labels. It is concerned with facts, discrete parts, verbal expression, careful scrutiny, and closure.30 Obama is adept at left-brain logic, expression, order, and analysis. He is very much attuned to the realities of the present. Right brain The right hemisphere or right brain is our strategist, innovator, and visionary. It controls intuitive and emotional thought. The right hemisphere is imaginative, nonverbal, and holistic. It reasons from whole to parts, is reective, and thinks of the world as it could be. The right brain is concerned with future possibilities, with creativity, with change, and with our interpersonal connections.31 Obama leads from right-brain vision, from a transformational perspective and from interpersonal connections. MultidominanceWe have the ability to develop strengths in both left- and right-brain characteristics, to become multidominant. Multidominance grows out of continuous exposure to right- and left-brain interplay through diversity in experiences and actions.32 The diversity in Obama,
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hardwired and gained through distinct inuences, experiences, and moments, lends to his extraordinary multidominant facilities. Alter-brain behaviors Leaders can develop their multidominance by engaging in alter-brain (diverse) behaviors and experiences. An alterbrain behavior or experience is one that stretches your brains existing reach. More specically, an alter-brain behavior is dened as a style shift resulting in a new action that, when accessed, can give either greater depth to a preferred style or complementary breadth to your overall approach.33 Obama has been engaged in a continuous alter-brain workout throughout the course of his life, sometimes encouraged by those around him and often out of sheer necessity. Novel learning An alter-brain experience is referred to as novel learning. Novel learning stimulates the brain to develop greater overall potentials. Novel learning, exposure to newness and diversity, encourages the brains natural synergistic process. It has been suggested that when we use our brains to do new and different things, we increase its own processing options, thereby making us more able to deal with change. Conversely, our brain being locked in habitual patterns makes it harder for the brain to embrace novelty.34 Novel learning was propelled by Obamas mothers intellectual wonder. She engendered in her son a passion for learning and a sense of marvel in the nuances of life. Additionally, the many changes Obama encountered further propelled exposure to novelty in a most accelerated fashion. Stepping out of your comfort zone An alter-brain behavior, trying a new way of responding, pushes us beyond our habitual ways of doing things and as such is equally brain enhancing.35 Obamas life continuously forced him to stretch himself beyond his comfort zone. Reection and self-control Stress and high-intensity moments can curtail our natural ability to extend beyond our preferences while also causing overreactions in the moment. Introspection and reection can enable us to stay grounded during emotionally triggering life events and can help us turn a critical moment from a potential threat to a development opportunity.36 Obamas reective nature affords him a grounded, stable presence in the face of turmoil. Social/emotional brainRecent ndings about our social/emotional brain suggest just how pivotal our interactions are to a leaders success. Specically, since we are designed to be social creatures, the degree to which empathy informs our resulting communications and actions is what others are relating to. It is not enough to have good intent or to think you know what is best for those around you. You must demonstrate your understanding through both words and actions to excel in our very social world.37 Obamas heritage and upbringing fostered wellhoned empathy that reinforces his social/emotional success. His acumen with the work required of him in community organizing was the rst true demonstration of his socio-emotional adeptness. His rise to the very top of the leadership hill further reinforces how socio-emotionally adept he is.
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Based on the ten-point list of what leaders need to know about the brain, we see potentials in Obamas style and approach. We also begin to recognize how his
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developmental conundrum actually poised him for leadership success. From a definitive set of strong, varied passed-on traits to a myriad of life encounters, his was a brain in constant expansion. Delicately timed events and solid supports reinforced his brains enhancements, allowing left- and right-brain preferences to develop more fully and in consort. The result was a blend of driven resolve, reflective inner strength, and social facility. Obama is a leader who is both grounded in the present and able to see the path forward.
A Leadership-Perfect Form
If we put a positive spin on the popularized phrase perfect storm, changing it to perfect form, we could say that what we see in Obama is a rare convergence of several distinct factions that received its potency because they came together all at once, not to exacerbate (as is the case in a perfect storm) but rather to embellish (leaving us a perfect form). The result is full-force leadership. When reading over the information on nature and nurture, on Obamas five key influences, and marrying that to the ten-point summary of the brain, you begin to see that Obamas particular chance nature/nurture combination lent itself to the brains optimal development. The human brain is structured to be synergistic, to work in a collaborative manner, and to strengthen its own distinctions through collaboration. The brain can do this because the two sides of the brain, the left and right hemisphere, are not simply two factions connected by fibers enabling them to share. Rather, each side of the brain has commonality each contains facets of the others. When we encourage the development of a weaker area, that is, for example, intuitive thinking in someone driven more by logic, not only does the non-intuit become more intuitive, but other mental abilities improve as well.38 Obamas perfect leadership form comes from the constant synergies exerting force on his development along with the commonality contained within them. As different as his parents were, each had certain common qualitiestheir intellect, for example, and their passion for human rights. So was true of his grandparents, his stepfather, and, no doubt, if we came to know them further, members of his African ancestry. As different as they were from each other in so many ways, each shared certain values, beliefs, and traits with others in Obamas immediate circle. We can see evidence of Obamas aligned brain functioning in his approach to conflict. When Obama faces conflict he is quick to call attention to common ground. Note the following excerpt from his February 24, 2009, address to Congress. The address centered on the global economic crisis. The president was outlining his initial plans and ended with an appeal to work together:
Look, I know that we havent agreed on every issue thus far. There are surely times in the future where we will part ways. But I also know that every American who is sitting here tonight loves this country and wants it to succeed. I know that. That must be the starting point for every debate we have in the com-
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ing months, and where we return after those debates are done. That is the foundation on which the American people expect us to build common ground. And if we do if we come together and lift this nation from the depths of this crisis; if we put our people back to work and restart the engine of our prosperity; if we confront without fear the challenges of our time and summon that enduring spirit of an America that does not quit, then someday years from now our children can tell their children that this was the time when we performed, in the words that are carved into this very chamber, something worthy to be remembered.39
The president concluded his address stating that common ground would be the ultimate driver for this group in reaching its goal. Obamas approach to conflict also involves inviting differing opinions. He is often heard saying that he welcomes opposing views and that we must learn to disagree without being disagreeable.40 Obama clearly has a natural ease with discourse, his brain well able to process disparate thoughts and to look for ways to collaborate and reconcile. His brain and his outlook support a position of shared capability. Ultimately, though, what truly sets Obama apart is his apparent complete compliment of multidominant behaviors as applied directly to the way he leads. His is a fully integrated right- and left-brain approach. While high-level leaders can be adept at certain right- and left-brain abilities, the point was made at the books outset that you will instead find that leaders get caught up in their preferences. Talented leaders certainly possess both right- and left-brain leadership abilities but are seldom adept across the full right- and left-brain behavioral spectrum. More to the point, a leader is less likely to shift style from right- to left-brain thinking or vice versa with the ease that Obama does. His most unusual life brain workout enables him to do what others seemingly dont. When under stress this becomes even more apparent. Leaders under stress tend to constrict their posture. Under stress is precisely when Obama seems to expand his. Former president William Jefferson Clinton could be described as extraordinarily visionary, charismatic, and transformational, possessing exceptional rightbrain strong suits. He was a strategist and an innovator. He was intuitive and holistic and thought of the world as it could be. He also had distinct left-brain talents. He was verbal and analytical, concerned with facts and scrutiny. He was determined. Clinton was in many ways a brilliant leader; however, certain gaps can be noted, especially when his presidency faced its ultimate crisis, the threat of impeachment. Clinton drew more from his right-brain mystique. Would added left-brain grounding have been more to his benefit? In contrast to former president Clintons right-brain orientation, former president George W. Bush could be characterized as left-brain driven. He was more entrenched in the moment. He tended to reason from part to whole and to communicate through labels. Possibly his Achilles heel was that in the face of pervasive criticisms he became more steadfast in his beliefs. Was his myopic stance the work of an overplayed left brain?
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A risk run by many if not most high-level leaders is to allow certain preferences to become their cornerstones. In essence they are acting from a set of identified strengths to excess (too much of a good thing ), rather than drawing upon a broader sphere of full-brain leadership attributes. In times of stress we are all inclined to act out of habit. Leaders in particular will dig in rather than engage their brain power more fluidly. Another case in point could be seen in Senator John McCains tactics during the 2008 presidential campaign. His campaign cornerstone was his maverick style. From that vantage point he vowed to fix a broken Washington, D.C. When the election intensified he stepped up references to a maverick approach. He selected a running mate, Sarah Palin, who was touted as a fellow maverick. Obama, on the other hand, chose a counterbalance in Joe Biden. The race continued while concurrently, impending economic catastrophe was upon us. The public became unnerved. McCain continued to lead from his preference, intensifying his promise to fight for every American, maverick style. Obama, on the other hand, while continuing the engaging style that was his hallmark, added grounding and formidability. Obamas extended stable and serious overtones afforded the opportunity for voters to experience him beyond charismatic. He was seen as calm in the face of crisis and willing to step up during difficult times. A resolve was heard in his voice, and solutions specific to new demands were added to his platform. McCains approach, though intensified, was nonetheless unchanged in breadth. Obama appeared more diverse in ability. Alter-brain style shifts and additional traits poised him for broader appeal, engendering greater respect for who he was. Obama positioned himself to be seen as a leader able to make needed accommodations in response to unusual circumstances. In todays world challenges are intensifying in complexity. Acting solely from ones preferences will leave a leader coming up short. Leaders must possess further flexibility to draw from, the ability to shift style not as an exception but as a rule, to move forth and back from right- and left-brain preferences with ease and agility. Leaders today are also more exposed. Everything a high-profile leader does and says can be easily broadcast for the world to see. Your appeal and your ability to connect takes place on a twenty-four/seven world stage, a new-age journalism, if you will. Decisions and actions are therefore scrutinized minute by minute. Greater sensitivities apply with respect to communications and cultural contexts. There are countless ways to be judged at any given moment. In effect, we live in a different world, a world that is more demanding, more interconnected, and operating with faster and faster cycle times. What we have gained from the internet in convenience and opportunity has boomeranged back at leaders who must be ready to react. Leaders must operate with greater bandwidth in our high-tech/high-speed fishbowl of an existence.
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Obama comes to his position with diversity not simply by virtue of his name and race, but in his fundamental leadership operating style. He is primed to address a multitude of issues from the intricate to the nefarious and to do so in our new-age interactive context. His unusual leadership ability is a blend of expansive social, behavioral, and intellectual reach. To lead the United States of America at precisely this moment in its history requires full-blown right- and left-brain leadership skill sets like we see in Obama. That is Obamas leadership-perfect form. The remaining chapters will present a model for right brain/left brain leadership, identifying ten guiding behaviors along with specific corresponding traits. President Obamas leadership style will be examined relative to this right brain/left brain model, demonstrating his abilities within each of its ten guiding behaviors. More importantly, the fluidity with which Obama transitions between rightand left-brain abilities will be highlighted. His style represents a working model for the dynamic interplay todays leaders should aspire in order to meet the challenges of our time. Following the review of behaviors and traits as they relate to President Obama, the book will give specific steps for how you too can become more Obama-like in your leadership approaches. We move next to the Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model, its format, behaviors, and traits as backdrop for the complete review of our exemplar.
Chapter 3
Right- and Left-Brain Potentials
It s not just enough to change the players. We ve gotta change the game. Barack Obama1
A Leadership Model
Aptly put in the preceding Obama quote, the leadership game has changed and leaders must change with it. While it is important to lead based on your particular style, such proclivities can no longer reflect your entire playbook. Instead you must see your inclinations as a foundation to build upon. You must be able to routinely extend from that foundation with diversity in both mindset and action. A model to help frame such a full-spectrum leadership approach is one that draws from right- and left-brain propensities. Translated into the language of leadership, the Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model identifies ten guiding leadership behaviors, four of right-brain ability, four of left-brain ability, and two additional support behaviors. The Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model was first proposed in my book Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact and is explained in its entirety in that text. This chapter will review the models highlights and set the stage for a detailed review of President Obamas right brain/left brain leadership.2 A model that focuses on a leaders behaviors forces consideration beyond what a leader is doinggoals and objectivesto how a leader enacts such targets. Typically the behavioral side of leadership is seen as a personal style separate from what one sets out to accomplish. In reality the most effective leaders consider behavior as integral to success. The what and how should ideally work in tandem, with equal consideration given to both. Figure 3.1 shows the models guiding behaviors sorted by right and left abilities along with the two auxiliary behaviors.
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Figure 3.1 Guiding Behaviors Sorted by Right- and Left-Brain Ability
When leading from the right brain, behaviors are strategic, innovative, transformational, and engaging. When leading from the left, behaviors are methodical, expressive, grounded, and assertive. Resilient and savvy are auxiliary behaviors. They are right- and left-brain enhancing, supporting your leadership ability by tending to you personally. Resilient contributes to your health, well-being, and staying power. Savvy speaks to your image and to your ability to negotiate the ever-socrucial cultural landscape that you work from. Each behavior is defined as follows:
Strategic: To be proactive and visionary; to have the long-range view Innovative: To have an open mind and to be able to think creatively without restraint Transformational: To drive change in cultures, teams, and individuals relative to values, thoughts, and actions Engaging: To understand and work well with others, to validate, to involve, and to recognize others, and to help them take on responsibility Methodical: To plan well, to be systematic and eectual in your approach to initiatives Expressive: To clearly communicate your thoughts both formally and informally while providing the necessary context Grounded: To act with integrity, consistency, and stability; to be the steward and the gauge Assertive: To be upfront, direct, and determined to get the desired results
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Resilient: To possess the optimal physical and mental functioning, stamina, and mindsetyour internal fortitude Savvy: To sense and respond appropriately to cultural climates; to get things done in a way that advances both you and those organizations you are aliated withyour external inuence
Looking at the ten guiding leadership behaviors, where are your typical behavioral strengths? Which, if any behaviors reflect your hard-core preferences? Do you tend to lead more from the left or the right, or are you more multidominant? Thinking back to the last difficult leadership situation you had to address, would any of the behaviors that are not part of your usual way of functioning have helped you achieve a better result? These are the questions to consider as we continue our exploration.
Right Brain / Left Brain: Counterintuitive

As you begin to familiarize yourself with the model and how it can help direct you to broader impact, first consider the models title. As the title reflects, the model is built around our right- and left-brain abilities, drawing on our brains dualistic and synergistic nature. But why right brain/left brain leadership and not the other way around? Surely President Obama himself would prefer a model that leads from the left! Politics aside, the orientation of the model seem counterintuitivethats intentional. While we would orient from the left, say, in reading, for example, we need to lead from the right. Obamas leftist label reflects his political party affiliation. When it comes to Obamas leadership he tends to initiate from the rightthe brain right, that is. Effective leadership begins on the right-brain side of the thinking and acting equation. The right brain in essence focuses on the future, while the left brain hones in on present realities. From a leadership perspective, leaders need to first look forward to the desired state in order to then tend effectively to the day-to-day. We see this right-brain orientation in Obama as he began his presidency. He took office during the most tumultuous of economic times. The need during a crisis is to deal with that which is most pressing. To Obamas credit, he did so. He acted in the moment to ensure that the immediate crisis was well addressed; however, he also applied right-brain thinking to examine not merely how to arrest the present crisis, but to think through what it would take to ensure our ultimate financial solvencyhow to not let this happen again. He projected years ahead to how the nation would have to be structured and function across a broad set of measures to truly secure our interests. By turning his attention to the long term he envisioned what it would look like for us to be safe and, more importantly, to thrive. While he tended to the immediate he framed his actions from a right-brain transformational perspective.
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Though he came under criticism from some for being too farsighted during trying times, he showed clear multidominant leadership ability by shifting in an integrated fashion between right-brain future prospects and left-brain present realities. He worked from an accurate perception of the present as it related to the ultimate desired state. His right-brain long-range view informed his immediate crisis response. Consider the following passage from his April 14, 2009, address at Georgetown University as Obama reflected on the first several months of his administrations work:
It has now been twelve weeks since my administration began. And I think even our critics would agree that at the very least, weve been busy. In just under three months, we have responded to an extraordinary set of economic challenges with extraordinary actionaction that has been unprecedented in both its scale and its speed. I know that some have accused us of taking on too much at once. Others believe we havent done enough. And many Americans are simply wondering how all of our different programs and policies fit together in a single, overarching strategy that will move this economy from recession to recovery and ultimately to prosperity. So today, I want to step back for a moment and explain our strategy as clearly as I can. I want to talk about what weve done, why weve done it, and what we have left to do. I want to update you on the progress weve made, and be honest about the pitfalls that may lay ahead. And most of all, I want every American to know that each action we take and each policy we pursue is driven by a larger vision of Americas futurea future where sustained economic growth creates good jobs and rising incomes; a future where prosperity is fueled not by excessive debt, reckless speculation, and fleeing profit, but is instead built by skilled, productive workers; by sound investments that will spread opportunity at home and allow this nation to lead the world in the technologies, innovations, and discoveries that will shape the 21st century. That is the America I see. That is the future I know we can have.3
The presidents long-range view, his right-brain thinking, was informing his here-and-now (left-brain) actions. In the remainder of his address he spelled out how the nation came to its present catastrophe and how precisely his strategy would take the nation where it needed to be. He detailed three key responses to address the then current economic crisis along with five strategic pillars for longrange prosperity. The president concluded his address with the following statements:
This brings up one final point Id like to make today. Ive talked a lot about the fundamental weakness in our economy that led us to this day of reckoning. But we also arrived here because of a fundamental weakness in our political system.
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For too long, too many in Washington put off hard decisions for some other time on some other day. Theres been a tendency to score political points instead of rolling up sleeves to solve real problems. There is also an impatience that characterizes this townan attention span that has only grown shorter with the twenty-four-hour news cycle, and insists on instant gratification in the form of immediate results or higher poll numbers. When a crisis hits, theres all too often a lurch from shock to trance, with everyone responding to the tempest of the moment until the furor has died away and the media coverage has moved on, instead of confronting the major challenges that will shape our future in a sustained and focused way. This cant be one of those times. The challenges are too great. The stakes are too high. I know how difficult it is for members of Congress in both parties to grapple with some of the big decisions we face right now. Its more than most congresses and most presidents have to deal with in a lifetime. But we have been called to govern in extraordinary times. And that requires an extraordinary sense of responsibilityto ourselves, to the men and women who sent us here, and to the many generations whose lives will be affected for good or for ill because of what we do here.4
Consider in this brief address the numerous right- and left-brain leadership behaviors exhibited by the president. Surely he demonstrated the ability to be strategic, to take the long-range view. He began his address from that perspective, leading from the right. His plans reflected innovation. They were fresh and progressive. The manner in which he constructed his address was transformational as he sought to drive change in values, thoughts, and actions. His overall tone was engaging, reaching out directly to his audience. His right-brain behaviors are well in motion. We also saw decided left-brain shifts. Woven into his strategies were the methodical specifics of his plansa three-pronged immediate response tied to five long-term strategies. The left-brain behavior expressive was reflected in the clarity and detail with which he spoke. He was grounded, acting with consistency, stability, and transparency, noting possible pitfalls or problems to come. Lastly, he was assertive, confronting the flawed mindsets that his administration is committed to eliminating. This one excerpt is consistent with the demeanor and tenor Obama showed throughout the early stages of his presidency. He demonstrated depth and breadth of ability across the brain-behavior spectrum.
A Leaders Line of SITE

Looking more closely at the ten guiding leadership behaviors we begin with the right-brain behaviors. Right-brain guiding leadership behaviors are facilitators of a leaders desired state. The right-brain behaviors are for a leader, looking out to possibilities. From those possibilities opportunities for change are identified and buy-in is sought. The acronym for the right-brain behaviors is SITE (Strategic,
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Innovative, Transformational, and Engaging). Think, then, of right-brain behaviors as a leaders Line of SITE. Represented by the icon of a binocular, Line of SITE behaviors enable the leader the view of looking out over the horizon to see the potentials as well as eminent threats. They allow a leader to imagine a vision for the future.5 Obama has a keen ability to project ahead, using both past successes and failures to inform his thinking. He can extend beyond what has occurred to what we should aspire toward. Obamas scholarly penchants takes him to the study of relevant knowledge, to past presidents reigns, positions, accomplishments, and missed prospects, for example. He verses himself in a broad historic context and grounds himself in present truths. He solicits differing and expert opinions, but still in all, he himself possesses the intuition to take the final strategic leap. As such he is well able to then formulate transformation perspectiveshow to effect needed change. Finally, he possesses the interpersonal ability to engage. Chapter 4 will further and precisely detail Obamas Line of SITE abilities. For now, Line of SITE behaviors are defined again below, this time with the corresponding traits that detail each leadership behaviors nuances. Ten traits are provided for each of the leadership behaviors to show a complete range of qualities possible for a given behavior. Through mastery of behavioral nuances the leader can attain depth competence. As you examine overall behaviors and more specific component traits you can begin to get an appreciation for the full scope of each behaviors potential impact. Ideally, you will also come to see the complexities of leveraging a particular leadership behavior. Strategic: To be proactive and visionary; to have the long-range view. Strategic behavioral traits are:
Intuitiveknowing things instinctively Thoughtfulgiving careful consideration Insightfulseeing clearly into the nature of complex subject matter Anticipatoryaware of the eminent Shrewdclever and preemptive Big-picture orientedtaking extended aspects of a situation into account Globalseeking input that generates a worldwide perspective and application Holistictaking all aspects of a situation into account Theoreticalable to speculate Conceptualable to form parts into a whole
Innovative: To have an open mind and to be able to think creatively without restraint. Innovative behavioral traits are:
Pioneeringforging new ground Risk-takingtaking a chance
Right- and Left-Brain Potentials Playfulfun-loving Creative able to generate original ideas or concepts Novelty-seekinginterested in the new or unknown Imaginativeable to visualize and think about the unlikely Experimentalinterested in trial and error Curiouseager to know Spontaneousliving in the moment Unconventionalwilling to consider the unusual
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Transformational: To drive change in cultures, teams, and individuals relative to values, thoughts, and actions. Transformational behavioral traits are:
Open to learninginterested in knowledge Assimilativebringing people and constructs together Attunedkeyed into current realities Ambiguity-allowingable to deal with the uncertainties of change Facilitativeoperating as a catalyst Opportunity-consciouslooking for appropriate prospects Incrementalworking progressively, in small steps Adaptiveable to change Mentoringable to teach and coach Alignment-drivenhelping to unify others around directions and goals
Engaging: To understand and work well with others, to validate, to involve, and to recognize others and to help them take on responsibility. Engaging behavioral traits are:
Inquisitiveprobing further, especially into others thoughts Listeningpaying attention for accurate understanding Respectfulhaving consideration for others Responsiveaddressing the concerns of others Inclusiveinvolving everyone Collaborativeworking along with others Empathicunderstanding others perspectives Empoweringgiving responsibility to others Charismaticenthusing others through personal magnetism Motivationalinspiring others in positive action6
The MEGA Mind

Represented by the icon of a magnifying glass, the left-brain skill sets assume the view of looking over your world. When you are looking over you are organizing, monitoring, and driving the work in progress. You are communicating about the work and providing appropriate updates and specifics. While looking over your charge you are concerned with present realities, the near term. Left-brain leadership
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targets the sheer volume of a leaders day-to-day tactical demands. Left-brain leadership is about your in-the-moment planning. It is about what you say and how you say it. Left-brain skill sets help you to stabilize situations and reach ascribed goals. The acronym for these behaviors is MEGA (Methodical, Expressive, Grounded, and Assertive). Left-brain behaviors are your MEGA Mind. Along with his rightbrain strong suits Obama has specific left-brain leadership abilities as well. He is able to move from vision to plan. He is analytical and able to work at the detail level. His communication abilities are a trademark. His ability to act from stability and integrity are acknowledged pluses, especially at this moment in time when public trust had been severely eroded. Obamas resolve was tested a number of times early in his presidency, and he seemed to pass these first-round confrontations. Chapter 5 will further and precisely detail Obamas left-brain MEGA Mind. The MEGA Mind behaviors and corresponding traits are shown in their entirety as follows: Methodical: To plan well, to be systematic and effectual in your approach to initiatives. Methodical behavioral traits are:
Task orientedattentive to assignments Detail orientedattentive to discrete parts of assignments Organizedorderly and systematic Eectiveproducing workable solutions and results Focusedable to establish and attend to priorities Proceduralusing systems and processes Sequentialcognizant of the likely order of things Logicalrational and reasonable, recognizing what makes the best sense Analyticalbreaking an entity into its parts Factualbasing assertions on tangible data and evidence
Expressive: To clearly communicate your thoughts both formally and informally while providing the necessary context. Expressive behavioral traits are:
Preparedgiving the necessary forethought to formal and informal messages Articulateable to write and speak with clarity Coherentable to write and speak logically Conciseable to write and speak succinctly Eruditeable to express yourself from the basis of scholarly knowledge Presentablehaving a professional presence and demeanor Passionatehaving intensity and/or enthusiasm with respect to your subject matter Personablehaving an appropriately favorable demeanor
Right- and Left-Brain Potentials Persuasiveable to make a compelling point Interestingprovoking thought and/or holding others attention
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Grounded: To act with integrity, consistency, and stability; to be the steward and the gauge. Grounded behavioral traits are:
Composed able to control your emotions Approachablehaving a manner that allows others to reach out to you Genuinesincere Pragmaticpractical and realistic Cautioussensible and careful Questioningseeking assurances and/or getting to the bottom of issues Stablesteady and consistent in your views and approaches Loyalcommitted to your people and responsibilities Established having proven competence Trustworthyable to be counted on
Assertive: To be upfront, direct, and determined to get the desired results. Assertive behavioral traits are:
Purposefuldetermined and denite in your goals Condentassured about your capability to reach desired goals Tenaciousunrelenting Drivenstaying determined to reach goals and get results Delegatingable to assign and resource the work appropriately Decisiveable to make sound decisions Courageouswilling to face challenges and diculties Candidupfront and direct Confrontationalable to work through a conict Closure-seekingseeing things through and pushing for conclusions7
The Plus Factors

The final two guiding leadership behaviors are called the Plus Factors. The Plus Factors, resilient and savvy, have an inward focus. They assume the view of looking in at ones own fortitude and influence as represented by the icon of a mirror. When properly leveraged, the Plus Factors are right-and left-brain enhancing. As you become more resilient you are more able to act from a broader range of leadership styles, while acting with greater savvy enables you to understand which style shifts are required in any given situation. Obamas generally calm and encouraging demeanor, his acceptance of differences, and attention to a greater good poise him well for certain resilient strong suits. His swift ascent to the very top of the political ladder along with his historic
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success speaks to his savvy. Obamas Plus Factor abilities will be examined fully in Chapter 6 of this book. The Plus Factors along with their corresponding traits are described as follows: Resilient: To possess the optimal physical and mental functioning, stamina, and mindsetyour internal fortitude. Resilient behavioral traits are:
Positivehaving constructive focus on opportunities and possibilities Emotionally soundable to cope with stress and diculties as demonstrated by your behavior Clear thinkingable to sort through confusions, block out distractions, and think freely Tolerantaccepting of dierences Flexibleable to adjust or accommodate when necessary Spiritualseeing beyond yourself to how you contribute in a broader sense, accountable to a greater good Physically tpracticing sound lifestyle habits; aware of and managing your health Fullledfeeling a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction about your life Relaxedable to decompress from stress Environmentalmaking nature a part of your personal and professional development
Savvy: To sense and respond appropriately to cultural climates; to get things done in a way that advances both you and those organizations you are affiliated with your external influence. Savvy behavioral traits are:
Astuteperceptive concerning people and circumstances Diplomaticusing tact in your sensitive interactions Timelyaware of the right moment to make a point or deal with an issue Subtleable to work indirectly to inuence people and situations Culturally orientedgrounded in the culture of your group or organization and acting from that knowledge in how you inuence those within that culture Networkingdeveloping personal and professional relationships that are mutually benecial Coalition-buildingbringing together those who share your causes, views, or involvements Promotiveeectively lobbying for your and others issues and recognition Assimilatingable to integrate into groups, teams, or cultures Visiblebeing regularly seen8
Model in Context
The full model is displayed in Figure 3.2. There you see four key processes representing the what of leading as follows:
Right- and Left-Brain Potentials Visioningwhere you are headed Operationalizingyour plan Implementinggetting the desired results Declaringreecting on outcomes
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These key processes reflect the context of the leaders work. Obama assumed office during a global economic crisis that required aggressive and immediate attention along with multilevel collaboration at home and abroad. His context was one of extreme urgency and unprecedented potential fallout. Such a circumstance required rapid incremental cycling through the key processes, doing enough to keep the situation from worsening while acting with enough impact to begin to reverse looming threats. From the model you can now see, along with the four key processes, the ten guiding leadership behaviors sorted by positioning: looking out, looking over, and looking in. While the key processes represent the what of leadership, the guiding behaviors point us to the how. Dotted lines from right- to left-brain abilities illustrate some of the limitless possibilities for shifting style from right- to left-brain actions or vice versa to achieve maximum leadership impact.
Figure 3.2 Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model (Complete)
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Dynamic Interplays Referred to as a dynamic interplay, when a leader is based in his preferred style and able to access alternative means of impact, an enhancement occurs. He can influence a wider audience, meet more unconventional challenges, and as a result achieve groundbreaking results. A dynamic interplay is created when you shift your style from right brain to left or vice versa. Dynamic interplays are motivational, psychologically interesting to those around you. Others feel energized by a leader with diverse, yin and yang behavioral reach. Individual contributors find encouragement and added opportunities from varied orientations of a leader rather than leaders who are predictably monotonous in approach. A dynamic interplay is a well-executed balancing act that generates healthy tension for others to respond to. A typically assertive leader, for example, who accesses certain engaging traits as well can ultimately expect more from those she is holding accountable since she is now involving and recognizing them as well. When you shift style to access one of the models behaviors that is outside your usual mode of operating or seek to access traits not before part of your leadership repertoire, you are accessing what is defined in the model as an alter-brain behavior. An alter-brain behavior is a style shift resulting in a new action that, when accessed, can give either greater depth to a preferred style or complementary breadth to your overall approach.9 Think of alter-brain behaviors as making you more interesting to work with and as positively provocative of those around you. One could see, for example, Obamas preferences in the behaviors strategic, expressive, transformational, and engaging. He is a visionary, an adept communicator, able to drive change and to draw others in. The breadth of his leadership is seen as he extends from his primary inclinations to act from a second tier of alterbrain behaviors. Obama shifts his style often and with ease to be methodical (to detail a plan), grounded (to act with stability), and assertive (to be upfront, direct, and determined). Obamas easy access between first- and second-tier behaviors can be seen in his initial handling of the H1N1 flu virus outbreak. On April 29, 2009, at his 100th-day press conference Obama was asked, With the flu outbreak spreading and worsening, can you talk about whether you think its time to close the border with Mexico, and whetherunder what conditions you might consider quarantining, when that might be appropriate. Notice the range of behaviors demonstrated in his response.
Well, first of all, as I said, this is a cause for deep concern, but not panic. And I think that we have to make sure that we recognize that how we respondintelligently, systematically, based on science, and what public health officials have to saywill determine in large part what happens. Ive consulted with our public health officials extensively, on a day-to-day basis, in some cases an hourhour-to-hour basis. At this point they have not recommended a border closing. From their perspective, it would be akin to closing the barn door after the horses are out, because we already have cases here in the United States.
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We have ramped up screening efforts, as well as made sure that additional supplies are there on the border, so that we can prepare in the eventuality that we have to do more than were doing currently. But the most important thing right now that public health officials have indicated is that we treat this the same way that we would treat other flu outbreaks, just understanding that because this is a new strain, we dont yet know how it will respond to that. So we have to take additional precautions, essentially take out some additional insurance. Now that s why I asked for an additional $1.5 billion so that we can make sure that everything is in place, should a worst-case scenario play out. I do want to compliment Democrats and Republicans who worked diligently back in 2005 when the bird flu came up. I was part of a group of legislators who worked, with the Bush administration, to make sure that we had beefed up our infrastructure and our stockpiles of antiviral drugs, like Tamiflu. And I think the Bush administration did a good job of creating the infrastructure so that we can respond. For example, weve got 50 million courses of antiviral drugs, in the event that they re needed. So the government is going to be doing everything that we can. Were coordinating closely with state and local officials. Secretary Napolitano at Department of Homeland Security, newly installed Secretary Sebelius of Health and Human Services, our acting CDC director, they are all on the phone, on a daily basis, with all public-health officials across the states, to coordinate and make sure that theres timely reporting, that as new cases come up, that we are able track them effectively, that were allocating resources, so that they re in place. The key now, I think, is to make sure that we are maintaining great vigilance, that everybody responds appropriately when cases do come up, and individual families start taking very sensible precautions thatthat can make a huge difference. So wash your hands when you shake hands; cover your mouth when you cough. I know it sounds trivial, but it makes a huge difference. If you are sick, stay home. If your child is sick, keep them out of school. If you are feeling certain flu symptoms, dont get on an airplane, dont get on a any system of public transportation where youre confined and you could potentially spread the virus. So those are the steps that I think we need to take right now. But understand that because this is a new strain, we have to be cautious. If this was a strain that we were familiar with, then we might have tothen I think we wouldnt see the kind of alert levels that were seeing, for example, with the World Health Organization.10
In his opening first few statements, Obama was groundednoting a serious but not catastrophic circumstance and providing assurances of the vigilance with which the issue was being addressed. He used clear expressive analogies and straightforward statements. He spoke to methodical details, plans, and precautions. He showed assertive determination. Obamas decisions and proactive measures reflect strategic prudence. His acknowledgments of those whose previous efforts advanced our present-day cause along with his requests to citizens to take
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specific precautions reflect an engaging posture. Responding to the tumultuous climate at the outset of his presidency, whether regarding the potential pandemic or any one of a number of equally paramount issues, Obama continuously drew upon a wide range of guiding leadership behaviors and did so with seamless integration. Interesting to note was that there were relatively moderate criticisms of the president during his first 100 days, in spite of the array of issues. Certainly there were policy disagreements, but in terms of his leadership persona, many seemed at ease with Obama. Controversies concerning the president were typically centered on proposed government spending and the level of government involvement in business. The publics overall yardstick on the presidents success, however, seemed more focused on the multiple facets to his leadership ability than on agreement or disagreement with specific decisions. Conversely, the Republican Partys leadership was at that same time falling under pointed criticism, criticism that seemed to center on Republicans continuing to act from an ingrained position. The party was viewed by many as mired in their defeat and polarized in position. Times required greater breadth in perspective, greater fluidity in thought and approach, along with the ability to lead in the face of complex ambiguities. The Republicans entrenched stance was not boding well for them. They were being called upon to redefine their values and approaches. The culture of their partywhat they stood for, how they would continue to make an impactwas called into question. Born from Culture Upon further examination of the Right Brain/Left Brain Model you see a pyramid at the center. This pyramid reflects the various audiences a leader must attend to and influence. A leaders primal audience is the cultural perspective from which he leads. While the Republicans were being asked to reinvent the partys culture, Obama was concerned about cultural matters in a different manner. In Obamas view the United States had strayed from its founding cultural principles. It needed to return to those principles. As he set his policies, you could see intentions that were aimed directly at our cultural disconnects. Culture is tied to values, and we as a nation were straying from ours. Consider Obamas response to a second question asked at his 100th-day press conference regarding the practice of torture, albeit enhanced interrogation techniques such as waterboarding.
What Ive saidand I will repeatis that waterboarding violates our ideals and our values. I do believe that it is torture. I dont think thats just my opinion; that s the opinion of many whove examined the topic. And thats why I put an end to these practices. I am absolutely convinced that it was the right thing to donot because there might not have been information that was yielded by these various de-
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tainees who were subjected to this treatment, but because we could have gotten this information in other waysin ways that were consistent with our values, in ways that were consistent with who we are. I was struck by an article that I was reading the other day talking about the fact that the British, during World War II, when London was being bombed to smithereens, had 200 or so detainees. And Churchill said, We dont torture, when thethe entire Britishall of the British people were being subjected to unimaginable risk and threat. Andandand the reason was that Churchill understood, you start taking shortcuts, and over time, that corrodes what swhats best in a people. It corrodes the character of a country. Andand so I strongly believe that the steps that weve taken to prevent these kind of enhanced interrogation techniques will make us stronger over the long term, and make us safer over the long term, because it will put us in ain a position where we can still get information. In some cases, it may be harder. But part of what makes us, I think, still a beacon to the world is that we are willing to hold true to our ideals, even when its hard, not just when its easy. At the same time, it takes away a critical recruitment tool that al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations have used to try to demonize the United States and justify the killing of civilians. And it makes usit puts us in a much stronger position to work with our allies in the kind of international coordinated intelligence activity that can shut down these networks. So this is a decision that I am very comfortable with, and I think the American people over time will recognize that it is better for us to stick to who we are, even when were taking on an unscrupulous enemy.11
The presidents fundamental right-brain strategic intent and complementary left-brain assertive confrontation of the matter of torture is tied directly to the cultural realignment he is seeking. Leaders who tend to their audiences know full well that culture is primal to the work at hand. Organizational cultures are most effective when they emanate from a single and unified point. The culture of a nation is no different. While the United States is made up of numerous cultural factions, there must be alignment with originating cultural premises. Self-serving perspectives in direct opposition to any lead culture undermine the fabric of its society. Its not surprising that public opinion of our Congress has steadily declined over the past several years. Party differences are one thing, but failing to align through an overarching cultural imperative is another. The public saw the lack of cultural grounding and reacted. Obamas intent to place culture front and center is an attempt to reright the ship. Teams and Individuals At the next level of the pyramid is the word teams. The presidents teams include all branches of government, from his own staff to Congress and federal and state government agencies, offices, and bodies. Obama must also work with
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teams of international leaders as he did at the 2009 G-20 Economic Summit. Obamas nature is fundamentally collaborative. He is able to work with diverse groups, to learn from and reconcile discrepant views. These qualities bode well for someone who has complex teams to lead. Obamas response to a third question asked at his 100th-day press conference speaks poignantly to his perspective on teams. He was asked what had troubled him most in his first 100 days in office. Here is his reply.
Id say less troubled but, you know, sobered by the fact that change in Washington comes slow. That there is still a certain quotient of political posturing and bickering that takes place even when were in the middle of really big crises. I would like to think that everybody would say, you know what, lets take a timeout on some of the political games, focus our attention for at least this year, and then we can start running for something next year. And that hasnt happened as much as I would have liked.12
Leaders like Obama who are committed stewards are inclined to work through their teams. From his response we see that there is more work to be done engaging Team D.C. The top level of the pyramid represents the individuals a leader impacts. For Obama, individuals range from the array of people he interfaces with one-on-one along with the collective body of U.S. citizens. Obamas position with respect to individuals, whether an individual is one of his own staff, a foreign leader, or one of us sitting at home watching him on television, is to be clear about what we can expect from him and equally clear about what he expects from us. This is a refreshingly upfront perspective, one that fosters personal responsibility and accountability both of the leader and of the individuals a leader serves. Obamas tie to his citizens comes across in a follow-up to the question about what troubled him. The same reporter asked him what humbled him. Here is his response.
Humbled by thehumbled by the fact that the presidency is extraordinarily powerful, but we are just part of a much broader tapestry of American life and there are a lot of different power centers. And so I cant just press a button and suddenly have the bankers do exactly what I want(laughter)or (chuckles)or, you know, turn on a switch and suddenly, you know, Congress falls in line. And so, you know, what you do is to make your best arguments, listen hard to what other people have to say and coax folks in the right direction. This metaphor has been used before, but thisthe ship of state is an ocean liner; its not a speedboat. And so the way we are constantly thinking about this issue of how to bring about the changes that the American people need is to is to say, if we can move this big battleship a few degrees in a different direction, we may not see all the consequences of that change a week from now or three months from now, but ten years from now, or twenty years from now, our kids will be able to look back and say that was when we started getting serious about clean energy, thats when health care started to become more efficient
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and affordable, thats when we became serious about raising our standards in education. Andand soII have a much longer time horizon than I think you do when youre a candidate or if youre listening, I think, to the media reportage on a day-to-day basis. And ImI m humbled, last, by the American people who have shown extraordinary patience and, I think, a recognition that were not going to solve all these problems overnight.13
Whether he is asking for our patience with the problems the nation is facing or asking us to cover our mouths when we cough to prevent the spread of the flu, Obama is clearly reaching out and connected to the individuals he leads in a more direct manner than others before him. Obama well tends to the models cascading audiences. He places cultural matters front and center, works to build productive teams, and ultimately attempts to engage individuals. Through this chapters cursory explanation of the models components and premises we see that Obama is overall on target in his leadership approach. Turning specifically to Obamas right-brain inclinations, Chapter four4 will examine in greater depth Obamas Line of SITE leadershipwhich traits he employs to be strategic, innovative, transformational, and engaging.
Chapter 4
Obama: Leading from the Right?
Strategic Intent
Americans . . . still believe in an America where anythings possiblethey just dont think their leaders do. Barack Obama1
A leader with a well developed Line of SITE is inclined to think in terms of possibilities. To be driven by what could be, what we should aspire toward, is the right brain at work. When a leaders thought process is born of possibilities, a broad net of potential is cast. Such a leader can take us to an expanded future state, one much better than we had before. Think of the impetus such great strategic moments and minds have afforded us. There was Christopher Columbuss discovery of the new world. Sir Isaac Newton gave us fundamental bases in mathematics, motion, and light. Gandhi reframed human rights reform with the power of peaceful protest. More recently, innovators like Michael Dell, Bill Gates, and Steve Jobs drove the creation of technologies that have forever altered the way we think and live. What other visionaries stand out in your mind? Obamas right-brain Line of SITE is well developed, beginning with his honed strategic perspective. Obama has keen vision and foresight. He can see the way forward. He can picture the possibilities. Such a leader works to chart his course in the most forward-thinking of directions. Adept strategic thinkers also rely on a sixth sense to know the realities of the present. They are not likely to misread the tea leaves or to underestimate obstacles and threats. They are perceptive and instinctive, aware of their surroundings. From that sagacity comes comprehensive understanding and ultimately sound judgments about both the current and desired state. In the quote at the outset of this chapter, we see an important insight, a sign of the times as referenced by Obama. He notes that the people themselves had not given
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up. The people, according to Obama, were not standing in the way of the future; those they empowered to represent them were. From that insight Obama recognized that while working toward next steps he must, in parallel path, work to settle the present. If he was to move the country from where it was toward change, toward the greater possibilities, he needed to reinstill faith in government. Obamas strategic mindset was initially shaped by this foundational imperative, for our nations leaders to redeem themselves in the eyes of the people. It is interesting to be writing about this presidents leadership ability as he sets out on his leadership journey, and at such a complicated and troubled time in our nations history. Each day it seems different circumstances are unfolding and Obama is being tested. One such sign of the time is health care, a matter that has brought heated debates to the forefront. People are becoming unnerved. In fact, there are concerns that the Obama administration is taking on too much. The super-harged political machines are preying on those insecurities, playing them for all they are worth. What we are uncovering, though, about Obamas strategic compass is that it will guide him aptly. He will keep his eye on the present as he considers the future and will right the ship as he goes. He will not likely sway in reactive fashion, even in the face of an unnerved public. He will instead continue to push on after his vision. He will thoughtfully examine the circumstances around him, deliberate over impacts, and decide accordingly. As some criticize him for taking on too much and others for not moving fast enough, he will stay the course. To accomplish what he seems to be setting out after, to simultaneously realign our culture, rebuild faith in government, and tend to the plethora of pressing policy matters, he will need time to work these interrelated urgencies in consort. He is not working in laundry list fashion, but through a matrix that takes time, strategy and patience. Obama should not be expected to ram things past the opposition. He would be more inclined to work progressively, carefully, and systematically. This is the kind of leader you want in these most challenging times. As we move through this section on strategic leadership you will come to see how the ten traits of this critical initiating leadership behavior are a natural part of Obamas persona. Obama is well rooted in that which is strategic. He leverages his strategic strong suits to accurately know the present and to progressively aspire toward an advanced state. To be strategic a leader must think in a proactive rather than reactive manner, be visionary, and have a long-range view. Specifically, she must draw from the following strategic leadership traits:
Intuitiveknowing things instinctively Thoughtfulgiving careful consideration Insightfulseeing clearly into the nature of complex subject matter Anticipatoryaware of the eminent Shrewdclever and preemptive Big-picture-orientedtaking extended aspects of a situation into account
Obama Globalseeking input that generates a worldwide perspective and application Holistictaking all aspects of a situation into account Theoreticalable to speculate Conceptualable to form parts into a whole
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Going back to the very start of Obamas presidency, consider the following statement the new president made in his February 24, 2009. address to Congress:
We have lived through an era where too often short-term gains were prized over long-term prosperity; where we failed to look beyond the next payment, the next quarter, or the next election. A surplus became an excuse to transfer wealth to the wealthy instead of an opportunity to invest in our future. Regulations were gutted for the sake of a quick profit at the expense of a healthy market. People bought homes they knew they couldnt afford from banks and lenders who pushed those bad loans anyway. And all the while, critical debates and difficult decisions were put off for some other time on some other day. Well that day of reckoning has arrived, and the time to take charge of our future is here. Now is the time to act boldly and wiselyto not only revive this economy, but to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. We cant afford to ignore our long-term challenges. I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity. For history tells a different story. History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas. In the midst of civil war, we laid railroad tracks from one coast to another that spurred commerce and industry. From the turmoil of the Industrial Revolution came a system of public high schools that prepared our citizens for a new age. In the wake of war and depression, the GI Bill sent a generation to college and created the largest middle class in history. And a twilight struggle for freedom led to a nation of highways, an American on the moon, and an explosion of technology that still shapes our world. In each case, government didnt supplant private enterprise; it catalyzed private enterprise. It created the conditions for thousands of entrepreneurs and new businesses to adapt and to thrive. We are a nation that has seen promise amid peril, and claimed opportunity from ordeal. Now we must be that nation again. That is why, even as it cuts back on programs we dont need, the budget I submit will invest in the three areas that are absolutely critical to our economic future: energy, health care, and education.2
In this excerpt we see several strategic traits in Obama. He is thoughtful, giving careful consideration to both how the country came to its current crisis and how our past approaches took us beyond our challenges to next levels of success. He is insightful, able to see clearly into the nature of complex subject matter. He is holistic and conceptual, landing on a strategy that is multipronged, to address the
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environment, health care, and education in tandem. Rather than moving through the current economic crisis with a quick-fix or singular solution, Obama looks with vigilance at the whole of the nation, at interrelated parts that must come together uniformly to secure future solvency. In a second example Obama continues to explain his overarching strategy for economic recovery with big-picture orientation. Obama addresses members of the Business Roundtable on March 12, 2009.
The truth is that these problems in the financial market, as acute and urgent as they are, are only part of what threatens our economy. And we must not use the need to confront them as an excuse to keep ignoring the long-term threats to our prosperity: the cost of our health care and our oil addiction; our education deficit and our fiscal deficit. Now, Im not choosing to address these additional challenges just because I feel like it, or because Im a glutton for punishment. Im doing so because theyre fundamental to our economic growth, and ensuring that we dont have more crises like this in the future. You see, we cannot go back to endless cycles of bubble and bust. We cant continue to base our economy on reckless speculation and spending beyond our means; on bad credit and inflated home prices and over-leveraged banks. This crisis teaches us that such activity is not the creation of lasting wealthits the illusion of prosperity, and it hurts us all in the end. Instead, we must build this recovery on a foundation that lastson a 21stcentury infrastructure and a green economy with lower health care costs that create millions of new jobs and new industries; on schools that prepare our children to compete and thrive; on businesses that are free to invest in the next big idea or breakthrough discovery. We cannot wait to build this foundation. Putting off these investments for another four years or eight years or twelve years or twenty years would be to continue the same irresponsibility that led us to this point. It would be exactly what Washington has done for decades. And it will make our recovery more fragile and our future less secure. And thats a future I dont acceptnot for my children, and not for yours. I did not come here to pass our problems on to the next president or the next generationIm here to solve them. Im here to start building an economy and a prosperity that lasts.3
In his speech to this key business audience, Obama communicates a direction that takes multiple aspects of the current economic situation into accounta threelegged stool, if you will. One leg represents intent to decrease our dependence on foreign oil while also tending more directly to our environmental problems. The second leg seeks to reform an inefficient and financially burdensome health-care system while ensuring inclusion of all citizens. The final legeducationaims to build and sustain our intellectual might while securing the growth, independence, and viable contributions of our young people.
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Moving from the economy, in the next example we see additional nuances of Obamas strategic thinking, this time with respect to a national security matter. This next example comes from a March 22, 2009, interview on the television program 60 Minutes, when Obama was asked about his decision to shut down the Guantanamo prison and change the way prisoners are handled there.
Interviewer: A few weeks ago Vice President Cheney said essentially that your
willingness to shut down Guantanamo and to change the way prisoners are treated and interrogated was making America weaker and more vulnerable to attack. President: I fundamentally disagree with Dick Cheney, not surprising you know, I think that the Vice President has been at the head of a movement whose notion is somehow that we cant somehow reconcile our core valuesour constitutionour belief that we dont torture with our national security interests. The facts dont marry him out. It hasnt made us safer. What it has been is a great advertisement for anti-American sentiment which means there is constant effective recruitment of Arab fighters and Muslim fighters against us and our interests around the world. Interviewer: Some of it being organized by at least a few people who have been released from Guantanamo. President: Well there is no doubt that we have not done a particularly effective job in sorting through who are truly dangerous individuals and who are swept up and we never did a good job of sorting through that. Now do these folks deserve Miranda rightsdo they deserve to be treated like a shoplifter down the block? Of course not. But are we going to have to make a series of careful, deliberate, responsible decisions about how we approach the closing of Guantanamo? Absolutely. Thats why I said its going to take us a year.4
Here you see more of Obamas thoughtful consideration and insightful scrutiny. He looks at the situation carefully, seeing beyond its discrete components to the nature and essence of the matter. With intuitive sense Obama notes probable fallout from staying the present course. From his intuitive awareness Obama is able to be anticipatory, seeing imminent favorable consequences of new actions closing one aspect of anti-American sentiment. He is theoretical and global speculating how a change to our current practices can positively impact our position at home and abroad. He is decidedly shrewd, clever and preemptive in attempting to reverse the tide of negative perceptions as it relates to United Statess image and safety. In a final example we see Obama once again leading from the strategic right. He was questioned during a March 24, 2009, televised press conference about the impact of the Obama tax plan on charitable contributions from the wealthywould the plan curtail giving? Obama replied, Ill tell you what has a significant impact on charitable giving, is a financial crisis in an economy thats contracting. And so the most important thing that I can do for charitable giving is to fix the economy; to get banks lending again, to get businesses opening their doors again, and to get people back to work again. Then I think charities will do just fine.5
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Here we see another approach that extends beyond the immediate. We see root cause thinking, a trending away from surface remediation. Instead of looking at one aspect of his tax plan he looks more broadly to the economy overall as the driver of discrete impacts. In each case in point Obama is able to read into a situation, not merely attend to its facade. His strategic purpose can then guide the path chosen.
An Innovative Approach
A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination . . . Yes we can. Barack Obama6
To think from ones imagination is the hallmark of a right-brain innovative approach. Obama pushes beyond his present existence to imagine what could be. Propelled by vision and armed with a creative spirit all his own, he is a true innovator. Most of us are typically socialized out of our creative sense. We are often taught discipline at the expense of ingenuity. Traditional education favors structure over inventiveness. While we come into the world wide-eyed, bursting with childlike wonder, we are encouraged to conform. Pablo Picasso once said, Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.7 As adults, tangible accomplishment is rewarded. We are expected to fit in, be serious, and get our work done. As leaders when we come up against a challenge or an obstacle we are often expected to push past it, to overcome it rather than to reinvent our approach. How many times throughout your life can you recall being encouraged to forge new ground, to be playful or creative, to experiment, to be curious, spontaneous, or unconventional? These are not the typical adult emphases. Obama, on the other hand, through his unusual life experiences and from the free-spirited character of his mother, was socialized to innovate. He grew up experiencing side by side the need to be both convergent and divergent in his thinking. He learned the importance of structure and discipline and also when it was time to stop and take in all that was around him. He learned to open his mind up to a world waiting to be understood. He learned how to suppose, to dream, and to invent. In short, Obama grew up encouraged to produce and to playto accomplish and to marvel. More than most of us, his innovative sense was kept in the forefront and as a result, his artistic side remained. When Obama encounters a problem, a dead end, or an obstacle, his first response is to ponder itto consider it in the broadest sense. He is phenomenologicalseeking to comprehend the nature of an experience. He is less inclined to react and more likely to seek alternative or novel solutions. When he finds himself lacking the wherewithal to push the creative envelope and/or when urgency is a factor he will bring in others who can get through the issue more fully and with efficiency. Obama will call upon experts, coalescing high-powered think tanks to drive needed innovation. The key point here is that he is both disposed to innovative thought and sees it as a valued step in ones thinking process.
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The right-brain innovative behavior means to have an open mind and to be able to think creatively without restraint. Creativity author Stephen Nachmanovitch said, The most potent muse is that of our own inner child.8Obamas inner child has been continuously nurtured throughout his life and taught to coexist with and to enhance his adult executive brain. The traits of innovative leadership are:
Pioneeringforging new ground Risk takingtaking a chance Playfulfun-loving Creativeable to generate original ideas or concepts Novelty seekinginterested in the new or unknown Imaginativeable to visualize and think about the unlikely Experimentalinterested in trial and error Curiouseager to know Spontaneousliving in the moment Unconventionalwilling to consider the unusual
To begin to know Obamas innovative nature we can look to certain aspects of his everyday actions. What we find is evidence of several innovative traits in how he interacts with others. We see it in what comes across at times as a genuinely playful interpersonal style; he will joke with the media or poke fun at himself in interviews. This boylike quality is reflective of his innovative brain, his inner child, if you will. Some could question whether such an attribute is presidential. In Obamas case it is an endearing aspect of his relational depth. When coupled with his other, more leaderly attributes, Obamas playful side adds a good-humored quality that is refreshing in someone of his stature. More importantly, his lightheartedness keeps his brain flexible, more fully and broadly engaged. We also see that he is curioushe is eager to know and to understand. His inquisitiveness is fundamental to his personality. He is novelty seeking, interested in the new and uncommon, as well as unconventional, willing to consider the unusual as evidenced by his openness to people, views, and ideas that are different from his own. He is spontaneous, less in the sense that he takes life as it comes (not something remotely possible for one in his position), but more from the standpoint of his ability to be fully engaged in the moment. If you watch Obama he will seldom seem preoccupied. He is completely focused on the situation at hand. Whether talking to a concerned citizen at a town hall meeting, participating in a heated political debate, or getting to know Bo, the new Obama family pet, Obama can shift his attention on impulse. His right-brain intensity fosters an absorbed concentration indicative of spontaneous, in-the-moment thinking. In a sense, these five ingrained innovative traits, playful, curious, novelty seeking, unconventional, and spontaneous, poise Obama for two more innovative traits, that of being pioneering and risk taking. We saw evidence of Obamas groundbreaking and venturesome sides surface as he took office. His approach to
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the myriad of issues he was facing was to work these challenges in consort, in matrixlike fashion, rather than work unilaterally, taking on each as a discrete matter. He opted to forge new ground in tackling long-standing issues such as the environment, health care, and education, along with the ever-pressing economic matters. He took a calculated risk by adopting this integrated approach, the risk that some would see it as moving too quickly or having too much on the proverbial plate. It appears that he did so because he saw the interrelationships of the issues and therefore the potential for solutions on one front to impact another. Creativity was in play as well as fresh ideas, and solutions were sought while delving for cross-pollination of impacts. Of the remaining traits of innovative leadership, the ability to be experimental and imaginative, we see Obamas willingness to employ calculated trials to identify the most effective means of addressing never-before-seen economic threats. He balances trial and error with fierce left-brain scrutiny, ensuring that adequate monitoring and safety nets are in place. Still, he is willing to attempt the untried. He is imaginative in his ability to visualize the unlikely, to let his mind wonder what is possible. We see his imagination at play when we listen to him consider, for example, alternate energy sources. He will throw out for instances, leaving the true innovation to the scientists. Obamas ability to suppose demonstrates his innovative spirit. Obamas mandates to push the discovery envelope exhibits his commitment to innovation overall. We see in Obama more of an innovative intent than one would typically find in a politician, or in any high-level leader, for that matter. Even more unusual is his ability to integrate right- and left-brain thinking, to generate novelty and original direction while scrutinizing such prospects every step of the way. Obama pushes for advancement while keeping a safe tether. With such leadership he will progressively get to the change he so intently campaigned on but at no time be endangered by it. Change will be an evolution, not a revolution. While we could feel at times as if we are gesturing out into the abyss, we should also know that Obama is equally intent on guarding our safety. When looking for an example to use for this section on innovation, I found it interesting to land on one concerning a national security matter. Ironically, Obamas position on the aspect of national security you are about to read is relevant to both his innovative intent and to the interplay of his right- and left-brain thinking herein. You will see how his right-brain innovative strong suits pave the way and how his left-brain prudence secures him. This example was first introduced in the previous section on strategic leadership, showing Obamas opposition to advanced interrogation techniques. On May 21, 2009, this national security issue was again at the forefront of the news as President Obama and former vice president Dick Cheney battled through separate primetime televised addresses on the subject. Obamas stance demonstrates his innovative intent and right brain/left brain interplay. In an excerpt from his speech Obama had this to say:
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My single most important responsibility as president is to keep the American people safe . . . For the first time since 2002, we are providing the necessary resources and strategic direction to take the fight to the extremists who attacked us on 9/11 in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We are investing in the 21st-century military and intelligence capabilities that will allow us to stay one step ahead of a nimble enemy. We have reenergized a global nonproliferation regime to deny the worlds most dangerous people access to the worlds deadliest weapons, and launched an effort to secure all loose nuclear materials within four years. We are better protecting our border, and increasing our preparedness for any future attack or natural disaster. We are building new partnerships around the world to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda and its affiliates. And we have renewed American diplomacy so that we once again have the strength and standing to truly lead the world . . . These steps are all critical to keeping America secure. But I believe with every fiber of my being that in the long run we also cannot keep this country safe unless we enlist the power of our most fundamental values. The documents that we hold in this very hallthe Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rightsare not simply words written into aging parchment. They are the foundation of liberty and justice in this country, and a light that shines for all who seek freedom, fairness, equality and dignity in the world . . . Now let me be clear: we are indeed at war with al Qaeda and its affiliates. We do need to update our institutions to deal with this threat. But we must do so with an abiding confidence in the rule of law and due process; in checks and balances and accountability. For reasons that I will explain, the decisions that were made over the last eight years established an ad hoc legal approach for fighting terrorism that was neither effective nor sustainablea framework that failed to rely on our legal traditions and time-tested institutions; that failed to use our values as a compass. And that is why I took several steps upon taking office to better protect the American people. First, I banned the use of so-called enhanced interrogation techniques by the United States of America. The second decision that I made was to order the closing of the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay. The third decision that I made was to order a review of all the pending cases at Guantanamo. Finally, there remains the question of detainees at Guantanamo who cannot be prosecuted yet who pose a clear danger to the American people. I want to be honest: this is the toughest issue we will face. We are going to exhaust every avenue that we have to prosecute those at Guantanamo who pose a danger to our country. . . . As I said, I am not going to release individuals who endanger the American people. Al Qaeda terrorists and their affiliates are at war with the United States, and those that we capturelike other prisoners of warmust be prevented from attacking us again. However, we must recognize that these detention policies cannot be unbounded. That is why my administration has begun to reshape these standards to ensure they are in line with the rule of law . . . Now, this generation faces a great test in the specter of terrorism. Unlike the Civil War or World War II, we cannot count on a surrender ceremony to bring
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this journey to an end. Right now, in distant training camps and in crowded cities, there are people plotting to take American lives. That will be the case a year from now, five years from now, andin all probabilityten years from now. Neither I nor anyone else standing here today can say that there will not be another terrorist attack that takes American lives. But I can say with certainty that my administrationalong with our extraordinary troops and the patriotic men and women who defend our national securitywill do everything in our power to keep the American people safe. And I do know with certainty that we can defeat al Qaeda. Because the terrorists can only succeed if they swell their ranks and alienate America from our allies, and they will never be able to do that if we stay true to who we are; if we forge tough and durable approaches to fighting terrorism that are anchored in our timeless ideals.9
As you read over these passages from the presidents full address on national security, think of the imbedded aspects of innovation he applies. Obamas desire to return us to our core values is in this instance a truly innovative position in that he is both pioneering and risk taking in attempting to reverse our present course. Acknowledging that we are venturing into uncharted waters and fighting a new kind of enemy, he must be imaginativeable to visualize and think about the unlikely. To win this war, endless possible scenarios would have to be surmised to remain ahead of this threat. He would certainly have to be versed in the unconventional the unusualand to be novelty seekinginterested in the unknownif he and those who work with him on this matter are ever to come to grips with precisely what they are dealing with. Probably the biggest mistake we could make in defending ourselves against such an enemy would be to generalize a solution rather than to seek a solution that takes into consideration the distinctions and uniqueness of our adversaries. Obamas rightbrain innovative thinking is telling him that this is a different situation, and as such, it requires different approaches, approaches that must take into full account the nature of this enemy. Obama rejects reactive thinking. His left brain is telling him that he must instead be grounded. He must show good stewardship and trustworthiness, not just to our nation but to the world, to return the country to its constitutional values. Obama leads from the right innovative brain, recognizing a new and complex threat. His unconventional thinking gives rise to certain understandings about the true nature of the situation. Such innovative positioning confirms his established strategic assumptions: that we must act from a position that builds our alliances, not alienates us from them. He then shifts seamlessly between right-brain strategic and innovative thought to left-brain grounded actions. As Obama uses both sides of his brain in spontaneous fashion he is able to land on a position that returns the nation to the values it was founded upon. If you need additional convincing about the innovative spirit of the president, look to what was being called an unprecedented Middle East effort. In June 2009 Obama embarked on a tour of this region that culminated in a fifty-five-minute ad-
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dress at Cairo University in Egypt. In a worldwide broadcast to two billion Muslims throughout the Arab and Muslim world, the president sought to recast the United States global image and perspective. His pioneering and risk taking sides took him to the international region that is for the United States the most complicated sell. His overall innovative facility made it possible for him to see the full depth of his challenge and to therefore prepare fully for the event. Critiques following the presidents speech were resoundingly positive. As an example of the praise, the June 5, 2009, edition of Financial Times said, The speech was brilliant. With artful sensitivity he navigated through the minefields lettered with cultural explosive devices and politic-religious booby traps, dodging ambushes without evading the issues.10 CNN senior political analyst David Gergen reported, The most powerful and persuasive speech everby any American president to the Muslim world.11 Obamas milestone Cairo University address will be covered in greater detail later on in the chapter. For now keep in mind the crucial role innovation plays in a leaders overall impact, as is seen here. Thus far we see that Obama has pronounced strengths in the right-brain behaviors, strategic and innovative. Specifically we see the incremental effect when he not only draws from multiple right-brain strengths but then shifts with ease to incorporate left-brain strong suits as well. His right-brain strategic purpose and left-brain grounded intent pave the way, while his innovative side pushes him further to seek and craft inventive solutions. The fact that Obama is somewhat unique in that he appears prewired to innovateit is second nature to himmakes him at ease with what may seem for many of us intangible. For those less creatively inclined, those more tangible in nature, it may seem at times as if Obamas reasoning is unsubstantiated or driven solely by personal beliefs. A leap of faith is required to appreciate the power in Obamas innovative perspective. True innovators like Obama are connecting the hypothetical dots in such a way that new and different opportunities can be unearthed. They are generating scenarios and taking steps to push beyond the conventional. The fact that his innovative side is predicated upon by sound strategic thinking and modulated by solid analytical scrutiny makes his brand of innovation a secure proposition. With this array of behavioral abilities he is well able to set the groundwork for transformation.
A Transformational Imperative
Im asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring change to Washington . . . Im asking you to believe in yours. Barack Obama12
When you go to Barack Obamas official Web site, BarackObama.com, front and center is the quote you see above. Next to the Web sites logo is the title Organizing for America. As you continue to browse the site you see listed the issues that are on the presidents agendareforming the health care system, improving our
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education system, reclaiming Washington, recasting our global image, and rethinking approaches to the environment and to energy sources. The actual definition of the word transformational is to change somebody or something completely, especially improving their appearance or usefulness.13 Barack Obama is aggressively seeking to transform America. For Obama transformation is an imperative. The right-brain guiding leadership behavior transformational means to drive change in cultures, teams, and individuals relative to values, thoughts, and actions. Transformational leadership traits are:
Open to learninginterested in knowledge Assimilativebringing people and constructs together Attunedkeyed into current realities Ambiguity allowingable to deal with the uncertainties of change Facilitativeoperating as a catalyst Opportunity consciouslooking for appropriate prospects Incrementalworking progressively, in small steps Adaptiveable to change Mentoringable to teach and coach Alignment drivenhelping to unify others around directions and goals
Let us examine Obamas fit as an agent of change. Looking once again to the presidents June 4, 2009, speech at Cairo University, we can see numerous transformational traits portrayed. Following you will find the opening paragraph of his address.
I am honored to be in the timeless city of Cairo, and to be hosted by two remarkable institutions. For over a thousand years, Al-Azhar has stood as a beacon of Islamic learning, and for over a century, Cairo University has been a source of Egypts advancement. Together, you represent the harmony between tradition and progress. I am grateful for your hospitality, and the hospitality of the people of Egypt. I am also proud to carry with me the goodwill of the American people, and a greeting of peace from Muslim communities in my country: assalaamu alaykum.14
In his brief beginning sentences Obama demonstrates his star pupil status. He comes into every new situation well studied. He lets the audience know that he has taken the time to be familiar with his host. He greets them in their vernacular. As his speech continues he shows more of how he is open to learning. He does so by the sheer facts and history he conveys and through the context he is able to set. Through this knowledge-based skill you can convey to those you seek to enlist that you get it. Through information power you can demonstrate credibility in understanding. In Obamas case he can communicate to the world and to the people before him that he knows how we arrived at this juncture. He can build trust and respect based on his factually accurate, balanced, candid story. Obama continues:
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We meet at a time of tension between the United States and Muslims around the worldtension rooted in historical forces that go beyond any current policy debate. The relationship between Islam and the West includes centuries of coexistence and cooperation, but also conflict and religious wars. More recently, tension has been fed by colonialism that denied rights and opportunities to many Muslims, and a Cold War in which Muslim-majority countries were too often treated as proxies without regard to their own aspirations. Moreover, the sweeping change brought by modernity and globalization led many Muslims to view the West as hostile to the traditions of Islam. Violent extremists have exploited these tensions in a small but potent minority of Muslims. The attacks of September 11th, 2001, and the continued efforts of these extremists to engage in violence against civilians have led some in my country to view Islam as inevitably hostile not only to America and Western countries, but also to human rights. This has bred more fear and mistrust. So long as our relationship is defined by our differences, we will empower those who sow hatred rather than peace, and who promote conflict rather than the cooperation that can help all of our people achieve justice and prosperity. This cycle of suspicion and discord must end.15
Drawing from an established and masterfully unbiased learning foundation, we find the compelling case for change is more readily set and considered. An evolution of circumstance is described. Blame is not assigned; instead, factual depictions of a changing world are chronicled. Obamas statements show not only solid historical foundation but that he is attuned to current realities as well. He comprehensively references specific recent conflicts, circumstances, and issues. His presence in Cairo along with the words spoken demonstrate his assimilative sidehis intent on bringing people and constructs togetheras well as his facilitative manner his ability to operate as a catalyst. With this as with many of his public appearances Obama shows that he is opportunity conscious, looking for appropriate prospects through which to convey his messages of change. In the closing paragraphs of Obamas Cairo address we see additional facets of his transformational ability. He concludes his address with the following remarks:
All of us share this world for but a brief moment in time. The question is whether we spend that time focused on what pushes us apart, or whether we commit ourselves to an efforta sustained effortto find common ground, to focus on the future we seek for our children, and to respect the dignity of all human beings. It is easier to start wars than to end them. It is easier to blame others than to look inward; to see what is different about someone than to find the things we share. But we should choose the right path, not just the easy path. There is also one rule that lies at the heart of every religionthat we do unto others as we would have them do unto us. This truth transcends nations and peoplesa belief that isnt new; that isnt black or white or brown; that isnt Christian, or Muslim or Jew. Its a belief that pulsed in the cradle of civilization, and that still beats in the heart of billions. Its a faith in other people, and its what brought me here today.
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We have the power to make the world we seek, but only if we have the courage to make a new beginning, keeping in mind what has been written. The Holy Koran tells us, O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. The Talmud tells us: The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace. The Holy Bible tells us, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is Gods vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may Gods peace be upon you.16
Moving from student to teacher, Obama began mentoring his audience, relaying the common threads in the worlds religious doctrines. Obama then moved to speak from his heart and from his own personal and professional experiences to convey his passion and hope for building new bonds and appreciations between groups currently divided, stating,
I do so recognizing that change cannot happen overnight. No single speech can eradicate years of mistrust, nor can I answer in the time that I have all the complex questions that brought us to this point. But I am convinced that in order to move forward, we must say openly the things we hold in our hearts, and that too often are said only behind closed doors. There must be a sustained effort to listen to each other; to learn from each other; to respect one another; and to seek common ground. As the Holy Koran tells us, Be conscious of God and speak always the truth. That is what I will try to doto speak the truth as best I can, humbled by the task before us, and firm in my belief that the interests we share as human beings are far more powerful than the forces that drive us apart. Part of this conviction is rooted in my own experience. I am a Christian, but my father came from a Kenyan family that includes generations of Muslims. As a boy, I spent several years in Indonesia and heard the call of the azaan at the break of dawn and the fall of dusk. As a young man, I worked in Chicago communities where many found dignity and peace in their Muslim faith. As a student of history, I also know civilizations debt to Islam. It was Islamat places like Al-Azhar Universitythat carried the light of learning through so many centuries, paving the way for Europes Renaissance and Enlightenment. It was innovation in Muslim communities that developed the order of algebra; our magnetic compass and tools of navigation; our mastery of pens and printing; our understanding of how disease spreads and how it can be healed. Islamic culture has given us majestic arches and soaring spires; timeless poetry and cherished music; elegant calligraphy and places of peaceful contemplation. And throughout history, Islam has demonstrated through words and deeds the possibilities of religious tolerance and racial equality.17
He is clearly alignment driven, seeking to unify his global listeners around his directions and goals. He is incremental by nature, knowing that change comes
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from approximations toward a goalfrom evolutions, not revolutions. He believes in the premise that the continued thrust of small, unrelenting steps makes the difference. One shining example of successful incremental change is the civil rights movement and Obamas election to office. While an impetus milestone in that movement for sure, it is yet another step in a long line of targets still to be realized. Of the two remaining transformational traits, adaptive and ambiguity allowing, and in assessing Obamas facility with each, recall Obamas personal history. His world demanded continuous adaptation. He had to cope with recurring uncertainties on multiple fronts. Negotiating the gray areas of life, the unknown and the uncharted, was fundamental to his adjustment and success. Obamas life experience in adaptation, diversity, and ambiguity are key determinants in his current changeleadership proficiency. To exist in dual worlds, to live in a cross-section of geographic regions, social classes, and family structures and to reconcile trying personal circumstances, Obama was continuously required to evolve, reconcile, and adjust. Obama is thus a lifelong student of change. He embraces it, values it, and respects its complexity. Obama knows all too well the contests transformations pose. He has had to live it. Obamas own remarkable story now works in his leadership favor, giving him firsthand understanding of what is required when we seek to revolutionize. He is in effect a walking testament to the power of transformation. He knows full well what can come from actions that seek to positively reshape the values, thoughts, and actions of others.
Engaging Underpinnings
Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones weve been waiting for. We are the change we seek. Barack Obama18
To engage others means to bring them on board, to gain their devotion to a cause or plight, to interest them in something you are trying to accomplish. As a leader, to engage someone means that you can count on them to contribute, that you have their support. Someone who is engaged will produce and accomplish through their willingness to own a part of the end result. What has been most consistent in Obamas messages throughout his candidacy and his new presidency is his engaging references. The guiding leadership behavior engaging is defined as understanding and working well with others, validating, involving, and recognizing others and helping them take responsibility. Obamas cornerstone has been his interpersonal style. He is a good listener, puts others at ease, is reverent and courteous, and is able to reach across lines, party and otherwise. He is truly inspirational and enigmatic. He possesses a discerning ability to understand others perspectives and believes in the power of teamwork as well as the need for everyone on a team to do his or her part. In a December 1, 2008, televised interview, when asked about the appointment of his national security team, Obama remarked that he was committed to creating
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a team with strong opinions as he believed such a team would be able to make the best decisions and not fall prey to groupthink.19 Groupthink is a term in interpersonal communications that means the perceived absence of conflict. Teams where members are too alike are often susceptible to groupthink since differing opinions simply dont exist. Leaders who dont permit a free exchange of information will also cause groupthink, squelching potentially productive debate. The fact that Obama so naturally and openly referenced his determination to avert such a dynamic is yet another example of his uncommon leadership. It also unmistakably points to his commitment to engagement. Obamas likability and interpersonal skill are in fact so pronounced that they have called into question his ability to stand strong, as if the two behaviors, engaging and assertive, cannot coexist. They are not mutually exclusive, and for a leader, rather it is essential that they occur in unison. It is nonetheless rare to see a top leader with well-honed and natural people skills who can also be formidable. More on Obamas assertiveness will follow. With respect to Obamas engagement skills, lets examine the ten traits of this important behavior and see what makes Obama so inclined. The traits of engaging leadership are:
Inquisitiveprobing further, especially into others thoughts Listeningpaying attention for accurate understanding Respectfulhaving consideration for others Responsiveaddressing the concerns of others Inclusiveinvolving everyone Collaborativeworking along with others Empathicunderstanding others perspectives Empoweringgiving responsibility to others Charismaticenthusing others through personal magnetism Motivationalinspiring others in positive action
In his inaugural address Obama made the following statements steeped in engaging leadership:
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindusand nonbelievers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace . . . As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service;
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a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this momenta moment that will define a generationit is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all. For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighters courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parents willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate. Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success dependshard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotismthese things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibilitya recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidencethe knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny. This is the meaning of our liberty and our creedwhy men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than 60 years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath. So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of Americas birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people: Let it be told to the future world . . . that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive . . . that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it]. America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our childrens children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and Gods grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.20
One and a half million people attended the presidents inauguration. Countless others all over the world viewed the event and heard the presidents words.
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The event was without incident; it was peaceful, moving, and exhilarating. No doubt Obama has the power to engage. In the concluding remarks from his inaugural address we see more precisely the qualities of engaging leadership. With his reference to the strength of our patchwork heritage along with his mention of all global factions he was inclusive, involving everyone in his call. In his expression of validation and thanks he showed his respectful consideration of our servicemen and women. He was collaborative and empowering as he described how the success of a nation comes from the contributions, responsibility, and voice of its citizens. He showed his listening skill as he relayed the historic values of our nation. A responsive tone was reiterated throughout the address as arduous times were acknowledged. His references to past plights and tomorrows lights expressed passionately and poetically were both charismatic and motivational. This address was vintage Obama in its ability to prompt and encourage. He validated who we are as a people and he engendered a spirit of involvement. In his less formal communications and positions Obama has an uncanny ability to show us our placehow we can and should get involved. If he is speaking about his direction on environmental reform he will clearly articulate his plan and follow immediately with what each and every citizen can do to contribute to the effort. His rather ordinary relational style is an effective equalizer. While he is the president, the person holding the highest seat of power, he is also able to relate to the everyday person in an unpretentious manner. Without compromise to his stature, he can in a moment be one of us. In this way he is able to convey empathythe ability to relate to others perspectives along with an inquisitive or interested position. Obamas superior empathic ability is rooted in his upbringing and in the perspectives of both his mother and father, who were above all matched in their appreciation for humanity. Obamas empathy and inquisitiveness work in tandemhe is curious about the world and its people, and out of that curiosity he is well able to tune into others views. His ability to walk in the shoes of another must be underscored in terms of how it enables Obama to bring others together. Whereas nonempathic approaches produce telling, one-way tones, an empathic tack engenders sharing, understanding, and openness for all involved. When the behavior savvy is examined you will see how Obamas engaging strong suits contribute to his ability as a diplomat, and vice versa. A final aspect of engaging leadership to consider is that of nonverbal behavior. The communication rule of thumb is that upwards of 70 percent of our communication is nonverbal. Some estimates go as high as 85 percent. That means that others pay less attention to what we say and more attention to how we say it. Aspects of nonverbal communication include facial expressions, eye contact, touch, gestures, silence, vocal qualities and tone, rate of speech, laughter, yelling, whining, and pitch.21 Nonverbal communication is a critical factor in engagement. Your nonverbal communication will ultimately be what communicates your messages. Consider
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Obamas nonverbal demeanor. He is known for being even in tone and temperament. He is pleasant and expresses genuine positive emotion where appropriate. He makes good eye contact. All of these things draw us to him. He becomes more stern and definitive in his speech during heightened, serious times. He slows his speech down and repeats key phrases that he wants to be sure to emphasize. His nuances and qualities of nonverbal communication match the situation. This makes him more believable, more genuine. It makes us more likely to listen to him even when we disagree with what he is saying. Overall, when you combine what he says with how he says it, we find Obamas engaging ability to be exceptional.
Noting Breadth and Depth

As we consider Obamas overall right-brain leadership ability we see two notables he has both right-brain leadership breadthhe acts from all four right-brain leadership guiding behaviors. In addition he possesses great depth, meaning his facility in each of the four behaviors runs across many or most of the behaviors discrete traits. I hope you are beginning to see that it is the nuances that make the difference in Obamas leadershipthe fact that he acts from such a broad set of behaviors and traits and that he does so in a naturally integrated fashion. Typically, if you were to examine several good or great leaders you would no doubt find several of the right-brain behaviors at which they are masterful. Upon closer examination you would even find several behavior traits that are their cornerstones. You would seldom find the breadth and depth you see in Obama. You would instead most probably find the tendency to overplay strengths, especially during times of stress, rather than to extend in a broader manner across the leadership behavioral plane. There would be less seamless behavioral shifting in the checks and balance manner from which our brain is wired to work. Instead the leader would likely act from more ingrained behavioral habits. Obama, on the other hand, is less disposed to such predilections and more prone to behavioral diversity. As we move next to an examination of Obamas left-brain guiding leadership behaviors, it will be interesting to see if we find the same levels of breadth and depth.
Chapter 5
Obamas Vision Realized
Methodical: A Call to Action

Theres been a tendency to score political points instead of rolling up sleeves to solve real problems. Barack Obama1
As atypical as certain aspects of Obamas upbringing were, his day-to-day existence was marked by the rather common preoccupations of a structured and disciplined life. Above all, accomplishment was requisite. While he may have been encouraged to dream and to wonder, he was expected to perform. High standards for achievement were set. What we notice today in Obama is flawless left-brain order, analytics, and attention to detail, qualities necessary to develop and execute master plans. The guiding leadership behavior methodical and its ten corresponding traits will display Obamas preparatory capability. To be methodical requires that you well organize your charge, taking into consideration tasks and details. It also means that you are efficient and systematic in your approach. Methodical leadership ensures that near-term tactics, discrete steps, and actions are created that contribute to overarching long-term strategies. In essence it is the role of the left brain to structure and drive the vision that the right brain has determined. A methodical leader employs systematic scrutiny to craft elemental objectives, a staging toward ones goals. The ten traits of methodical leadership are:
Task orientedattentive to assignments Detail orientedattentive to discrete parts of assignments Organizedorderly and systematic Eectiveproducing workable solutions and results Focusedable to establish and attend to priorities Proceduralusing systems and processes
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Right Brain/Left Brain President Sequentialcognizant of the likely order of things Logicalrational and reasonable, recognizing what makes the best sense Analyticalbreaking an entity into its parts Factualbasing assertions on tangible data and evidence
On June 17, 2009, the president unveiled the specifics of his financial regulatory reform plan. The document was eighty-eight pages in length and marked yet another step in the series of actions the president took to address the global economic crisis. In an address to the nation Obama highlighted the main points of this latest reform. He began by setting the context and then delineated the compelling case for change. Obama noted that in developing this plan they sought to address targeted flaws that left us vulnerable to securing our safety as we move ahead. They did not opt to start from scratch. Instead Obama led a focused approach. In describing the plans three salient features, Obama began by stating:
With the reforms were proposing today, we seek to put in place rules that will allow our markets to promote innovation while discouraging abuse. We seek to create a framework in which markets can function freely and fairly, without the fragility in which normal business cycles suddenly bring the risk of financial collapse; we want a system that works for businesses and consumers . . . First, were proposing a set of reforms to require regulators to look not only at the safety and soundness of individual institutions, but alsofor the first timeat the stability of the financial system as a whole. One of the reasons this crisis could take place is that while many agencies and regulators were responsible for overseeing individual financial firms and their subsidiaries, no one was responsible for protecting the whole system from the kinds of risks that tied these firms to one another. Regulators were charged with seeing the trees, but not the forest. And even then, some firms that posed a so-called systemic risk were not regulated as strongly as others; they behaved like banks but chose to be regulated as insurance companies, or investment firms, or other entities that were under less scrutiny.2
In this opening point, requiring regulators to provide oversight into both individual institutions and the interrelationship between these institutions, the president immediately connects his tactic to the overarching strategic intentto avert another house of cards or a snowballing effect that could place the entire financial system at risk again. The president went on to describe the additional authority he would grant to the Federal Reserve to regulate large entities that create potential for risk. He was also intent on mandating greater reserves that such organizations maintain as added safeguards. Additionally the Obama plan proposed an oversight council that would charge regulators with monitoring both oversight and communication across the financial sector to address issues that may have fallen between the cracks. In how Obama has described his reform thus far we see evidence of his analytical and detail-oriented facility. Obama goes on to explain,
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As part of this effort were proposing the creation of whats called resolution authority for large and interconnected financial firms so that were not only putting in place safeguards to prevent the failure of these firms, but also a set of orderly procedures that will allow us to protect the economy if such a firm does in fact go underwater. Think about this: If a bank fails, we have a process through the FDIC that protects depositors and maintains confidence in the banking system. This process was created during the Great Depression when the failure of one bank led to runs on other banks, which in turn threatened wider turmoil. And it works. Yet we dont have any effective system in place to contain the failure of an AIG, or the largest and most interconnected financial firms in our country.3
In this excerpt, Obama demonstrates his procedural manner by looking at how to best leverage systems and processes. He goes on to describe the second key element of his reform, to establish a potent agency that will look out for the interest of the everyday consumer. He is factual in explaining the rationale for such oversight, noting that
there were also millions of Americans who signed contracts they didnt always understand offered by lenders who didnt always tell the truth . . . Companies compete not by offering better products, but more complicated ones, with more fine print and more hidden terms . . . This agency will have the power to set standards so that companies compete by offering innovative products that consumers actually wantand actually understand. Consumers will be provided information that is simple, transparent, and accurate. Youll be able to compare products and see whats best for you. The most unfair practices will be banned. Those ridiculous contracts with pages of fine print that no one can figure out . . . The mission of this new agency must also be reflected in the work we do throughout the government. There are other agencies, like the Federal Trade Commission, charged with protecting consumers, and we must ensure that those agencies have the resources and the state-of-the-art tools to stop unfair and deceptive practices as well.4
Obamas final point described

a series of changes designed to promote free and fair markets by closing gaps and overlaps in our regulatory systemincluding gaps that exist not just within but between nations . . . we will dismantle the Office of Thrift Supervision and close loopholes that have allowed important institutions to cherry-pick among banking rules. We will offer only one federal banking charter, regulated by a strengthened federal supervisor. Well raise capital requirements for all depository institutions. Hedge fund advisors will be required to register with the SEC. Were also proposing comprehensive regulation of credit default swaps and other derivatives that have threatened the entire financial system. And we will require the originator of a loan to retain an economic interest in that loan, so that the lenderand not just the holder of a security, for examplehas an interest in ensuring that a loan is actually paid back. By setting common-sense
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rules, these kinds of financial instruments can play a constructive, rather than destructive role.5
With this set of orderly plausible steps, Obama demonstrates how he is both sequential and logical. In vintage Obama clean and clear summary style, the president demonstrated his organized approach. In an attempt to create a plan that is effective we heard Obamas proposed workable solutions:
Extending oversight to the Federal Reserve Giving government the power to break up large rms Regulating complex securities Creating a consumer protection agency Coordinating regulations worldwide 6
The presidents aggressive attention to the economic crisis, adding this latest proposed reform to the previous actions he took to right the economy, shows his task-oriented side, that he is attentive to the work at hand. While one may argue that Obama had little choice but to act and to act quickly on the economic front, Obamas systematic command seems more about who he is, more internally driven than externally determined. One would describe him as buttoned-up in overall approach. We saw Obamas methodical stance originally in how he ran his campaign, with well-organized plans down to the smallest of tasks and details. Next we saw an effectively run and focused transition team. In the preceding example from the early stages of his presidency, Obamas response to a critical matter is systematic, ordered, data-driven, and rational. We can see similar examples of order in his personal life. For example, Obama adheres to a rigorous exercise regimen, and he and Michelle defined a set date-night upon moving into the White House the Obamas way to plan for a regular return to their social life given the voluminous demands on their time. As you look over Obamas first six months in office, with multiple critical issues on the table, Obama had attacked a range of problems with methodical precision. While showing that he can handle numerous demandshis exact words, I believe a president should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time7 Obama addressed manifold issues at once. For each separate matter he was able to go step-by-step, to use broad-based data to inform decisions, to act with common sense, to dissect, to order, and to put sound processes in place to support overall intent. More striking is the right- and left-brain interplay as the president worked from a matrix format to identify interconnections among and between issues wherever possible. Thinking about how Obama approaches his work and his life, we can easily map his style to that of a sound methodical leader. Using the Methodical Leadership Checklist below, you can see aspects of this important tactical behavior as
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it reveals itself in the day-to-day thoughts and actions of a leader like Obama. Obama is a fan of scorecards. Here is a scorecard for you to use to rate the president on his methodical leadership ability. Enhance the checklist by using a scale from one to ten with ten being outstanding, and track Obama periodically on his methodical ability.
METHODICAL LEADERSHIP CHECKLIST

___ Task oriented: Ground my day in the assignments at hand. ___ Detail oriented: Ground my day in the discrete parts of the assignments. ___ Organized: Consider how to resource and track the work to ensure systematic order. ___ Effective: Consider the conditions that would need to be met to meet goals in the best way possible, netting workable solutions or results. ___ Focused: Examine the work scope and resources available to prioritize tasks and initiatives and attend to those established. ___ Procedural: Ensure that adequate processes and systems are in place. ___ Sequential: Determine the best order and time frames for the work. ___ Logical: Look back over the plan to date to ensure that it makes good overall sense. ___ Analytical: Examine elements and relationships for plan and goal strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. ___ Factual: Provide the facts to back up assertions.8
One would expect that he will receive consistently high marks on this opening left-brain leadership skill set. The success of ones plans, however, is often determined in part by ones ability to adequately communicate them. A leader must be able to convey salient points at precise moments and in the right forums. A leader must connect through words with those with whom he is involved. Such is the charge of expressive leadership.
Expressive Excellence
Please excuse Kennedy from school today. Shes with me. Barack Obama9
On June 11, 2009, the president was speaking at a town hall meeting in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A man stood up to the microphone to ask a question and remarked that he was at the meeting with his ten-year old daughter, who was missing her
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last day of school to see the president. The dad commented that he hoped she wasnt going to get in trouble. Obama quickly reacted with the following banter:
The president: Oh, no. (Laughter.) Do you need me to write a note? The dad: Ill take you up on that actually, Mr. President. (Laughter and applause.) The president: All right, go ahead. Ill start writing it now. Whats her name? The dad: Well, considering I have some people here from work that are very interested in
The president: No, no, Im serious. Whats your daughters name? The dad: Her name is Kennedy. The president: Kennedy. All right, thats a cool name. (Laughter.) The dad: Thats a very cool name, thank you. The president: All right, Im going to write to Kennedys teacher. (Laughter.) Okay,
go ahead, Im listening to your question.10
Obama finished writing, walked over to the family, and handed a note to them. It read, Please excuse Kennedy from school today. Shes with me. The note was signed, Barack Obama. Obama is known for his eloquent, inspirational, and crystal-clear speaking. He is jokingly called the teleprompter president for his buttoned-up addresses, yet in the exchange described here with a young girls father at a town hall meeting, we catch a glimpse of Obamas ease with the impromptu. Obamas expressive ability is far-reaching. When his base communication skills are melded with his interpersonal flair, Obamas expressive leadership impact takes on his own unique brand. In this section on expressive leadership we see yet another example of Obamas right and left brain working in consort. We see great depth in a given left-brain guiding leadership behavior, in this case, that of expressive leadership. In addition we see continuous right-brain collaboration with the behavior engaging, poising Obama for enhanced leadership impact. To be expressive is to clearly communicate your thoughts. It means that you provide audiences with the needed context, that you converse and come across well, and that you are compelling and encouraging. An expressive leader can master all mediums from face-to-face conversations to formal presentations and doctrine. In todays internet world one has to come across equally well virtually. A leaders messages then must be tailored to varied channels to be effective. The traits of expressive leadership are:
Preparedgiving the necessary forethought to formal and informal messages Articulateable to write and speak with clarity Coherentable to write and speak logically Conciseable to write and speak succinctly Eruditeable to express yourself from the basis of scholarly knowledge Presentablehaving a professional presence and demeanor Passionatehaving intensity and/or enthusiasm with respect to your subject matter
Obamas Vision Realized Personablehaving an appropriately favorable demeanor Persuasiveable to make a compelling point Interestingprovoking thought and/or holding others attention
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Ancient Greek playwright Menander wrote, The character of a man is known from his conversations.11 What do Obamas conversations tell us about his character? Obama is in the public eye frequently, perhaps more so than we have seen from a sitting president. As such he is creating the impression of accessibility and of determination. His town hall formats suggest a genuine desire to be in close touch with the peopleto know, to understand, and to gauge what they are thinking. He is typically exceptionally well versed in his subject matter, indicating that mastery is important to him. Through his conversations he displays seriousness of character and strength of convictions along with warmth and playfulness, a genuineness as a human being. With respect to the actual ten traits of expressive leadership, think of them as divided into two categories. One category would represent the more technical aspects of communicatingwhat you saywhile the second category represents your deliveryhow you say what you need to say, along with other qualities such as your appearance. Think of the ten traits of expressive leadership as organized into the mechanics of expression and your expressive persona. Being prepared, articulate, coherent, concise, and erudite are all mechanics of communicating. Being presentable, passionate, personable, persuasive, and interesting reflect your expressive persona.12 Obamas expressive mechanics are spot-on. His preparation is complete. He is clear and to the point, far from the usual droning of politicians. When you read his writings or listen to him speak, his thoughts are conveyed in a manner that seems logical and, above all, learned. He is heard time and time again using the phrases Let me be clear and Let me say that again to emphasize key points. He will organize new plans or policy directions into three, four, or five crisp summary points. Obama communicates in well-constructed road maps complete with rationales and supporting data. His communications extend across a spectrum from userfriendly simplistic language to rich scholarly references. With respect to expressive persona, Obama presents as a polished enthusiast. He is amiable, charming, and likable. He makes compelling cases for change. He provokes our thoughts and holds our attention. Returning to excerpts from the presidents June 4, 2009, address at Cairo University we can see the full spectrum of Obamas expressive persona. In the following remarks the president captivates his global audience in a manner that negotiates multiple fine lines. He unties listeners away from their unilateral factions to their existence as humankind.
For we have learned from recent experience that when a financial system weakens in one country, prosperity is hurt everywhere. When a new flu infects one human being, all are at risk. When one nation pursues a nuclear weapon, the
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risk of nuclear attack rises for all nations. When violent extremists operate in one stretch of mountains, people are endangered across an ocean. And when innocents in Bosnia and Darfur are slaughtered, that is a stain on our collective conscience. That is what it means to share this world in the 21st century. That is the responsibility we have to one another as human beings. This is a difficult responsibility to embrace. For human history has often been a record of nations and tribes subjugating one another to serve their own interests. Yet in this new age, such attitudes are self-defeating. Given our interdependence, any world order that elevates one nation or group of people over another will inevitably fail. So whatever we think of the past, we must not be prisoners of it. Our problems must be dealt with through partnership; progress must be shared. That does not mean we should ignore sources of tension. Indeed, it suggests the opposite: we must face these tensions squarely. And so in that spirit, let me speak as clearly and plainly as I can about some specific issues that I believe we must finally confront together.13
In this passage from Obamas landmark global address we see the president leverage his compelling, accessible, and professional speaking style to craft and deliver high-impact messages. Through his expressive persona being presentable, passionate, personable, persuasive, and interesting, Obama walked us through a timeline of critical world events from economic crisis to the far-reaching consequences of inhumanity in order to encourage us to be one. Obamas remarks in this noted section of his address implore the masses to confront differences, explaining that to succeed in working together as a people we must first deal with the very issues that divide us. In the statements that followed the president took his audience through seven key issues that the global community must address together. He did so with great command of his subject matter and in a manner that held each group accountable without alienation. He spoke candidly and from a firm knowledge base. The seven key issues referenced included:
Violent extremism in all forms The situation between Israelis, Palestinians, and the Arab world The rights and responsibilities of nations regarding nuclear weapons Democracy Religious freedom The rights of women Economic development and opportunity.14
Overall his speech to the Muslim world was in essence a well-blended balance of expressive mechanics and expressive persona where he demonstrated the full range of expressive traits. Obamas address at Cairo University is not to be underestimated. As it was, it reflected a stellar example of expressive leadership. Through what he said and how he said it, Obama superbly managed a complex speaking trial. Obama met this test head-on, with poise, diplomacy, and scholarship, doing
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so in such a way that a new direction, one of hope and commonality, was perhaps stimulated. Obamas success in this effort was possible not only because of his expressive acumen but also because his speaking modeled the very collaboration he was asking for from his audience. Obamas multiple right- and left-brain leadership abilities came into play. His ability to draw from extensive behavioral breadth and depth took an already accelerated skill, that of his expressive leadership, and catapulted it to greater heights. Through the presidents well-crafted address he drew from methodical, step-by-step ability. He demonstrated solid grounded traits through his composed credible nature. He was assertive in his willingness to explicitly confront sensitive matters. We saw strategic vision and innovation in how the address was put together as well as transformational fervor, a call for new paths forward. Lastly we saw Obamas tried and true engaging persona in the alignment of his words and his intent. While the presidents singular leadership behaviors are exemplary, as is the case with his expressive flair, his ability to fluidly combine and leverage multiple right- and left-brain leadership behaviors makes his effect all the more potent. As a final example of Obamas expressive ability we look to one of his own works, Dreams from My Father. This convincing autobiographical account of the young Obamas personal and professional journey is masterfully written. Alluring throughout, one section in particular stands out in my mind. It was Obamas conveyance of September 11, 2001. Complexly describing the moment in a vivid and compelling manner all his own, you were taken to that day. You felt its horror.
Its beyond my skill as a writer to capture that day, and the days that would followthe planes, like specters, vanishing into steel and glass; the slow-motion cascade of the towers crumbling into themselves; the ash-covered figures wandering the streets; the anguish and the fear. Nor do I pretend to understand the stark nihilism that drove the terrorists that day and that drives their brethren still . . . 15
Obama is a gifted writer, yet another facet of his expressive capability. Within his depiction we also see his human connection to the worlds tragic circumstance. In what we can hear from Obama overall, whether through formal speeches, passages in written works, town hall dialogue, press conferences, or interviews, is leftbrain communicative command. We also see a genuine right-brain relationship with his audiences. But words alone are not enough, even when melded with an interpersonal bond. The next hurdle is whether a leader can stand behind his words and feelings in how he is in fact experienced. Obamas intent is good. He can communicate that intent in the most effective manner possible. As we move to the next left-brain guiding behavior, that of grounded leadership, we will explore how Obamas words and emotions are in fact backed up by his stability and good-sense stewardship. If what Menander says is true, that the character of a man is known
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from his conversations, Obama should be positioned for strong grounded leadership traits.
Grounded: Responsible with a Capitol R

But we have been called to govern in extraordinary times. And that requires an extraordinary sense of responsibilityto ourselves, to the men and women who sent us here, and to the many generations whose lives will be affected for the good or for the ill because of what we do here. Barack Obama16
Obama has an extraordinary sense of responsibility. The Obama view of leadership is not a do it my way or I know whats best perspective. Obamas scorecard is not based on wins and losses. It is based on responsibility to those who have entrusted him with the authority of his office. It is about the greater good and about visionary progress as reflected in sustained American ideals. Obama has been compared in some respects to past president Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln once said, Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test his character, give him power.17 How does President Obama display his power and what does that tell us about his character? Examining Obama in terms of grounded leadership traits will provide the answer. All leaders have power, first based on the very position they hold and then by virtue of how they set out to lead. How a leader handles power will determine, among other things, how grounded a leader she is. Grounded leadership is ultimately a matter of character. Can the leader be trusted? Is he viewed as stable? Does she make those around her feel as though they are in good hands? Lincoln would agree. How individuals handle power reflects their character. The guiding leadership behavior grounded is defined as acting with integrity, consistency, and stability, to be the steward and the gauge. It is about how others feel in your presence, both about you and about themselves. If you are a grounded leader, others will feel as though they are in fact safe. They will see you as respectable, honest, authentic, poised, sensible, and fair. They themselves will feel valued. Looking more closely at what it means to be grounded, the ten traits of grounded leadership are:
Composedable to control your emotions Approachablehaving a manner that allows others to reach out to you Genuinesincere Pragmaticpractical and realistic Cautioussensible and careful Questioningseeking assurances and/or getting to the bottom of issues Stablesteady and consistent in your views and approaches Loyalcommitted to your people and responsibilities Establishedhaving proven competence Trustworthyable to be counted on
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The ten traits of grounded leadership can be organized into three clusters. The first cluster represents initial impressions, how others experience a leader in the moment. How composed, approachable, and genuine is he? The second cluster represents a leaders grounded actions, how a leader responds to a given situation. Is she practical? Does she exercise good caution? Does she ask the right questions? The third cluster reflects a leaders reputation over time. How loyal, steady, and established is he? Can we trust him to deliver on his promises? Relating the ten traits of grounded leadership to Obama, we see a leader whose hallmarks are equanimity and steadiness. He would therefore receive high marks on the traits composed and stable. One such example comes from Obamas handling of the April 2009 Indian Ocean hostage situation. On April 8, 2009, a cargo ship was hijacked by Somali pirates. While the crew was able to regain control of their ship, the ships captain, Richard Phillips, was taken hostage. Obama was said to have worked discreetly and effectively with Defense Department factions to ultimately enable Navy Seals to rescue Captain Phillips.18 The president handled the matter in a serious and low-key fashion. Obama leveraged the resources at his disposal and acted with the needed command and authority. The president was appropriately cautious, making certain that his decisions were sensible and careful as he worked to deal with a critical and highprofile situation. As further testament to Obamas character it is noteworthy that the president, who has been characteristically in the public eye, did not hold a press conference following this incident to glamorize the success of its resolution but rather put out a statement calling attention to the crew and to Captain Phillipss bravery. At that moment he exercised his power with discretion and not for his own self interest, but to applaud others. A second incident comes to mind in terms of Obamas composure and stability. On June 12, 2009, the country of Iran held its tenth presidential election. A charge of fraud was raised when incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner, with 62.6 percent of the vote in his favor. Allegations of wrongdoing stemmed from the fact that former prime minister and candidate Mir Hossein Mousavis representatives were not permitted to join in the supervision of the election and that numerous inconsistencies existed in the overall process. Those discrepancies included actual numbers of votes recorded at certain polling places and the speed with which the election results were supposedly finalized (votes simply could not have been counted so quickly). Initially it appeared also that the government was blocking full view of the election controversy from the rest of the world. What began as peaceful national protest grew to violence. An international outcry of injustice followed.19 Some considered Obamas public statements too reserved. Obama stated that he was deeply troubled by the violence that Ive been seeing on television, further remarking that it is up to the Iranians to make decisions about who Irans leaders will be. In an attempt to support the people of Iran, Obama said, To those people who put so much hope and energy and optimism into the political process, I
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would say to them that the world is watching and inspired by their participation, regardless of what the ultimate outcome of the election was . . . And they should know that the world is watching.20 Was Obama too moderate in his response, or perhaps was he prudent and thoughtful, taking in the accounts of this acutely disturbing matter and looking to sensibly integrate it into his strategy with Iran moving forward? Was he displaying sound interplay between immediate left-brain reaction and a right-brain fullscope approach? Obamas right brain was seeing the complexities of Irans world circumstance, and rather than act in response to a singular event, better to reflect on what this circumstance tells him about the whole of Iran, from where its people stand to the realities of its current leadership. Obamas statements are those of a grounded leader who draws from a dynamic interplay between strategic thinking and ultimate assertive response. His reiterative point about the world watching may indicate that from his perspective, the matter is being taken under serious advisement by many, himself included, and that everyone is on alert. In continuing to explore Obamas grounded leadership traits, with respect to the trait approachable, Obama is at ease socially and is a natural at helping others to feel comfortable in his presence. Obama is genuine. His authenticity is apparent. He is pragmatic, able to sort through the complexities of issues and with practical common sense identify what makes sense and what doesnt. While some criticize him for taking on too much at once, he is sensible and careful in his monitoring approaches. These are unusual times, and in the presidents mind, we must push hard to drive needed change. It appears that as the work unfolds, his steady hand will guide his decisions about whether to scale back. His right-brain integrated mindset is disposed to seeing things holistically, which explains the broad net he cast early on in his presidency. His left-brain structure and stabilityhis vigilant naturewill step in over time to modulate the direction. Such is the case because Obama is questioning, highly adept at effective inquiry. He will rely on this trait, and in due course likely reset, finding the appropriate balance and focus. With respect to the remaining three grounded traits, loyal, established, and trustworthy, these are qualities that must withstand the test of time. Any leader, regardless of past accomplishments, will be judged relative to steadfastness, proven capability, and integrity. Evaluations will be based on performance in each successive position. Given the turbulent times of the Obama presidency, such is especially the case. In his new role as president, Obamas reliability, wherewithal, and temperament will be tested in countless ways. While we can look across Obamas life to date and see little if any reason to doubt his allegiance, he will need to prove himself as president. Certainly the fact that he has historically conducted himself as someone who can be counted on bodes well for him. That he has reached his present place in life clearly speaks to his record of accomplishment. There is little we know that would
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call into question that he is in fact an honorable man. Still, in all, we must wait and see how this new president fares. All evidence to date tells us he will come through these aspects of grounded leadership well, but the times and context will certainly try him. In evaluating Obamas grounded facility by the clustering traits, his initial impressions, his grounded actions, and his reputation over time, what could be said is that Obama makes a solid initial impression. He most often seems composed, approachable, and genuine. With respect to his grounded actions, how pragmatic, cautious, and questioning he is, we also find noted strong suits. Regarding his reputation, Obamas impact in this respect will have to withstand the test of time. As we move through the four left-brain guiding leadership behaviors, from methodical or systematic to expressive, able to communicate to grounded, displaying the character factor, we come to the final left-brain behavior, assertive. The nature of Obamas assertiveness will be pivotal in what he is ultimately able to accomplish.
True Assertive
What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility, a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. Barack Obama21
If you look up the word assertive you will note descriptors such as forcefully strong and self-assured. You may even see words like pushy, aggressive, brazen, and insolent. What is truly assertive with respect to leadership? Obamas previously referenced quote relays the phrase giving our all to a difficult task. That is one way to describe assertive leadership, to act with resolve. In the language of the right brain/left brain leadership model, to be an assertive leader is to be upfront, direct, and determined to get the desired results. Being strong and self-assured, perhaps even pushy, would all be considered part of that leadership definition. Assertive leadership may also at times require that one be aggressive, even brazen, if what we mean by those terms is to act boldly or willing to make the first move. Assertive leadership would not include a Machiavellian perspective wherein ends justify the means, so to speak. Attacking without provocation, inflicting harshness, driving hidden agendas, acting from arrogance, disrespect, or volatility would also be excluded from this leadership view of assertive actions. Similarly, micromanaging would be considered contrary to true assertiveness. Running over the top of others or doing the work for them are rather ineffective leadership stances. Your simple gut check for assertiveness run amok is whether or not your behavior is devaluing, dishonest, or inhumane. It is important to be outspoken and take charge. It is crucial to see plans through to fruition. It is necessary to leverage ones
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scope of power to the fullest. The challenge is to do so in a manner that upholds the core values of your charge and the basic dignity of others. The ten traits of assertive leadership are:
Purposefuldetermined and denite in your goals Condentassured about your capability to reach desired goals Tenaciousunrelenting Drivenstaying determined to reach goals and get results Delegatingable to assign and resource the work appropriately Decisiveable to make sound decisions Courageouswilling to face challenges and diculties Candidupfront and direct Confrontationalable to work through a conict Closure-seekingseeing things through and pushing for conclusions
In essence, getting the job done but getting it done well while valuing those around you is what real assertive leadership is all about. Let us see how President Obama fares with respect to this key behavior. Assertive leadership begins with a sense of purpose. To be purposeful is to be clear about what you are setting out to accomplish. Obamas resolve seems to emanate from three target imperatives:
1. To return the United States to its constitutional foundationto be a nation, as our constitution states by the people and for the people. 2. To x Washingtonmove it from perpetual campaign mode back to governing mode. 3. To restore faith here and abroad in our public and private systems and leadership factions.
The presidents more specific goals and policy directions then flowed from these three overarching necessities and, as such, placed added layers of intricacy on the cascading objectives. He had positioned himself to tend both to policy items like the economy, health care, education, and terrorism, along with foundational factors that drive who we are, how we function, and how we are viewed. This broader scope, one with direct strategic underpinnings, required continuous shifting on Obamas part between right-brain transformational and engaging traits along with left-brain assertive ones. Complicating matters further was the persistent maneuvering taking place by those who were desperate to regain lost political ground. Centering their ploys on the health care debate, this group brought fierce tactics to bear in their attempts to undermine Obama. At this burdened time, when the nations problems continued to hit close to home for all too many citizens, the preference for some was for Obama to simplify his direction and demand closure on certain items that would bring immediate relief. To see Obama as assertive, some indicated that they needed Obama to levy the full weight of his power to silence the opposition and bring needed change.
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Because of these circumstances, assertive leadership was and is perhaps where Obama suffers his greatest criticisms. Does he take on too much? Can he move from words to action? Where is the change? Is he tough enough? The longerrange and matrixlike fashion from which Obama operates is different than what we are used to. We are a culture driven by immediacy of reward and quick fixes. Tenacity in this sense would seem to mean someone able to come out swinging and make an impact in days, not months or years. We have become gluttonous in how we view success. If, though, what we are really asking for is security and an end to our fears, are our expectations realistic? Obamas plight may be telling us that if we in fact do seek such safety, perhaps we need to become more sensible and, more to the point, more truthful. If we reexamine Obamas purpose from his perspective, that our thinking has been at best incomplete and at worst downright flawed, you may be inclined to fashion a new yardstick. Our semantics around assertive leadership may in fact begin to shift. Would we be willing to entertain new definitions, for example, of what it means to be tough? Could a description of tenacious move from ramming things through to able to go the distance, to move progressively and patiently as multiple aspects come together? Could tenacity also be described as doing what is needed to drive overall efficiency and effectiveness? Only time will tell if Obama can reshape public sentiment in this manner. For now it seems that there are several discrepant notions causing Obama to be misrepresented here. Returning to our understanding of assertive leadership, it can in fact be viewed in two parts, that of foundational assertive traitsthose that enable a leader to set initiatives in motionand reactive assertivenesshow well a leader deals with matters along the way. The first five assertive traits, purposeful, confident, tenacious, driven, and delegating, comprise foundational assertive leadership. Obamas purpose is clear. He carries himself with confidence, confidence not simply in himself, but in the nations ability to prevail. His tenacity can be seen in the tone of his administration, by the sheer magnitude of what they are willing to take on and by the many daily markers of progress. One need only look to his success at going from a young African American community organizer to historic forty-fourth president of the United States of America to note his drive. His delegating style is reflected in the value he places on teamwork, a value poignantly evidenced in his handling of his first national security crisis, the rescue of Captain Phillips. In carrying out what has been recognized as backstage and quiet leadership, the president worked collaboratively with both federal law enforcement and the military to effect his role as commander in chief in securing the safe return of the cargo ships captain.22 The remaining five assertive traits, decisive, courageous, candid, confronta tional, and closure seeking, are referred to collectively as reactive assertive leadership. As such they mark a leaders ability to address issues and push where necessary to drive for conclusions. Citing once again the April 2009 incident, the president worked appropriately behind the scenes on a plan that in decisive
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fashion, he authorized, resulting in a successful mission. With respect to his courage, Obama takes strong positions and faces challenges at home and abroad. At his memorable June 4, 2009, Cairo University speech, the president made these remarks concerning the threat of terrorism:
In Ankara, I made clear that America is notand never will beat war with Islam. We will, however, relentlessly confront violent extremists who pose a grave threat to our security. Because we reject the same thing that people of all faiths reject: the killing of innocent men, women, and children. And it is my first duty as President to protect the American people. The situation in Afghanistan demonstrates Americas goals, and our need to work together. Over seven years ago, the United States pursued al Qaeda and the Taliban with broad international support. We did not go by choice, we went because of necessity. I am aware that some question or justify the events of 9/11. But let us be clear: al Qaeda killed nearly 3,000 people on that day. The victims were innocent men, women and children from America and many other nations who had done nothing to harm anybody. And yet Al Qaeda chose to ruthlessly murder these people, claimed credit for the attack, and even now states their determination to kill on a massive scale. They have affiliates in many countries and are trying to expand their reach. These are not opinions to be debated; these are facts to be dealt with. Make no mistake: we do not want to keep our troops in Afghanistan. We seek no military bases there. It is agonizing for America to lose our young men and women. It is costly and politically difficult to continue this conflict. We would gladly bring every single one of our troops home if we could be confident that there were not violent extremists in Afghanistan and Pakistan determined to kill as many Americans as they possibly can. But that is not yet the case.23
Courageous words the president expressed regarding arduous circumstances that must be addressed, matters that will not be tolerated, and injustices that will be settled. Assertive language by the president on the home front can be noted during a March 17, 2009, press conference in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, as Obama responded to Republican criticisms of the budget.
Just say no is the right advice to give your teenagers about drugs. It is not an acceptable response to what our economic policies propose by the other party . . . what we need in Washington are not more political tactics, we need more good ideas. We dont need more point scoring, we need more problem solving. So if there are members of Congress who object to specific policies and proposals in this budget, then I ask them to be ready and willing to propose constructive alternative solutions. If certain aspects of this budget people dont think work, provide us some ideas in terms of what you do. . . . The American people sent us here to get things done.24
Obama demonstrates a unique brand of assertive tact in that he faces difficulties by calling for the germane conversations. The nature of his assertiveness also
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reflects appropriately candid and confrontational actions in that he cuts through the politics to get us to the heart of the matter. In his April 14, 2009, address at Georgetown University Obama noted,
For too long, too many in Washington put off hard decisions for some other time on some other day. Theres been a tendency to score political points instead of rolling up sleeves to solve real problems. There is also an impatience that characterizes this townan attention span that has only grown shorter with the twenty-four-hour news cycle, and insists on instant gratification in the form of immediate results or higher poll numbers. When a crisis hits, theres all too often a lurch from shock to trance, with everyone responding to the tempest of the moment until the furor has died away and the media coverage has moved on, instead of confronting the major challenges that will shape our future in a sustained and focused way.25
In these two examples, the first in which the president demands that objections be backed by alternate ideas and the second where he distinguishes the politics from the actual work, we see more clearly Obamas brand of assertiveness. Companioned with frequent right-brain style shifts Obama reflects back on strategic intent, seeks to ensure a continuous flow of innovation into the solution pipeline, tends progressively to the evolutionary change process, and works to engage an ever-so-resistant audience. Are you ready yet to rethink your position on what it means to be assertive? Given the full-spectrum manner in which the president leads along with the complexities of his administrations charge, it seems perhaps premature to expect that his actions be more closure seeking at this juncture. Put another way, with respect to assertiveness, the president is showing strong indicators of foundational assertive traits. He is determined in his goals, assured in capability, unrelenting, and good at resourcing the work. On many fronts he has shown sound reactive assertiveness as well. He is resolute, willing to face difficulties, direct, and good at working through conflicts. He has seen many initiatives through and will no doubt, in time and with a balance of right- and left-brain blended skill sets, move the meter on his additional, bigger-ticket items as well.
Right Brain / Left Brain Summary

As each of the eight right- and left-brain guiding leadership behaviors have now been covered, we see the richness in leadership impact when these total brain behaviors work in consort. Obama leads from the right, affording a fertile starting point from which his equally capable left brain can then bring aspirations to life. While most if not all high-level leaders are to some extent multidominant, it is rare to find someone who is hardwired to act in such an integral manner. What you would instead find are leaders who rather constrict their multidominance, especially under
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stress. Obama, under stress, accelerates multidominance because it is so firmly a part of his nature. Two final guiding leadership behaviors are left to review. They are called the Plus Factors because they add to right- and left-brain success. Accessed properly, they can help drive right- and left-brain strong suits to greater levels. How will President Obama fare with respect to these pivotal leadership determinants? How do the presidents resilient and savvy traits contribute to his right- and left-brain leadership success?
Chapter 6
Obama and the Plus Factors: Sealing the Deal
The Plus Factors, resilient and savvy, have the view of looking in, focusing on what you need to know to tend to yourself. These two guiding behaviors are rightand left-brain enhancing and have direct bearing on how well you will execute the other eight behaviors. The Plus Factors can be mistakenly overlooked in a leaders development thinking, but because of their pivotal role in leadership effectiveness, they demand concerted attention. To make the case, let us examine how the Plus Factors contribute to the president s efficacy, beginning with his resilience.
Resilient Energy
Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself. Because its only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential. Barack Obama 1
The Plus Factor resilient addresses how well you are able to deal with difficult times and stretch yourself beyond existing capabilities. Resilience is critical to your sense of accomplishment and well-being. Being resilient positions you to tap fully into your true potential. When you are at your best physically and mentally, you are more likely to feel satisfied. Resilient leadership is defined as possessing the optimal physical and mental functioning, stamina, and mindset your internal fortitude. Albert Schweitzer remarked, A great success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up.2 How does one accomplish this, to go through life and never, in Schweitzers language, get used up? Its all a matter of balance. It is about how you modulate both your physical and psychological energy. Physical energy encompasses your health and fitness. Psychological energy is somewhat more complex. It
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Right Brain / Left Brain President
is about your outlook, your thought process, how you reach conclusions, and how you ultimately react. Who comes to mind for you when you think of being resilient? Some would cite individuals with exceptional physical and mental skill and endurance Olympic athletes, for example. Others would think of activists who have sacrificed and taken on great personal hardship to advance a cause. Still others may name those known for heroic acts or extraordinary accomplishment. In all groups we would find individuals who are resilient in large part because of their ability to effectively leverage multiple aspects of energy. Obama has certainly joined the ranks of those known for extraordinary accomplishment.
The Energy Model In the model for right brain/left brain leadership we think of energy in terms of having three defining features:
Initiation how we activate and motivate ourselves Funneling what we do and how we do it Recovery our health, wellness, and rejuvenation 3
Each of the ten resilient traits support one or more of these features. Figure 6.1 shows the complete Energy Model mapped to the traits of resilient leadership. Compare the model specifics to the following traits of resilient leadership:
Positive having constructive focus on opportunities and possibilities Emotionally sound able to cope with stress and diculties as demonstrated by your behavior Clear thinkingable to sort through confusions, block out distractions, and think freely Tolerant accepting of dierences Flexible able to adjust or accommodate when necessary Spiritual seeing beyond yourself to how you contribute in a broader sense, accountable to a greater good Physically t practicing sound lifestyle habits; aware of and managing your health Fullled feeling a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction about your life Relaxed able to decompress from stress Environmental making nature a part of your personal and professional development
Positive Thinking, Obama-Style

Energy initiation is driven by the resilient trait positive, your constructive focus on opportunities and possibilities. To initiate your energy you need momentum, physical readiness, and a mindset oriented toward success. To be positive your body
Obama and the Plus Factors
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Figure 6.1 Energy Model for Traits of RESILIENT Leadership
must be poised to act, your attitude set in optimistic mode. Physical activation occurs in part as the natural process of waking and moving about. As blood circulation increases our bodies wake and mobilize. Slow, deep breaths and light stretching upon rising can enhance the process. How you then view the day ahead is another key element to accelerating optimum energy. Have you ever watched national campaigns unfold and asked yourself how the candidates keep going, day after day, giving speeches, shaking hands, smiling with confidence that they will be elected? Certainly those of us watching the 2008 U.S. presidential race had such thoughts. That presidential campaign was a long and hard-fought battle. How the candidates were able to initiate their energy contributed to their staying power. Throughout that campaign we saw in Obama a positive presidential hopeful. He was, after all, armed with the slogan yes we can, and yes they did. Next, as president-elect, Obama moved through the transition phase of his appointment with the same optimistic mindset. Throughout his first year
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in office, amid tenuous times, he remained encouraging. To date he continues to be constructively upbeat. While there are many things in life we can t control, thankfully our attitude is one we can yes we can. A positive frame of mind from a leadership standpoint is to welcome challenges and stay focused on opportunities, on the future, on hope. Brazilian teacher, philosopher and activist Paulo Freire has been known as one of the most influential educators of our time, referenced here for his fervor concerning joy and hope. For Freire, living through joy in the present and hope in what lies ahead positions us for success. In his book Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage, Freire writes, In truth, from the point of view of the human condition, hope is an essential component and not an intruder . . . Hope is a natural, possible, and necessary impetus in the context of our unfinishedness. Hope is an indispensible seasoning in our human historical experience. Without it, instead of history we would have pure determinism . . . A future that is inexorable is a denial of history.4 Freires lifework was with the oppressed and impoverished. Hope was primal to emancipation. Joy in our humanity and hope in our prospects paved the way for advancement, for new heights. Interestingly, for Freire, through hope one becomes not clouded by rose-colored glasses but rather more open-minded to the full spectrum of circumstances. Hope encourages our willingness to critique, to question, and to denounce what is unjust in order to move toward ultimate fairness. It is by shoring ourselves up with what is possible that we can more readily face our existing shortcomings. Obama too is a champion of hope. Captivated by the phrase and sermon of his preacher on the audacity of hope, Obamas campaign reflected this inspiration, that from hope we can better scrutinize our current dissatisfactions. On hope Obama said, Hope hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope! In the end, that is Gods greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.5 In Freire-like fashion, to be positive is to hold joy as one of lifes most precious commodities. It is a lifes simple pleasures frame of mind that Obama first learned from his mother, carried forth to how he captions his life today. For Obama as for Freire, there is joy in the here and now and aspiration in what is to come. Complacency and despair have no place. Obama is above all positive in what we can and should seek. His right-brain charismatic and motivational traits along with his left-brain personable nature are rooted in this resilient trait, that of a positive spirit. Similarly, his innovative playfulness and transformational openness to learning are primed by his positive hopeful approach.
What He Does and How He Does It

Soon after Obama took office he began appointing his cabinet. News was breaking that Hillary Clinton was to be named secretary of state. Media sharks were
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smelling blood in the water. At a press conference one reporter provocatively questioned the president about negative references he made about Clinton during the campaign, in particular about her foreign policy inexperience. The president smiled, looked at the reporter, and laughingly said something to the effect of, You like to have fun with this, dont you?6 His comment composed him and put the audience in check. He made additional comments about Clintons fit for the job. The case was closed. Energy funneling speaks to our interactions and approaches. How well we funnel our energy is determined first and foremost by how emotionally sound we are. How well we cope with stress and difficulties, how stable and even-tempered we remain in the face of adversity, is what we look for in determining if someone is emotionally sound. Few would deny that Obama handles stress remarkably well. At each juncture of the campaign, when the heat was on Obama became calmer. In the later stages of the process, during a presidential debate Obamas Republican opponent was showing signs of wear, referring to Obama as that one during an exchange. Obama smiled and let the remark pass while his promoters turned the competitors phrase into a bumper sticker. This is a man not easily rattled. Obama seems to offer up a sound array of coping skills to counter lifes stresses. Obamas stress-resistant demeanor is additive to his left-brain grounded traits of composed and approachable along with his left-brain assertive traits confident, courageous, and candid. Given Obamas adjustment skills he is better able to control his emotions, and it affords him the position of continuing to reach out to others even during the most contested of times. Obamas ability to cope with stress can likewise afford him assurance in the heat of the moment. He can act with audacity and frankness ( yes he can) as he insists on a path forward. When, for example, the pressure was on Obama to make Wall Street gains the focus of his attention to right the economy, Obama flatly and courteously replied that Wall Street fluctuations alone were not driving his planning, that he had a broader view in mind. A less emotionally sound leader could have been unnerved by such a highprofile demand and perhaps either lashed out or sought to appease to deflect the pressure. Obamas clear thinking, his ability to sort through confusions, block out distractions, and think freely, seems linked to his propensity for reflection. When you listen to Obama speak you note a thought flow with apparent embedded organization, with a nucleus and cell-like structure generated from it. The structure catches your attention. It is intricate, yet well formed and simply constructed. Such a thought process, especially coming from someone with so much on his plate, is indicative of both a complex thinker as well as someone who seemingly thrives on distilling involved views into straightforward concepts. Yet another aspect of Obamas clear thinking is his ability to sort through apparent communication noise. Noise is a term in interpersonal communications theory defined as anything that interferes with the transmission of a message.
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Political environments are replete with noise. Noise is what powers the political engine. The more one side can obscure the others, the better chance they have of winning the contest of the moment. To think clearly, a leader has to be able to recognize noise and not be thrown by it. The leader must continue, in spite of the chatter, to think freely. Obamas stress-resistant armor affords him the inclination to thwart the gnats buzzing incessantly around him. He is able to remain centered and to stay his course. On the noise of politics Obama commented, Most people who serve in Washington have been trained either as lawyers or as political operatives professions that tend to place a premium on winning arguments rather than solving problems.7 At the 200th-day mark of his presidency Obama heard a round of criticisms concerning the many issues his administration was taking on, as well as the cost that such a charter would generate. Sorting through criticisms of this nature is an example of how his clear thinking was tested. Information was coming in from all sides, from media factions, from his Republican opponents, from his own party, and from citizen polls. Obama did not react to the disapproval with a sweeping change of course. He most probably contemplated it in broad right-brain fashion and then applied left-brain analytics, dissecting the situation from all sides as he continued forward. For a clear thinker, information is taken in and culled in open-minded fashion for its best use. Polarized thinkers, on the other hand, are those who have a particular view in mind and hear only that which supports their view. Yet another group, the so-called political thinkers, are those who simply shift to follow the resulting tides. Obama is a clear thinker. Clear thinking as an aspect of resilience affords a leader the best possible path to effective solutions. Clear thinking means that you are attuned to and understand information that is available to you and from which you draw sound conclusions. Two additional aspects of energy funneling are the traits tolerant and flexible. Being tolerant and flexible allows you to function from a greater range, accepting differing perspectives, willing to accommodate or adapt when necessary. Obamas hardwired values for broad-mindedness, his apparent acceptance of others, and his adaptability to contexts come from the mindsets of those who raised him and the circumstances of his upbringing. Obama appears welcoming of diverse perspectives and, more importantly, seems matter-of-fact concerning differences, meaning that he seems to view heterogeneity as a given in life. Such an individual would spend little energy resisting what is different. Instead he would give his attention to understanding it. With respect to the final aspect of energy funneling, the spiritual sense of a leader, spiritual in this sense speaks to a greater accountability and purpose, that as a leader you are here to contribute not only to your work, but to the greater good. The Obama quote earlier in this chapter reads, Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition. It asks too little of yourself.
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Because it s only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you realize your true potential.8 Through this inspiration, Obama conveys his spiritual propensity. An additional statement from Obama further reinforces his spiritual inclination: Faith is not just something you have, its something you do.9 In this statement the president speaks to the need to act from and on our beliefs. In the final quote regarding the president s spiritual leadership trait, Obama addresses the impetus that empathy (understanding others from their perspective) can provide. He cites empathy as a necessary yet often neglected aspect of how to truly make a difference:
You know, there s a lot of talk in this country about the federal deficit. But I think we should talk more about our empathy deficit the ability to put ourselves in someone else s shoes; to see the world through the eyes of those who are different from us the child whos hungry, the steelworker whos been laid off, the family who lost the entire life they built together when the storm came to town. When you think like this when you choose to broaden your ambit of concern and empathize with the plight of others, whether they are close friends or distant strangers it becomes harder not to act; harder not to help.10
For Obama, the resilient trait spiritual is about the responsibility of a leader to work always in service to others.
Recharging the Energy Battery

No matter how many times I see photographs of the progression of a president through his tenure, how each president has aged, I find it startling. Energy recovery is critical to all leaders. It is especially vital to those with literally the weight of the world on their shoulders. Energy recovery looks at your health, wellness, and rejuvenation. It looks at short-term renewal how you recover throughout the day or at the end of a long week. Energy recovery also looks at your overall longevity. Four resilient traits comprise energy recovery. They are physically fit ( your health and habits), fulfilled ( how satisfied you are with your life ), relaxed ( how you decompress and unwind ), and environmental ( your connection to nature). The development of one s energy recovery is somewhat subjective, meaning a range of methods can net similar results, yet certain practices apply. With respect to being physically fit, things that promote overall good health and beneficial lifestyle approaches are specified in the medical and wellness literature. Regarding how fulfilled we are, psychology professes certain indicators of satisfaction. Recuperating from stress can be challenging, and to assist us, varied measures are available that help us to be relaxed. With respect to the trait environmental, think only
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of the undeniable, awe-inspiring feeling that comes over us when in the presence of natures grandeur to note how such a connection contributes to our energy recovery. What, then, do we know about the president with respect to health, wellness, and rejuvenation? Regarding how physically fit he is, Obama is known to be in top physical shape. Most if not all who occupy the Oval Office would have to subscribe to some form of exercise to meet the physically and mentally taxing demands of their position. Obama, though, is a champion of physical fitness. He was featured in the November 2008 twentieth anniversary collectors edition of Mens Health magazine as one of the 20 Heroes of Health and Fitness.11 He subscribes to a rigorous exercise regime. He is an avid basketball player and purports to eat healthy foods and snacks.12 First Lady Michelle Obama made it a priority to plant a vegetable garden in the White House yard to reinforce and model the Obamas wellness orientation. On the negative side, the president has smoked but appears committed to winning the battle against that demon. With respect to the resilient trait fulfilled, Obama seems thrilled to be in his current role. One can only assume that to have accomplished what he has was a good thing for Obama. He seems to be at, if not beyond, where he aspired to be and in a position to make the greatest impact of his life. In terms of how well Obama is able to recuperate from the massive stress he is under, how he can relax, he points to his loving marriage and family life as his greatest ally on that front. In a June 1, 2009, interview at the White House with BBC correspondent Justin Webb, the president made this reply to Webb s question concerning how, given all that must be weighing on him, he relaxes:
Well, nothing is better at pulling you out of your world than having a couple of children. So Ive got a ten-year-old and a seven-year-old, and they re planning pool parties and talking about homework and trying to figure out how to get the dog back on the leash . . . I mean one of the huge benefits of being president is I now have a nice home office, and I go upstairs and I can have dinner with my family just about every night, and they can travel with me when theyre able. And so weve got, I think a very good deal, and Im grateful that Ive got such a wonderful wife and kids. Thats my main form of relaxation.13
In this excerpt you hear a satisfied man with treasured family support as his primary means of dealing with the stresses of his charge. In addition to family support, Obamas physical workout routine not only promotes good health, but also serves to expediently discharge stress. The final resilient trait, environmental, is also one that is strong for Obama. Obama was raised beachside in Hawaii, a setting of breathtaking environmental landscape amid a culture tied closely to nature. He also spent four years as a young child in Indonesia, a place with very different and striking environmental imagery. As such he grew up satiated with environmental images that are now no doubt second natureaccessible to his brain. To be connected to the physical world in this
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way breeds into one s thinking a perspective of our own place in a vast universe. It helps us to connect spiritually and to look at our position in the world in terms of what we truly can and cant control. It helps us to be accountable to our planet. Through environmental triggers we are apt to pause and breathe in order to take it all in. We can more easily decompress and regain our center. Obamas environmental connection is sure to play a role in his overall stable temperament. The president has assumed office at a time that will no doubt test his energy recovery to the maximum, but he seems on solid ground, with multiple rejuvenation strong suits. In concluding this section on the guiding leadership behavior resilient we recognize Obama for certain distinct buoyancies that will aid and support his right- and left-brain leadership effectiveness. The final guiding leadership behavior, savvy, is next, a fitting capstone for someone in Obama s political context.
Savvy 101
But challenging as they are its not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most, it is the smallness of our politics. Barack Obama14
Negotiating political landscapes and influencing key stakeholders can be a daunting task. Aristotle once remarked, Man is by nature a political animal.15 This noted philosophers perspective sums up the importance of savvy to any leader. For Obama, Aristotles point could not be more fitting. Obama exists in an environment that is political to excess. He must act with consummate savoir faire. Given Obamas concerns about what he refers to in the preceding quote as the smallness of . . . politics, he will also need to continuously address the complications generated by an overplayed political machine. Obama poked fun at the supercharged competitive D.C. climate in his opening remarks at a town hall meeting on August 14, 2009, in Belgrade, Montana, stating, Well, it is nice to be back. Its nice to take a break from the goings-on in Washington. Im thrilled to have a chance to spend some time with the folks in this beautiful state. After all, here in Montana youve got bears and moose and elk. And in Washington, you just have mostly bull.16 Savvy as defined in the Right Brain / Left Brain Leadership Model, is the ability to sense and respond appropriately to cultural climates, to get things done in a way that advances both you and those organizations you are affiliated with your external influence. As such it is our external focus, what we need to attend to concerning the world in which we operate. How savvy you are will determine how in control you are of your image. Savvy leadership traits are:
Astute perceptive concerning people and circumstances Diplomatic using tact in your sensitive interactions
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Timely aware of the right moment to make a point or deal with an issue Subtle able to work indirectly to inuence people and situations Culturally oriented grounded in the culture of your group or organization and acting from that knowledge in how you inuence those within that culture Networking developing personal and professional relationships that are mutually benecial Coalition buildingbringing together those who share your causes, views, or involvements Promotive eectively lobbying for your and others issues and recognition Assimilating able to integrate into groups, teams, or cultures Visible being regularly seen
There are three key determinants of savvy. The first is awareness, what you know or sense. The second savvy source is power. Power is defined as the capacity to influence. The final foundational element of savvy is perception, impressions that are formed and shaped about you and what you are trying to accomplish.
Fundamental Awareness
The first initiator of savvy is awareness. Awareness, like savvy itself, exists also as a three-legged stool, consisting of the following:
How well you know yourself How accurate you are in understanding how others see you How well you understand others and the world around you
The savvy traits that help drive awareness are astute, diplomatic, and timely. Obama is astute. He approaches things with the help of a sensitive antenna. He is attending to his surroundings, noting fine appreciations of the issues at hand. Obamas receptors leave him well poised to sense nuances, cultural and otherwise, as he examines contexts and perspectives. Being astute begins with concentration. On the importance of concentration Obama said,
I always believe that ultimately, if people are paying attention, then we get good government and good leadership.17
Obama seems to indicate here that being perceptive paying attention, as he calls it to people and circumstances is an important starting point. Being astute contributes to the right-brain ability to read between the lines and to left-brain analytics, making sense of it all. It facilitates both intuitive insight and detailed scrutiny, both of which Obama appears to possess. To be diplomatic requires tact in your sensitive interactions. Politicians can typically come across as tactful to a fault. Obamas brand of tact seems rooted in a delicate appreciation of fine distinctions, in an artful grasp of the complexities
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that sensitive matters are laden with. At the same town hall meeting in Belgrade, Montana, Obama displayed his brand of diplomacy in teeing up his discussion of the contentious matter of health care reform in America. The health care reform debate had at this point escalated to, at its worst moments, unfortunate ugly spectacles. Politically motivated sabotage of ideas and facts seemed to be plaguing the dialogue. Obama had this to say:
. . . health care touches all of our lives in a profound way. Now, that also makes this debate an emotional one. I know theres been a lot of attention paid to some of the town hall meetings that are going on around the country, especially when tempers flare. T.V. loves a ruckus. What you havent seen on T.V. and what makes me proud are the many constructive meetings going on all over the country. Everywhere everywhere across the country you re seeing people who are coming together and having a civil, honest, often difficult conversation about how we can improve the system. Thats how democracy s supposed to work. Earlier this week, I held a town hall in New Hampshire. A few thousand people showed up. Some were big supporters of health insurance reform. Some had concerns and questions. Some were downright skeptical, didnt believe it could be done. But I was glad to see that people were there not to shout, they were there to listen and to ask questions. That reflects America a lot more than what weve seen covered on television for the last few days. And I want to thank you for coming here today in that spirit.18
Obama begins most of his diplomatic messages with a validation or acknowledgment, indicating in this passage that health care reform is an important and personal matter. He then attempts to rebalance the conversation. Obama does this by setting a new tone, stressing the need to talk through disagreements productively, to be open to learning along the way. His focus is on providing an accurate perspective, that the sensational outcomes we are watching on television in fact reflect only one skewed outcome of the full debate. As such, he is discerning about the climate of discussions, making direct attempts to encourage a more positive tenor. Obamas diplomatic side was also in evidence during his address at Cairo University, where he had to tend diplomatically to old wounds and pronounced social, cultural, and emotional disconnects. While being more astute makes it possible for you to develop better awareness, being more diplomatic and timely shows the ability to act from that awareness, as Obama does. Obamas timely inclinations are evident in how he tends to infuse his positions into statements that he makes along the way, rather than make separate reactive declarations. Obama will also tend to let discussion occur rather than curtail it prematurely. Health care reform is a case in point. The discussions were wearing on, and much political posturing was taking place. Obama did not respond at each and every juncture. He waited for the right moments and settings to convey his
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reasoning, through town hall forums and ultimately, in a formal address to Congress in which he directly called out the lines in the debate process that had been crossed. The overall point to make about Obama and awareness is that the strong suits he possesses in terms of insight, tact, and opportunism make it more likely for Obama to develop and act from better awareness and therefore for his savvy acumen to benefit in kind.
Power and Inuence

Power is the capacity to influence. Ones power is enhanced by the savvy traits subtle, culturally oriented, networking, and coalition building. Obamas more unassuming style lends itself to aspects of subtlety. He is able to work indirectly to influence people and situations. In that sense he is more of a gentle giant. His rise to the top was experienced in such a manner, up from the simplest of beginnings but a steadily building tide that eventually amassed into a formidable presence. As a result of Obamas background and key influences, Obama is keenly culturally oriented. All that he is and knows engenders in him respect for and appreciation of what distinguishes us. He recognizes and validates cultural groups naturally. At the same Belgrade, Montana, town hall meeting a mother was handed a microphone so that she could ask a question. She began relating her story about caring for a child with special needs and the concerns she had about health care. Recognizing the nuanced culture of parents of children with special needs, the president opened his remarks to the woman with this statement:
First of all, thank you for sharing your story. You are a heroic mom. So we are grateful to you, and your sons lucky.19
This is a small, yet important example of Obamas adeptness at cultural recognition. Embedded in his acknowledgment of this woman is the detection of her special circumstance and affiliation. When a leader views his interactions through such a well-honed cultural lens, recognizing fine distinctions as Obama does, his savvy is enhanced appreciably. Networking is the next aspect of savvy that contributes to a leaders ability to influence more effectively. Inclusive networking is a key approach for Obama, a team-minded leader, one who seeks to work collaboratively and collectively. Such can be seen in his use of town hall meetings as an outreach format. His method is indicative of a belief in networking as an opportunity not only to communicate directly with various constituencies, but also to gain their perspective as well as their buy-in. Buy-in is an interesting consideration when examining how one uses ones power. A leader who networks more broadly, as Obama does, is hoping to leverage forms of influence beyond positional authority. Positional authority or legitimate power is only one of six bases of power, as follows:
Obama and the Plus Factors Reward the ability to provide something that others value Coercive the ability to set limits or reprimands Legitimate authority by virtue of ones position Persuasive possessing and using information to convince Referent inuence derived from being admired Expert possessing specic skills, knowledge, or expertise 20
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Leaders less inclined to work through far-reaching networks will tend to stay within the confines of the first three bases of power. They will make use of rewards and limit setting and they will exercise the weight of their rank. They typically do not appreciate the value of full-throttle power whereby persuasive, referent, and expert power are accessed as well. These latter forms of influence are in reality more potent as they result in sustainable impacts. In other words, leaders who work through the full continuum of power create change that becomes internalized to all concerned. Leaders who rather rely on the upper part of the continuum tend to get buy-in that is only as good as the enforcement in place to back up compliance. Obama is an ingrained user of persuasive and expert power. He influences through information and expertise. He is also captivating and thereby able to put forth referent power as a matter of course. The last aspect of power as an accelerant of savvy is the trait coalition building. Hand-in-hand with Obamas networking style is his affinity for bringing people together who share causes, views, or involvements. Looking to how his campaign was constructed we can see his proclivity in this regard. Through carefully constructed messages and mediums he was able to unite people across demographics to work toward common causes. Ultimately successful in that the election was won against all odds, one would have to acknowledge Obama for the coalition builder that he is. Today in his presidency he is using multiple forums and technologies at his disposal to reach out and connect the masses while working through his administration team to address Washington divisions. An interesting excerpt from a September 8, 2009, address shows an overarching aspect of Obamas perspective on power. The president went before students in Wakefield, Virginia, to inspire the start of the new school year. Following his remarks was a question and answer period during which a student asked the president who he would select to have dinner with if he could do so with anyone now or in history. The president replied,
You know, I think that it might be Gandhi, who is a real hero of mine. Now, it would probably be a really small meal because ( laughter) he didnt eat a lot. But hes somebody who I find a lot of inspiration in. He inspired Dr. King, so if it hadnt been for the nonviolent movement in India, you might not have seen the same nonviolent movement for civil rights here in the United States. He inspired Csar Chvez, and he and what was interesting was that he ended up doing so much and changing the world just by the power of his ethics, by his ability to change how people saw each other and saw themselves and help
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people who thought they had no power realize that they had power, and then help people who had a lot of power realize that if all they re doing is oppressing people, then thats not a really good exercise of power. So Im always interested in people who are able to bring about change, not through violence, not through money, but through the force of their personality and their ethical and moral stances. And thats somebody that Id love to sit down and talk to.21
Power for Obama is undoubtedly about the ability to make substantive contributions, to empower others, and to foster moral principles through the most civilized of manners.
Perception as Reality
Perception is reality. In politics, perception, or rather, constructing perceptions to support a given position, is the nature of the game. What, then, is it about perception that will foster true savvy versus hyperpolitical savvy? We look to the traits promotive, assimilating, and visible for the answers. When being promotive we effectively lobby for issues and recognition. Perception is in effect an interpretation. On any given day and for any given issue, political or otherwise, it is easy to find two individuals whose understandings differ. How many differing views are there on health care reform, for example, and how different are perceptions from one individual or one faction to the next? Obama promotes through knowledge. He relies on facts, data, and expertise to communicate his points. He creates well-constructed arguments through what he considers to be objective informational accuracy. A potential savvy problem for Obama is in the backhanded manner in which others can and do conduct themselves, what some will stoop to in order to shape perceptions into their way of thinking. While his stance is admirable, playing fair and expecting others to do the same, can such an approach cost him? In the near term, one who takes the savvy high road as Obama does can appear to be losing the immediate battle, but over time will such a person in fact win the war? This view of savvy leadership says yes. A leader such as Obama knows full well the bad behavior occurring around him and is taking steps to counter it slowly and patiently. Eventually those with hidden agendas and immoral ploys are exposed. Desired change may take longer, but with a concerted moral savvy effort, it will be realized. In addition to promoting through knowledge, Obama also promotes through recognition. Obama provides updates regarding progress and accomplishments, regularly praising and acknowledging. Commendations are key elements of the trait promotive. Consider the following example from a September 1, 2009, press conference in the White Houses Rose Garden as Obama salutes positive signs in the economy before detailing the updates he was providing to the public on our H1N1 flu preparedness. Notice his promotive tone.
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Good afternoon, everybody. Before I say a few words about the meeting we just had Id like to mention some good news that came out today about our economy. For the first time in eighteen months, our manufacturing sector has expanded, and the statistics used to measure manufacturing output is the highest its been in over two years. This means greater production of transportation equipment like cars, and electronic equipment like computers and appliances, and it means these companies are starting to invest more and produce more, and it is a sign that we re on the path to economic recovery. Theres no doubt that we have a long way to go, and I and the other members of this administration will not let up until those Americans who are looking for jobs can find them. But this is another important sign that were heading in the right direction, and that the steps weve taken to bring our economy back from the brink are working. Now, we just had a good meeting about our ongoing efforts to prepare this country for the H1N1 flu virus this fall. And I want to thank John Brennan, our CDC director Tom Frieden, and secretaries Sebelius, Napolitano, Duncan, and Locke for all the good work that they ve been doing to get us ready today. . . . Our plans and decisions are based on the best scientific information available, and as the situation changes, we will continue to update the public. We re also making steady progress on developing a safe and effective H1N1 flu vaccine, and we expect a flu shot program will begin soon . . . I want to commend every member of our team. I think weve done an extraordinary job in preparing for this flu outbreak. We anticipate that there will be some issues coming up over the next several months. The way it s moving is still somewhat unpredictable, but what Im absolutely confident about is that our team that s assembled here has done an extraordinary job in preparing for whatever may happen. So we appreciate all of you for being here, and I want to publicly again thank you for all your extraordinarily hard work.22
Obama began by providing data to demonstrate gains on the economic front. He then called out each member of the preparedness team. Obama highlighted the teams decision-making process, connecting it to state-of-the-art science while mentioning the status of the flu vaccine in development. In closing he again recognized the teams exceptional efforts and endorsed their overall capability. Politicians are promotive by nature. It is, after all, their bread and butter, a critical way to solicit the endorsements of their constituents. Obama, like many of his fellow politicos, is adept at it, yet still in all, a cut above with his added flare of reverence. He is genuine in his praise and in his respect for what is accomplished when individuals work together. The savvy trait assimilating is also important in shaping the perceptions of others. Those who are assimilating are well able to integrate into groups, teams, and cultures. As a leader works to integrate she becomes more attuned to members perspectives and vice versa. The leader then gains important insights that can sculpt
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her approaches while simultaneously she can begin to share her views to a perhaps more receptive audience. The whole of Obamas social world, growing up to the present day, required him to integrate and to fit in on a much deeper level than those who walk homogenous life paths. To assimilate is fundamental to him, something that as it turns out will serve him well. As president, Obama is expected to adapt quickly with respect to his responsibilities both at home and abroad. He is well poised to do so with his adaptive inclinations. The final savvy trait is visible. Perceptions are in part molded by how others experience you directly when in your presence. Toward the end of the second chapter the matter of heightened exposure of leaders was raised. The point made was that we are in a new age of access to each other. Leaders have more mediums through which they are openly observed. How you manage those opportunities determines how well you leverage your visibility. Obama is a high-visibility leader. He seems to believe in the value of staying connected and to making his key points in person. He has appeared in various settings and formats that cut across groups and factions as part of a platform of outreach. Companion to Obamas stance on inclusion, his visible approach ensures ample connection to those he is empowered to serve. Obamas willingness to be up close and personal also serves to make a formidable statement. It demonstrates a devotion to his convictionswho he is, what he stands for, and what he is setting out to accomplish.
Dening Moments
Developing better savvy has immeasurable benefits. Like its partner Plus Factor resilient, through the development of savvy traits, multiple right- and left-brain behaviors are enhanced. Critical to note is that ones savvy acumen will determine whether, at certain defining moments, a leader will be able to access his full rightbrain / left-brain potential or rather default to habitual ways. Look first at the ways savvy is right- and left-brain enhancing. Through deeper awareness of your circumstances and personal position, you will be able to land on more astute strategic alternatives. Being culturally oriented, along with more timely, assimilating, and subtle in your approach, can drive more successful reinventions (augmenting transformational leadership). As you are more visible and keyed in, others have the opportunity to experience you as a more grounded leader. Your expressive and engaging skills also take on new dimension as you communicate in more diplomatic ways. Your ability to engage is also bolstered through a promotive tone, along with having ample support systems in place, the result of your networking and coalition building. Time will tell the impact as the president continues to work from his brand of savvy talent. As far as defining moments are concerned, Obama had one of many such moments to come on September 9, 2009. The president spoke to Congress and to the nation about health care reform. Media hype referred to it as his make-
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or-break speech. As the president entered the congressional chamber he was warmly and enthusiastically greeted. He began his address in promotive fashion, praising the members for their successful actions over the past six months on behalf of the nations economic difficulties. The president then refocused the group on the future, specifically on health care reform. He was confrontational and emphatic, wanting the political posturing to end, differences to be resolved, and definitive action to be taken once and for all. Obama was specific in summarizing the facts of his proposed bill, its cost, and how it would be funded. Obama also called attention to the point that presently there was far more agreement than division across Congress on aspects of the plan. Throughout the address he traversed a fine line between recognizing examples of healthy debate while also expressing constructive intolerance of unacceptable competitive ploys. In many respects he was more provocative than we would normally see in such addresses. In concluding his address the president had this to say:
I understand how difficult this health care debate has been. I know that many in this country are deeply skeptical that government is looking out for them. I understand that the politically safe move would be to kick the can further down the road to defer reform one more year, or one more election, or one more term. But that is not what the moment calls for. That s not what we came here to do. We did not come to fear the future. We came here to shape it. I still believe we can act even when its hard. (Applause.) I still believe I still believe that we can act when its hard. I still believe we can replace acrimony with civility, and gridlock with progress. I still believe we can do great things, and that here and now we will meet history s test. Because thats who we are. That is our calling. That is our character.23
In this defining moment, Obama s savvy allowed him to access a broad range of right- and left-brain behaviors, rather than to be constrained by the stress of the moment. He was true to his convictions and wisely accessed alter-brain behaviors (those outside of his most favored preferences). In particular he well balanced his tried and true engaging manner with true assertive closure-seeking declarations. In this defining moment, the presidents savvy was well engaged as it not only served to help Obama accomplish what he is wanting to, but also enabled him to best realize his full leadership impact. With savvy as the last of the ten guiding leadership behaviors, the review of Obamas unique right- and left-brain leadership proficiency is completed. We turn now to how you too can develop your leadership competence in a more fullspectrum manner, how you can become more Obama-like.
Chapter 7
Becoming More Obama-Like
If we arent willing to pay a price for our values, then we should ask ourselves whether we truly believe in them at all. Barack Obama1
From Values to Actions

The preceding six chapters have taken you through a unique leaders rise to the top and actions therein. What is clear is that for Barack Obama, leadership begins and ends with ones values. From Obamas perspective, values come with a price; we should be willing to work to realize them in our lives. In becoming more Obama-like in your leadership, you would begin by considering the nature of your leadership values, whether your leadership ways emulate your beliefs. From that point you would look to create a full range of right- and left-brain measures to enact your ideals. This books premise, then, is that for a leader of today to be truly successful, he needs to lead from a broad range of behaviors. A leader needs to act across rightand left-brain abilities, what we referred to as leadership breadth. Additionally, leaders must possess certain nuance propensities, referred to as leadership depth, such that within a given behavior, numerous facets exist that can and should be leveraged as a situation warrants. Obama was depicted as acting with such breadth and depth. The nature of his background and life experiences were shown to have contributed to what ultimately became his self-directed diverse leadership persona. That Obama is able to move in a seemingly fluid and continuously integrated manner across right- and left-brain strong suits makes his brand of leadership uncommon and something to aspire toward.
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In this final chapter we will distill Obamas strengths in executive summary fashion into a listing of leadership must-haves, each corresponding to one of the ten guiding leadership behaviors. You will also have the opportunity to assess your strengths and weaknesses relative to the Right Brain / Left Brain Model and to settle on certain leadership development options. You will then be provided with tools to help address gaps and exercise brain-style shifts more lithely. The book will leave you with inspirations from other great leaders whose messages are in line with those of Obama. We begin with the listing of Obamas key leadership strong suits distilled into a top ten list. As you examine these leadership imperatives, begin to think about your own development opportunities. Understand as you do so that this is the time for you to be as forthright with yourself as possible. Critical to any development process is personal candor seeing yourself in an accurate light. Now is the time to come to understand how you are, not how you prefer to be. Such honesty is the first step in paying that price for what you believe in. Perhaps now is a good time to ask yourself how painfully honest you are willing to be concerning your shortcomings in order to improve.
Leadership Must-Haves
Ten Obama leadership imperatives will be identified, beginning first with those of the right-brain guiding leadership behaviors. Right-Brain Line of SITE Imperatives
StrategicThink before you act, think of the bigger picture, and be able to read between the lines to get to the heart of the matter. Only then can you determine your path. Obama relies heavily on reection to accurately understand the present circumstance and to vision what the best possible future state would look like. He relies on keen intuition to get past surface renderings for deeper meanings and messages. He is guided by a phenomenology of consciousness, looking for the nature of experiences. As a result, his strategies are set from a foundation of broad and sustainable thinking. InnovativeExamine problems from multiple angles and vantage points, searching for a creative cross-pollination of ideas (and dont be afraid to have some fun along the way). Obama is a pioneer artist with an appreciation for novelty. He is open to the unconventional and, hence, to a range of potential solutions. He does not constrict process but rather encourages the debate of ideas and the soliciting of input from various, even competing, constituencies. His playful spirit opens his mind and others to the imaginative and leads the way to more groundbreaking possibilities. He pushes the intellectual envelope through curiosity of cause in hopes of promoting groundbreaking outcomes. Transformational Seek evolutions, not revolutions. Have a change mindset, one of continuous learning and continuous improvement. Be tuned in to critical junctures that might either help or hinder your direction. As Obama moves
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through transformations he subscribes to a step-by-step, progressive approach. He is a believer in the power of incremental change. He sees also what can be accomplished through unremitting eorts. He places high value on learning and on knowledge, as important contributors to any change process. He has a watchful eye, aimed at keeping apprised of progress, and he adjusts his course accordingly. Engaging Let empathy keep you human. Be a good listener, a great model, and an even better inspiration and others will surely follow you. Obama stresses the importance of empathy in leadership interactions, believing rst and foremost that a leader must act through direct compassion. He recognizes that listening is not a soft attribute, but a vehicle to assist leaders in steering their course. He does his best to talk the talk and walk the walk; he models what he expects. He is a powerful charismatic, generating energy and involvement in his wake. For Obama, the interpersonal side of leadership is a vital element of a leaders ultimate charge.
The next four imperatives are left brain in origin. Left-Brain MEGA Mind Essentials
MethodicalDiscipline, focus, and realism will get the job done. Obama is highly regimented and orderly in his approach. He looks to keep a sharp focus on the top matters at hand and recognizes the importance of remaining practical. He relies on the analysis of facts and circumstances to solve problems and come to conclusions. ExpressiveCommunicate, communicate, and when you think you are through, communicate again! Obama is the quintessential communicator. He is concise, clear, and credible. When delivering messages he tees up conversations well, articulates the substance of the message, and then goes a few steps further to be interesting, at times entertaining, and always relating matters at hand personally to his audience. He is repetitive when appropriate, punching out salient points. He tends to the nonverbal attributes of messaging, driving further alignment between what he says and how he says it. Thankfully, with all that we need to know from him directly, he is easy to listen to. He does not drone on, nor are we subjected to annoying mannerisms or maddening rhetoric. Grounded Always act with integrity and above all, keep your cool. Obama leads from a moral base. His aim is to be a good steward. He subscribes to letterof-the-law accountability, not to personal agendas or contrived rules of convenience. One of Obamas dening features is his stability, his calm. Obamas self-control is probably fostered by the fact that he is at moral peace with himself and his goals. His seems not the direction of hidden agendas or power plays, but of simply serving his charge. AssertiveKnow clearly when, where, and how to draw your line in the sand, and once you do, dont back down. Obama gives a certain amount of leeway. He allows others the time to reconcile their dierences and to nd their place in the work at hand. He also knows full well when enough is enough. He is able to confront quite well through constructive intolerance, using both rm demarcations and rational arguments why and how things must and will change. Once his declarations are made, he is apt to follow through with the required fervor.
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Resilient Stay positive, keep the greater good clearly in sight, and ensure the self-care necessary for you to meet the demands of your work. Obama is an attitude role model for sure. He stays hopeful and upbeat. He loves what he does, is fueled by close personal contacts, and is always looking to make extended favorable impacts. He is also a wellness icon, using his workout regime to not only stay healthy and t, but to help him to de-stress from the massive demands of his job. SavvyPay attention, work your systems, and above all, never take the bait. In the end, fundamental awareness, inuencing skills, and being cognizant of the perceptions of others will shape the deciding votes. Obama is a consummate politician in the best sense of the word. He is acutely aware, with a farreaching antenna. He inuences from a full set of power bases, not from those derived solely from rank and stature. He works through broad factions, groups, and channels to build allies and is clearly accessible so that his positions and accomplishments are evident.
Those are the top ten ways in which you can aspire to harness the leadership breadth and depth of this exemplar. In addition to these leadership must-haves, remember also to consider the following four points that crystallize the Right Brain /Left Brain Leadership Model fundamentals:
1. Orient your leadership from right to left. This counterintuitive approach begins by looking out at possibilities. The leaders Line of SITE and its behaviors strategic, innovative, transformational, and engagingconceptualize what is possible and secure the buy-in needed from those around you to get you there. The leaders MEGA mind and its behaviorsmethodical, expressive, grounded, and assertive make possibilities a reality. The Plus Factors resilient and savvy are ever-present adjuncts to bolster and secure your overall eectiveness. Obama leads from the right and well incorporates in his left brain partner. His Plus Factors are ingrained into his mode of operating, always available to support his overall approaches. 2. Work dierently, not harder. Recognize your preferences. Know when they work in your favor and when they dont. Be willing and able to push beyond your core inclinations for greater impact, especially when challenged. Obama relies regularly on an array of behaviors and traits beyond those that are his cornerstones. 3. When stuck in a preference, shift style. Shifting between right- and left-brain behaviors (accessing alter-brain behaviors) will generate greater forward momentum and greater opportunities for success. For Obama, uidity in thought and approach is central to his appeal and overall eectiveness. 4. Promote synergies. Your brain thrives on them, so you should, too. A synergy is any combined eort that nets a greater result. The saying two heads are better than one comes to mind. Look for collective ways that you and those you interact with can pool knowledge, information, and resources. Obama is a rm believer in teamwork and collaboration.2
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Your Call to Action

The following reflection and visioning activity will start you on your development path. This exercise will help you consider your leadership effectiveness overallhow you presently function versus how you would ultimately like to lead. Instructions on how to complete the activity are found in the shaded box below.
INITIAL REFLECTION/VISIONING
For this activity youll need to open up a new document on your computer and call the file Initial Reflection/Visioning. A blank sheet of paper and a pen or pencil with the title written across the top will also do just fine. You are going to think about two things. First, think about your leadership valueswhat you believe in what defines who you are and how you would like to lead. Next, think about what you have learned about the Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model. Go back and look over the ten leadership imperatives that were presented earlier in this chapter. Consider how Obama brings them to life. Another diagram of the model is provided in Figure 7.1, giving you a visual reference to stimulate your thinking as well. Record any thoughts that come to mind. Note specifically where you see some of your greatest strengths as well as certain gaps or opportunities. Now close your eyes and envision that it is one year from today. You are leading in alignment with your values, and you are well meeting your leadership challenges. Try to imagine the nature of your interactions, how you are carrying yourself and constructing your day relative to the ten guiding leadership behaviors. Think about what is the same and what is different from how you lead today. Open your eyes and construct a short paragraph of your thoughts. Following that summary paragraph, put into words your leadership vision, keeping in mind what you learned about Obamas right brain/ left brain leadership.
A reflection and visioning activity such as this is an effective way to get started. Next you will need to accurately and more precisely assess your leadership strengths and development opportunities to correctly land on the best possible action steps. To do so you will need the benefit of various forms of data. Such data come to us as development feedback. Feedback: A Key Ingredient Feedback is knowledge through which we can deepen our awareness. In this case, it is a means of providing accurate views of our leadership strengths, what works in our leadership favor. Feedback can also help us understand what we need to focus on to better meet leadership challenges. Feedback serves as an important
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Figure 7.1 Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership Model ( Partial)
check and balance to what we believe to be so concerning how we function as leaders. Feedback can come to us formally and informally. Informally we can ask a colleague, a boss, or a direct report to comment on some aspect of our performance. Formally we can receive feedback through performance appraisals and through prescribed leadership assessment tools. Feedback can be expressed to us directly or we can glean it by observing others reactions. When gathering informal feedback or observing others reactions, it is important to separate out facts from assumptions and to test our assumptions, making certain they are accurate. Feedback can be expressed to us directly from a source or can come to us indirectly, relayed through someone, or by demeanor we observe when in someones presence. There is an art to receiving feedback, being open to it, and then interpreting it, especially when it is about the problematic. Some may simply choose to dismiss unpleasant feedback, cutting off potentially valuable information concerning your ultimate success. Feedback may not always be accurate itself it may carry with it the misperceptions of its carrier. However, while a piece of feedback may appear to be incorrect, it always has some truth to it. It takes an investigative mindset to understand its true meaning.3
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The Takeaways about Feedback Are This:

1. Seek feedback from a variety of sources as a key part of your development process dont rely solely on your own perspective. There are many other helpful vantage points to consider, especially from those you trust. Look for themes and converging lines of evidence to help focus your development targets. 2. Consider the source and the context of feedback and interpret feedback on that basis. Ask yourself what each piece of feedback is telling you and be sure to separate factual data from assumptions. Test any and all assumptions. 3. Recognize that dealing with feedback is a skill, actually more like an art. While feedback isnt always easy to deal withthe analogy could be likened to taking your medicine it may not taste great, but it is good for you in the long run.
Think for a moment about the feedback you have received, formally and informally, direct and indirect, recently and over time. What is the feedback telling you? Take a few minutes to summarize what you are hearing about how others experience you as a leader. You may use a narrative or list format. Note any patterns or themes along with any inconsistencies between how others see you and how you see yourself. Put on your detective hat and try to reconcile discrepancies, remembering that this is the time to be brutally honest with yourself. Breadth Analysis Soliciting and making good use of feedback will help make your development assessment more accurate, as you will have the benefit of varying perspectives to augment your own. It will help position you in your next step, to rate yourself on each of the ten guiding leadership behaviors. Using the Leadership Behavior Rating Form below, for each of the ten behaviors rate yourself on a scale from 0 to 10 with 10 being flawless (and as such highly improbable). Behaviors are intentionally listed in random order.
LEADERSHIP BEHAVIOR RATING FORM

___ Assertive: To be upfront, direct, and determined to get the desired results ___ Transformational: To drive change in cultures, teams, and individuals relative to values, thoughts, and actions ___ Strategic: To be proactive and visionary; to have the long-range view ___ Savvy: To sense and respond appropriately to the cultural climates; to get things done in a way that advances both you and those organizations you are afliated with ___ Innovative: To have an open mind and be able to think creatively without restraint
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___ Expressive: To clearly communicate your thoughts both formally and informally while providing the necessary context ___ Engaging: To understand and work well with others; to validate, involve, and recognize others and to help them take on responsibility ___ Resilient: To possess the optimal physical and mental functioning, stamina, and mindset ___ Methodical: To plan well; to be systematic and effectual in your approach to initiatives ___ Grounded: To act with integrity, consistency, and stability; to be the steward and the gauge4
Looking over your ratings, note your behavioral preferences (those behaviors on which you scored highest). Your highest ratings should reflect your typical leadership style. Note also one or two breadth targets (behaviors that you scored lowest on). Behaviors with lower scores should provide options for increasing your leadership breadth, in that if you accessed them more regularly, you could be more effective. Looking again at the Right Brain / Left Brain Model diagram provided in Figure 7.1, you may notice that the dotted lines that were shown when the model was introduced are not on this version. They were left off purposely in order for you to visualize your own potential style shift opportunities. Recall if you can typical Obama-like style shifts, ways in which the president moves fluidly around the model. How might certain of his patterns also serve you? For instance, Obamas preference is more toward the engaging, yet he knows how and when to shift style to the assertive to confront and bring needed closure to matters. Additionally, while he is first and foremost strategic, open to possibilities and leading to envisioned future states, his alter-brain methodical skill comes in as his needed detailed planner for present tasks. Typically leaders are stronger in left-brain behaviors and need bolstering and reorienting to the right. Is that what you are finding? Or are you multidominant, possessing certain right- and left-brain attributes but still with certain gap areas on one or both sides of the right- and left- brain equation? Depth Analysis While the Leadership Behavior Rating Form will help pinpoint opportunities for developing greater leadership breadth, you will also need to consider how to promote greater depth acumen within each of the ten behaviors. To give you a way to rate your depth strengths and opportunities, Ive provided you with circle diagrams for each of the ten behaviors and corresponding traits in the books appendix. A sample circle diagram is provided below. Using these pielike charts you
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Figure 7.2 Sample Ratings for Traits of STRATEGIC Leadership
can note where you stand with respect to your leadership depth. Figure 7.2 shows an example of a completed chart for the behavior strategic. Dots placed closer to the center of the circle represent low scores on a given trait. Dots closer to the outside rim of the circle represent higher ratings. Connecting the dots gives you a picture of your depth strengths and gaps. In Figure 7.2 you can see a fictitious leaders depth rating for the traits of strategic leadership. This leaders strategic constraints are illustrated through lower scores on big-picture oriented, global, and holistic. To lead from the right and to meet strategic challenges, this leader will need to find ways to become broader and more inclusive in her orientation, thinking, and approaches. Take a moment to go to the appendix and look over the blank pie charts for each behavior. You can also find electronic copies of these forms at www.leadlifeinstitute.com. Complete your depth assessment for each of the ten guiding leadership behaviors. Remember to consider the information from feedback sources as you decide on your ratings.
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Setting Priorities With your leadership vision in mind and when looking over your breadth and depth assessments, you will now need to prioritize your top development opportunities. Identify three leadership development targetswhat you will concentrate your improvement efforts on over the next six months. Record a brief rationale for each selection, describing specifically how working on these three aspects of your leadership will help you. In other words, in a paragraph for each target, note how your leadership will be enhanced as you improve in each area. Indicate what aspects of your work will show greater effectiveness and how. Prioritizing your development efforts is critical. There are only so many hours in the day. Leaders are already stretched with respect to time. Trying to take on too much may simply not be doable. Think of this as an initial set of development priorities, creating a process for future leadership development work. After this initial six-month period you can repeat the process and identify new targets. The objective is to think strategically about how you will achieve your greatest impact. Ask yourself, at this moment in your career and given your current responsibilities and existing capabilities, where can you get the best return on your development investment? Once your priorities are set you are ready to create your plan.
The Plan The assessment steps taken thus far include the completion of a leadership vision, the culling of developmental feedback, and the selection and prioritization of development targets. As the final step in your call to action, you will need to put this information into accessible summary form, something you can easily keep in front of you. There are many possible formats to use. The simplest perhaps is something commonly referred to as a STOP-START-CONTINUE. In the STOP-START-CONTINUE chart below, beginning with the STOP category, you will indicate three to four actions you will eliminate from your repertoire altogether. You could be listing an item that represents an overplayed strength, a bad habit, or something that no longer serves you in your present role. Under the START section you will list three to four actions that you will need to initiate; actions that will be new and additive to your current style. START actions can promote greater breadth or depth and will ensure adequate movement across the right- and left-brain plane. Lastly, in the section headed CONTINUE you will list three to four actions that serve you wellthose that define your favorable leadership preferences. Actions specified in your CONTINUE column represent that which you wish to maintain as tried-and-true strong suits. As a means of more directly connecting with our exemplar, next to each action, note an Obama-like reminder to inspire you. It could be one of his decisions, actions, or slogans, something that either was cited here in this book or you know of on your own. An example is provided in the boxed worksheet below.
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STOP-START-CONTINUE
STOP Actions Depth trait tenacity: Stop wavering when things seem difcult START Actions CONTINUE Actions Yes we can Obama-like inspiration
With your development actions clearly in mind, all that is left is to provide you with tools to assist you.
Tools of the Trade

Changing behavior is never easy. It takes specific effort and focus. The brain is unfortunately habitual unless otherwise repeatedly directed, old habits will return. Fortunately certain tools are available to assist you. These tools, like the guiding leadership behaviors, are either right brain, left brain, or supportive ( Plus Factorbased). Development tools come from schools of thought in psychology and from the fields of interpersonal communications, health, and wellness. They emanate from how certain theoretical perspectives view behavior and, therefore, how they approach behavior change. A full assortment of development tools can be found in this texts parent book, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact. For our purposes, fifteen tools have been selected that best complement Obama-like actions. Tools facilitate the development of a new action. Since the brain can be in essence locked in certain habitual patterns of conduct, tools help to gently open your mind to other options. You are then more likely to take advantage of opportunities for either stopping a given mannerism and/or adding a new leadership tact. The methodology for using development tools would be to look over the desired actions indicated in your STOP-START-CONTINUE and identify a tool to help you put each action in play. Using the preceding example, to stop wavering when things are difficult, you would look through the fifteen tools that follow and identify one that could help you. Select a tool that matches the action. In this case, since the action you are seeking to develop falls under the left-brain behavior assertive, you would look for a left-brain tool. One such possibility is a tool called chaining, defined as taking successive steps to a desired goal. This tool would be helpful as it would enable you to start small and build your new, more tenacious stance progressively. This tool is in alignment with Obamas position on progressive change, that once a goal is identified you keep working toward it in incremental steps. If you were to use chaining to
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stop wavering, you would identify something small that you could assert yourself on and continue to up the ante from there. Right-Brain Tools Right-brain tools are based on humanistic and affective perspectives of psychology and focus on awareness, emotions, trial and error, the whole, the unstructured, and the new. The right-brain development tools you will be learning are active listening, brainstorming, drawing, reflection, and visioning. Right-brain tools are summarized in the shaded section below.
RIGHT-BRAIN TOOLKIT
Active listening: Listening attentively for meaning, implications, or empathy Brainstorming: Generating ideas or options in a free-owing manner Drawing: Creating pictures to convey thoughts Reection: Considering the nature of or looking back over something Visioning: Imaging a future state through a mental picture5
Taking one right-brain tool at a time in more depth, beginning with active listening, this important tool is the key element of empathy. Active listening is a thought-based listening approach, meaning listening for understanding. It consists of three components: attending, paraphrasing, and validating. You attend to what the other person is saying, not just the words or the topic, but to the nature of their experience. What does the other person feel? What meaning does the situation have for him? You paraphrase back what you heard. You dont parrot his words but in your own words capture the essence of what is being said. What is important is that you get to an experience-based understanding, not simply one that reflects content or facts. You are looking to express meaning. Validation is a gut check giving the other person an opportunity to tell you how close or far off you are and to provide you with additional information if necessary. Consider this example of simple listening versus active listening between a boss and a direct report.
SIMPLE LISTENING APPROACH

Boss: Hows it going, Tom? Direct Report: Were getting there, but there have been a lot of distractions, what with this new product were testing, the recent layoffs,

and the restructuring of peoples roles. Im up for a challenge, but this one may be tricky, Boss. Boss: OK, well lots to do, and I know if anyone can handle it, you can.
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ACTIVE LISTENING APPROACH

Boss: Hows it going, Tom? Direct Report: Were getting there, but there have been a lot of distractions, what with this new product were testing, the recent layoffs, and the restructuring of peoples roles. Im up for a challenge, but this one may be tricky, Boss. Boss: So, Tom, you are saying that there is some added complexity, three key issues, in fact, that are impacting how this will all shake out? Direct Report: For sure, and I think at least talking through some of the role changes and timelines might help ensure that we pull this off. Boss: OK, then, lets set some time aside soon to do just that.
Using active listening can promote better strategic decisions, it can assist at various transformational junctures, and it can foster engaging dialogues. In this illustration the leader became alerted to potential problems and unearthed an opportunity for a collaborative discussion with his direct report that will serve multiple enhancing purposes for the work, for the relationship, and for the development of the direct report. The next right-brain tool, brainstorming, can help us to become more creative. It puts our mind on an innovative track. Brainstorming is simple. Thoughts are generated without structure. There are no right or wrong answers, no good or bad ideas. Put on some music, take out a large sheet of paper and some multicolored crayons or markers, and begin. Make it a playful event, not an intellectual one. When you brainstorm you write down whatever comes to mind. When you are through, you shift style to your left brain and apply methodical organization to glean the best possible options. The point is to open up your mind initially through innovation to begin on the right side of the brain. Drawing is a hidden gem of a leadership tool. Think about how much of our lives are verbal. We are constantly exercising the verbal areas of our brain. How often do we stimulate, access, tap into the brains vast nonverbal resources? For most of us, we hardly ever do. We abandoned our crayons and finger paints back in kindergarten for paper and pen and now also cling to our laptops, Blackberries, iPhones, and Palms. We read books, newspapers, and magazines and are satiated with dialogue from reality television. We talk and talk and talk and type, type, type and when weve had enough, we talk and type some more. Sleep seemed our only verbal escape, until now.
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Simple, easy, and relaxing, now you can draw your way to your nonverbal power. Drawing is in fact so very potent a development tool, it can be used to assist you with virtually any development action. This is not about artistic ability, so let that excuse go. This is about tapping into your uncensored brain. The process for drawing is straightforward. Construct an image, using symbols, sketches, or diagrams (no words). Then describe in words what the picture conveys. If you are using drawing, for example, to help you become more future focused in your strategies, you could fold the paper in half and create before-andafter depictions, the present state on the top half of the paper and the desired state on the bottom half. In this sense you are also visioning, using two right-brain tools simultaneously. You now have two ways to vision, to create a physical image as in a drawing or a mental image as you did earlier in the chapters visioning activity. Both of these right-brain tools, visioning and drawing, encourage the imagination; they both drive the innovative. Additionally, each can promote future (strategic) thinking as well as help gauge and facilitate various aspects of transformational and engaging leadership. While we dont know if Obama uses drawings or brainstorming per se, we do know that he is well inclined to the innovative. These two tools can help build your creative proclivities. The final right-brain tool is a reflection. Referenced at several points in the preceding chapters as a key tool of Obamas and at the outset of this section of the text, a reflection can be done in a number of ways. The basic aim is to better understand the nature of something. As such, a reflection can foster any and all aspects of right-brain leadership. Overall a reflection provokes insight, helps us to learn and to give deeper and more open consideration to something. As a leadership development tool a reflection is most helpful when you are seeking to better understand your behavior, as a first step in trying to alter or better leverage your impact. Change is not easy and behavior change is harder still. Sometimes the best starting place with behavior change is through the added awareness a reflection can bring. Think of New Years resolutionshowever well intended, they often fall by the wayside, never followed through on. New Years resolutions are often nothing more than a wish list. We know we are not satisfied with some aspect of our lives, and we can easily know what we want to do differently, but then we seem to have difficulty following through. Reflecting first on something you would like to change or accomplish, giving the matter careful, open, and honest consideration provides an advantage that we didnt have before. Our perspective is better informed, and from that point we can perhaps set a better plan. Left-Brain Tools Left-brain tools are based on behavioral and cognitive approaches of psychology and focus on logic, structure, associations, repetition, and steps. The left-
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brain tools you will be learning about are described in the shaded box below and include behavior rehearsal, chaining, cuing, and reframing.
LEFT-BRAIN TOOLKIT
Behavior rehearsal: Practicing a new behavior until it is ingrained Chaining: Taking successive steps to a desired goal Cuing: Using an object, quote, or phrase to prompt a desired behavior Reframing: Changing a perspective, in this case from a negative to a positive6
The point has been made that Obama is a disciplined individual. Behavior rehearsal drives discipline. It involves practicing something over and over or roleplaying until the desired ability becomes second nature. Behavior rehearsal can help drive more assertive behaviors in the underassertive. It can help those with expressive leadership gaps become more adept and confident speakers. The very nature of behavior rehearsal contributes to ones methodical tendencies. It can help break bad interpersonal habits that compromise our ability to be grounded. Chaining was cited as an example in the opening section on tools as breaking a development hurdle down into doable segments. It can be likened to Obamas building a house brick by brick method. While the temptation in behavior change is often to start with that which challenges us most, it is actually better to start off small and work your way up. As such, while chaining is in our left-brain toolkit, it can help us to tackle just about any development goal by working one step at a time. An added value of chaining is that it fosters methodical organization and focus as well. Cuing has immeasurable value in the behavior change process. Cuing is like a literal call to action for the brain. It is an alert of sorts that tells the brain you need something different from it at a particular moment. Referred to also as a cognitive cue, this marvelous little tool uses a phrase, a quote, a picture, or some tangible object to set your behavior on its new path. Here is an example of cuing at work. An executive is looking to enhance her savvy skills. In particular, she needs to change how she works in order to build stronger networks. When asked what comes to mind when she thinks of networking, she relays the image of a spider weaving a web. She goes to her sons toy chest and pulls out a small plastic spider and brings it with her to work. She places it on her desk just next to her computer screen. Her cue is now always in plain sight. She tells her brain to associate the spider with her need to get out of her office and interact with others in a more directed and continuous manner. It is 11:30 on a Wednesday and she has just completed a small project. She closes the document and notices her spider. She is reminded to network. She looks over at the prepared lunch she brought and thinks
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to herself, That will keep until tomorrow. She calls a colleague to meet off campus for lunch. Cuing has limitless utility. While cuing itself is a left-brain activity, the creative process for settling on the proper cue affords this unique development tool a place on the right side of the brain equation as well. As such, cuing clearly extends beyond its left-brain place with expanded right brain reach as an enhancer of imagination. Reframing uses left-brain logic to see things in a different light. We take an illogical thought and reframe it into a logical one. A leader, for instance, who dreads resistance when trying to effect change is asked to think instead of resistance as an indicator that the change process is working. In this example, the illogical thought is to expect to move through change without pushback. Resistance, though, is actually a natural reaction to change, something that shows that the change is being taken seriously. People think more about what they stand to lose than what they stand to gain, and they resist. For a leader whose left-brain development goal is to be better able to confront opposition and to bring closure to needed changes, reframing can help position this leader to better face her challenges by being on firmer logical ground. Plus Factor Tools Plus Factor tools come from varied origins. Some emanate from motivational psychology, others from health and wellness practices, and the remainder from the principles of interpersonal communication. Each Plus Factor tool is aimed at supporting different aspects of your resilient and savvy development. The case was made that Plus Factors facility can and will determine how effective you are as a leader overall, that the behaviors resilient and savvy in effect bolster your effectiveness in the other eight right- and left-brain behaviors. It would stand to reason, then, that the Plus Factor tools are your first line of defense. These are tools you should seek to draw from first. Plus Factor tools described in the shaded box below include attitude setting, deep breathing, feedback, feedforward, mentors, and stress busters.
PLUS FACTOR TOOLKIT

Attitude setting: Moving to a desired mindset Deep breathing: Concentrated breathing activity to promote calm Feedback: Evaluative information from an assessment, survey, or person Feedforward: Prefacing statements Mentors: Experienced role models who guide and support Stress busters: Targeted activities that alleviate tension, rejuvenate energy, and promote well-being7
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Attitude setting is about possessing the right frame of mind for a given circumstance. While a positive attitude is often an important mindset choice, think more broadly about attitude as aligning your expectations, what you set out to accomplish, with the best outlook to get you there. If, for example, President Obamas attitude about winning on health care reform were based solely on a positive viewpoint, would he be formidable enough to make his case? Certainly he would not be. The president appears to recognize the need to incorporate multiple facets into his attitude setting, that his mindset must be as complex as the problems and issues he is attempting to address. You will see him reflect his broad-based posture in the various communication tones he takes on, from welcoming and collegial to confrontational and limit setting. One could say Obamas attitude setting in many instances reflects that of an understanding inclusive leader with certain bottom lines. This you can see is far more complex than the singular stance of positive. In essence, Obamas attitude reflects instead all of the above. When considering your attitude, consider the complexity of the matter at hand and determine the suitable attitude for the level of intricacy. How does attitude setting work? You will need ten to fifteen minutes and a quiet place free from interruption. It is best done at the outset of your day. Sit with your eyes closed and begin to think about the schedule ahead. Consider the nature of your challenges and expectations. What do you most need to accomplish? Do you need to come across well to a particular group? Do you need to bring clarity to a problem or issue? Do you need to facilitate movement on a project? Do you need to tend to team dynamics? Call up whatever the key needs are for the day and determine the best frame of mind to drive a successful outcome. Find adjectives to reflect the attitude you need to act from. Open your eyes and speak the adjectives aloud. You are now ready for your day. Deep breathing is an invaluable aid. It is the foundation of many if not all relaxation exercises, and of yoga and meditation. Deep breathing has long been found to help reduce stress and improve thought clarity. Many believe it facilitates overall health and well-being.8 Whenever your driven nature makes it difficult for you to feel composed, deep breathing can help. If you are juggling multiple tasks and beginning to feel frazzled, stop and practice deep breathing. If you feel like your buttons are getting pushed, count to ten with a cleansing breath. It will help to keep you from taking the bait. There are several techniques for deep breathing. The process presented here is a straightforward form that can be done anywhere you can find a quiet seated place. Close your eyes, sit comfortably, rest your arms on your legs, and take a slow, deep breath, filling your abdomen rather than contracting it. This kind of breath will take practice. You need to build up to a slow, deep breath. You accomplish this by focusing on your breathing speed and progressively increasing the air intake. Deepen the breaths as you go along. While you are breathing, work to clear your mind of distractions. It sometimes helps to concentrate on a prompting
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sound or phrase. This cue will tell your brain to respond differently than it has in the past. Feedback has been covered earlier in the chapter as an important and ongoing tool in your development process. Different from feedback, feedforward is an alert tool with many uses. Obama uses feedforwarding as a natural aspect of his speaking. He frequently tees up conversations with prefacing statements. A feedforward is information you provide that prepares others for what you are about to say. It can serve a number of purposes, such as to open the lines of communication, which is referred to as phatic communication. Phatic communication is that which sets a mood or a social nicety. A feedforward can also express an expectation or provide a disclaimer.9 Feedforward messages enable you to begin on a positive note, influence perceptions, circumvent misunderstandings at the outset, and be seen as more responsible overall. In using this tool you are doing proactive work on your image while showing audiences empathy and added respect. Mentors are invaluable development aids for leaders. The smartest individuals know what they dont know. They recognize how to use resources available to them, and they have the reverence to seek counsel from others who are accomplished. Obama uses mentors in two special ways. He is well read, soaking up all he can from past presidents, past and present leaders, experts, icons, and history. He also forms mentoring relationships with key individuals from whom he can learn. The final Plus Factor tool is a range of activities we will refer to as stress busters. Stress busters can take many forms. What did we learn from Obama in terms of how he deals with stress? He subscribes to a disciplined physical exercise regime, for one. He loves to walk and to run to de-stress and to clear his mind. He pays attention to diet as a way to stay well and thereby deal more effectively with stress. Lastly, Obama finds peace in the love of his familyhis wife and children. Loving close relationships can be a powerful relaxer. Lets not forget Bo, the Obama family pet. Pets can be a wonderful source of fun, validation, and relaxation with the unconditional love they provide. A final set of stress-busting activities that warrant mention are those forms of exercise that are more inward based, those that use deep breathing, concentration, and stretching as their foundations. Yoga, tai chi, and meditation have been found to promote overall calm, health, and wellness. They have also been noted to encourage clear and reflective thought. While most hard-charging leaders like Obama are prone to physical exercise regimes, the alter-brain utility of quieter forms of exercise may actually afford more varied resilience benefits.
Summary Thoughts
This book has asked you to think about the uncommon leadership ability of President Barack Obama relative to right- and left-brain leadership breadth and depth. Born from diversity in makeup and rearing, Obama, ultimately through his own
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self-directed determination, is able to draw from a full array of leadership talents to meet both his aspirations and challenges. I began this project midway through the presidents campaign. It obviously took clearer form following the election results in November 2008. As Obama has moved into the now ten-month mark of his presidency, what continues to be impressive is how steady, focused, and thorough he is in spite of the onslaught of issues. He does not default to quick fixes and short cuts, and he repeatedly thwarts political opportunism. He seems in this for the long haul, determined to create lasting benefits and sustainable change. How he approaches his work and what fundamentally drives him is very different from the leadership of the moment we typically see around us. On September 21, 2009. former president Bill Clinton was being interviewed on the Larry King Live television program. Among other questions, President Clinton was asked what he believed was President Obamas greatest strength. Clinton remarked that Obamas strengths were many, but most impressive was how he is able to handle multiple critical priorities simultaneously and to handle them all well. Clinton described that Obama seems able to connect the dots between projects and drive synergies and interrelationships in impressive fashion. Clinton was pointing to Obamas right and left brain working in consort, the way it was designed to function, collaboratively and integrally.10 The following evening President Obama appeared on David Lettermans latenight television program. His interview with host Letterman was in many respects the books capstone. In the face of the heated health care debate, continued international hot spots, and global economic woes, the president was calm, steady, and engaging. He laughed one moment and switched gears effortlessly when the situation warranted, to his learned style of answering direct and complex questions. He was comfortable and reassuring. He was candid, realistic, and to the point. He was insightful and playful. He pondered the future and was in the moment spot-on. Obamas right- and left-brain interwoven abilities were in full swing.11 Today, as I work to put the final touches on the book, the news broke that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace, a befitting validation of Obamas worth. The president was recognized for a series of efforts throughout the first year of his presidency to change the ways in which we think and act toward one another as primal to improving each and every one of the worlds problems. Included in those accomplishments were the following milestones and positions:
His determination to press the world of nations to free the planet from nuclear threats His reaching out to the Muslim world to reshape the tone and positioning of U.S./Muslim relations His messages to help better empower Africans in their own plights, delivered in Ghana, a locale strategically selected for the gains that country had already made in this direction
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His emphatic declaration and reframing of Middle East peace as a win-win proposition His thrust at the United Nations General Assembly for world leaders to more collectively and substantively own and work together on challenges that aect us all, including a meeting of the United Nations Security Council that Obama himself chaired His commitments to more denitively ght climate change12
Obama was humble in his acceptance of this great honor, knowing he has only begun the work at hand. From this recognition, though, we can believe even further in the Obama brand of leadership with respect to ultimate potential. The integral nature of Obamas thinking lends itself to root cause problem solving , not simply that of winning the fight of the moment, while his collective orientation stresses unification over divide. Perhaps with this in mind we can better consider Obamas perspective on, say, assertiveness as a balance between tenacity and attaining buy-in. Obamas enactment of savvy as integrity politics can also, on our home front, begin to restore our party system to how it was intended to function. As a wake-up call to leaders, success should no longer be measured by immediate victories and short-term gains. Continue to do so and the ghosts of leadership past will come back to haunt you. Such dated measures will result in having to fight the same battles over and over as we persist in working harder rather than smarter. Therein lies our real energy crisis. Using the Obama brand of leadership as your new scorecard, you will push your brain to full engagement, for sustainable gains and for impact above and beyond. Now is the time for the new age of leadership. I hope the book has provided clear examples and options to assist in enhancing your leadership impact. Keep in mind the following process and youll be on your way. Come to know your behavioral strengths and areas for opportunity. Begin to work on improvements progressively. Choose and prioritize wisely. If youve learned nothing else, know that more is not better different is. Start today by identifying a trait and tool pair that can take you closer to your leadership vision. Remember, this is all about extending your contribution through collaboration and modernization. Seek fresh shared ways to add value.
Parting Inspirations
In closing I thought it a fitting tribute to call upon the voices of some whose thinking could have inspired or perhaps did inspire President Obama. Think about how the powerful messages from the following leaders can contribute further still to your right brain / left brain leadership thinking as they may have contributed to his.
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In the end, its is not the years in your life that count. Its the life in your years. Abraham Lincoln13 A small body of determined spirits red by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history. Mohandas Gandhi14 It takes 20 years to build a reputation and ve minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, youll do things dierently. Warren Buett15 When will our conscience grow so tender that we will act to prevent human misery rather than to avenge it? Eleanor Roosevelt16 There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure. Colin Powell17 A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus. Martin Luther King Jr.18 Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine, and at last you create what you will. George Bernard Shaw19
Thank you for allowing me to share in your leadership creations. Special thanks to President Obama for his eminent leadership example.
Acknowledgments
This book is dedicated to President Obama for his inspiration. Writing about this exceptional leader has been a thoroughly reaffirming experience. I look forward to whats to come from the Obama years and how his example will inspire leadership into the future. The books foreword was written by a respected colleague, Dr. Christopher Shoemaker. Dr. Shoemaker has had a distinguished leadership career in the military, serving on the staffs of two presidents and now in the private corporate sector as a senior vice president for strategy. He is also an accomplished writer and a true Renaissance mana consummate full-brain leader. I greatly value his support and counsel as a mentor and a friend. To the respected and esteemed individuals who served as endorsements for the book, Dr. Joseph Flaherty, Annette Kelton, Peter Landau, Jennifer Ogle, and Sean Stegall, special thanks for taking the time to preread the manuscript, for your feedback, and for your supportive words. To the clients and staff of the Lead Life Institute, it is compelling to work with dedicated leaders who want nothing more than to make a difference. Thanks to you for your openness to the Right Brain / Left Brain model and related tools, and to how you inspire the institutes practices. My publisher, Praeger of ABC-CLIO, and in particular my editors, Debbie Carvalko and Dr. Chris Stout, made this book possible. Chris and Debbie served as the projects right- and left-brain mentors, respectively. Chriss vision helped to push the envelope, and Debbies strong suit in leaving no stone unturned brought the project home. Support in the day-to-day came from the tireless efforts of Michelle Rooney and Katie Welykoridko. Their research and attention to detail was flawless and invaluable. Their friendship is ever so appreciated. Kathy Bussert of Design Spring is appreciated for her creative and technical talent.
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Acknowledgments
Support of a different nature came from my family and friends, who cheered the book on and tolerated the black hole I often vanished into in order to get this project done. I so appreciate your perspectives, patience, and mostly how you continue to care for and believe in me. My husband, Jean-Pierre, is, Im proud to say, someone I deeply admire for his brand of leadership courage. To the rest of my familymy mom, Rosemarie; our daughters, Patricia and Yasmine; my dad and stepmom, Tony and Bernice; my aunts, Toni and Laura; my brother and sister; Tony and Linda; my sister-in-law, Carol; my nieces and nephew, Nicole, Gina, Sarah, and Sam; my uncles, Bob and Big-guy; and my cousins, Lisa, Mike, Bobby, Janine, Karen, Pat, Jimmy, and KristenI look forward to our continued times together. To dear friends Anita Augustine, Holli Beckwith, Mike and Pat Cerisano, Emily Douchette, Jerri Frantzve, Fran and Roger Holmstrom, Mark and Jessica Hockley, Don and Donna Hoscheit, Nancy Landau, Kevin Monahan, Susanne, Annie, and Michael Peters, Skip and Marilyn Rosskam, Sue Spinella, and Christine Troianello, I so appreciate your interest and encouragement over the past eleven months. Of course special mention goes to my furry soul mates, Max and Lilly, who provide that particular love Westies are so very good at. You guys slept in your favorite spots in the office day after day after day as I typed, and typed, and typed . . . and knew just when and how to make me take breaks. I remember and acknowledge always my grandparents Swift and Lucy, with me in spiritmy grandfather as a self-taught, self-made business success, the personification of the American dream, and my grandmother as my original source of feminine wisdom. From them I learned what really counts when setting out to make a contribution: that through determination, integrity, and connection anything is possible.
Appendix
Worksheets
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Appendix
Behavior Trait Ratings/Line of SITE Figure A.1 Line of SITE Blank ChartsSTRATEGIC and INNOVATIVE
Appendix
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Behavior Trait Ratings/Line of SITE (continued) Figure A.2 Line of SITE Blank ChartsTRANSFORMATIONAL and ENGAGING
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Appendix
Behavior Trait Ratings/MEGA Mind Figure A.3 MEGA Mind Blank ChartsMETHODICAL and EXPRESSIVE
Appendix
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Behavior Trait Ratings/MEGA Mind (continued)
Figure A.4 MEGA Mind Blank ChartsGROUNDED and ASSERTIVE
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Appendix
Behavior Trait Ratings/Plus Factors Figure A.5 Plus Factor Blank ChartsRESILIENT and SAVVY
Notes
Chapter 1
1. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote.com/ quotes/authors/b/barack_obama.html (accessed February 4, 2009). 2. Mary Lou Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact (Westport, CT: Praeger, 2008), 2. 3. Ibid., 7. 4. Quotation from Quotes and Poem, Barack Obama, http://www.quotesand poem.com/quotes/showquotes/author/Barack-Obama/20360 (accessed March 1, 2009). 5. Barack Obama, Manassas, Virginia, Last Rally of 2008 Election, Obama Speeches.com, November 3, 2008, http://obamaspeeches.com/E-Barack-ObamaSpeech-Manassas-Virgina-Last-Rally-2008-Election.htm (accessed March 3, 2009). 6. Barack Obama, Press Conference by the President, press conference, White House East Room, Washington, D.C., February 9, 2009, http://www.whitehouse. gov/the_press_office/PressConferencebythePresident/ (accessed February 10, 2009). 7. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote.com/ quotes/authors/b/barackobama.html (accessed February 4, 2009). 8. Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons, President Obama Swiftly Sets Course on Day One, Los Angeles Times, January 22, 2009, http://www.latimes.com (accessed February 10, 2009). 9. Lee-Anne Goodman, Obamas Busy, Bold First 10 Days in Office Could Rival Roosevelts Pace, Canadian Press, January 29, 2009, http://www.canadaeast. com/news/article/555414 (accessed February 10, 2009).
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10. Barack Obama, Press Conference by the President, Press Conference, White House East Room, Washington, D.C., February 9, 2009, http://www.white house.gov/the_press_office/PressConferencebythePresident/ (accessed February 10, 2009). 11. Jeffrey Jones, Americans Approve of Most Obama Actions to Date, Gallup, February 2, 2009, http://www.gallup.com/poll/114091/Americans-ApproveAobama-Actions-Date.aspx (accessed February 10, 2009). 12. Barack Obama, President Barack Obamas Inaugural Address, Capitol Building, Washington, D.C., January 20, 2009. http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_ office/President_Barack_Obamas_Inaugural_Address/ (accessed February 9, 2009). 13. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership. Constructive intolerance is a term coined in my executive coaching work to help overly assertive leaders set limits in ways that would foster positive development and engagement in those they are setting limits with. Conversely, it is meant to help nonassertive leaders find a point of entry in confronting difficult situations. 14. Barack Obama, Remarks by President Barack Obama on Executive Compensation with Secretary Geithner, Remarks, White House, Washington, D.C., February 4, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/RemarksbyPresi dentBarackObamaOnExecutiveCompensationSecretaryGeithner/ (accessed February 11, 2009). 15. Larry Bossidy, Ram Charan, and Charles Burck, Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (New York: Crown Business, 2002), 105. 16. Huffington Post, Obama Victory SpeechText, November 4, 2008, http:// www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04obama-victory-speech_n_141194.html (accessed February 9, 2009). 17. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President at Fort Myers Town Hall, Town Hall, Harborside Event Center, Fort Myers, Florida, February 10, 2009, http:// www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Fort-MyersTown-Hall/ (accessed March 3, 2009). 18. Barack Obama, interview by Anderson Cooper, CNN Anderson Cooper 360, Cable News Network, February 04, 2009, http://cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/04/ obama.daschle/#cnnSTCvideo (accessed March 3, 2009). 19. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam409129.html (accessed March 1, 2009). 20. George Lakoff, The Seven Intellectual Underpinnings of the Obama Code, BuzzFlash, February 24, 2009, http://buzzflash.com/articles/node/7792 (accessed March 1, 2009). 21. Huffington Post, Obama Victory Speech. 22. Colin Powell, interview by Don Lemon, CNN Newsroom, Cable News Network, February 15, 2009, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0902/15/ cnr.05.html (accessed February 24, 2009). 23. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. James Meredith, http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/James_Meredith (accessed March 1, 2009).
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24. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/quotes/b/barackobam375640.html (accessed March 3, 2009).
Chapter 2
1. Barack Obama, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance (New York: Three Rivers Press, 2004), 82. 2. Ibid., 3 129. 3. Paul S. Kaplan, A Childs Odyssey: Child and Adolescent Development, 2nd ed. (St. Paul: West, 1991), 94 102. 4. Ibid., 71 72. 5. Quotation from Obama.net, http://obama.net/ (accessed March 15, 2009). 6. Kaplan, A Childs Odyssey, 73 74. 7. Obama, Dreams from My Father, xii. 8. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. Ann Dunham, http://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Ann_Dunham (accessed March 20, 2009). 9. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 49. 10. Ibid., 47 48. 11. Barack Obama, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream (New York: Crown, 2006), 205. 12. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 910. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. Barack Obama, Sr., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_Sr (accessed March 27, 2009). 13. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 10 11. 14. Ibid., 69 70. 15. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. Barack Obama, Sr., http://en. wikipedia.org/wiki/Barack_Obama_Sr (accessed March 27, 2009). 16. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 301 2. 17. Ibid., 12 27. 18. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, s.v. Lolo Soetoro, http://en.wikipedia. org/wik/Lolo_Soetoro (accessed March 29, 2009). 19. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 41. 20. Ibid., 29 30, 51 52. 21. Lev Semyonovich Vygotsky, Mind In Society: The Development of Higher Psychological Processes (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1978), 8489. 22. Obama, Dreams from My Father, 92 96. 23. Ibid., 96 112. 24. Ibid., 438. 25. Obama, Audacity of Hope, 204 6; and Obama, Dreams from My Father, 291 95. 26. Obama, Audacity of Hope, 327. 27. Ibid., 330 32.
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28. Bob Garrett, Brain and Behavior (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2003), 73. 29. Neil R. Carlson, Physiology of Behavior, 5th ed. (Needham Heights, MA: Allyn and Bacon, 1994), 11 12, 88 95; and Garrett, Brain and Behavior, 60 68. 30. John L. Bradshaw and Lesley J. Rogers, Evolution of Lateral Asymmetries, Language, Tool Use, and Intellect, Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology (Ottawa) 47, no. 4 (1993): 757; Tony Buzan, Use Both Sides of Your Brain: New Mind-Mapping Techniques, 3rd ed. (New York: Plume, 1991), 17 18; Lesley S. J. Farmer, Left Brain, Right Brain, Whole Brain, School Library Media Activities Monthly 21, no. 2 (2004): 27 28; John Rennie, ed., The Hidden Mind, Scientific American (December 2002): 26 31; Jerre Levy, Possible Basis for the Evolution of Lateral Specialization of the Human Brain, Nature 224, no. 5219 (1969): 614 15; Rachel Nowak, Nerve Cells Mirror Brains Left-Right Divide, New Scientist 178, no. 2395 (2003): 20; David A. Sousa, How the Brain Learns, 2nd ed. ( Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2000), 170 78, 191 93; and Sally P. Springer and Georg Deutsch, Left Brain, Right Brain: Perspectives from Cognitive Neuroscience, 5th ed. (New York: W. H. Freeman, 1998), 1219. 31. Ibid. 32. Buzan, Use Both Sides of Your Brain, 17 18. 33. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 2. 34. Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz, You: The Owners Manual: An Insiders Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger (New York: HarperCollins, 2005), 87 90; Dudley Lynch, Is the Brain Stuff Still the Right (or Left) Stuff ? Training and Development Journal (Madison) 40, no. 2 (1986 ): 22 26; and Rennie, Hidden Mind, 26 31. 35. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 20. 36. Antonio R. Damasio, T. J. Grabowski, A. Bechara, H. Damasio, L. L. Ponto, J. Parvizi, and R. D. Hichwa, Subcortical and Cortical Brain Activity During the Feeling of Self-Generated Emotions, Nature Neuroscience 3, no. 10 (2000): 1049 56; Garrett, Brain and Behavior, 199; Carlson, Physiology of Behavior, 91; Paul D. MacLean, Psychosomatic Disease and the Visceral Brain: Recent Developments Bearing on the Papez Theory of Emotion, Psychosomatic Medicine 11 (1949): 338 53; James W. Papez, A Proposed Mechanism of Emotion, Archives of Neurology and Psychiatry (1937): 72543; Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ (New York: Bantam Books, 1995), 9 19; Charles Darwin, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (New York: Philosophical Library, 1955; original work published in 1872), 40 41, 176 79; and Carol Tavris, Anger: The Misunderstood Emotion (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1983), 17 47. 37. Daniel Goleman, Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships (New York: Bantam Books, 2006), 4. 38. Buzan, Use Both Sides of Your Brain, 17 18. 39. Barack Obama, Remarks of President Barack Obama Address to Joint Session of Congress, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., February 24, 2009, http://
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www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-Obama-Ad dress-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress/ (accessed February 25, 2009). 40. Barack Obama, Barack Obamas New Hampshire Primary Speech, New York Times, January 8, 2008, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/us/politics/ 08text-obama.html (accessed February 28, 2009).
Chapter 3
1. Quotation from Barack Obama.net, http://www.barackobama.net/barackobama-quotes.html (accessed March 30, 2009). 2. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 23 27. 3. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on the Economy, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., April 14, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/ the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-the-Economy-at-GeorgetownUniversity/ (accessed April 14, 2009). 4. Ibid. 5. Dcosterd, 24 25, 29. 6. Ibid., 40, 45, 51, 58. 7. Ibid., 25, 30 31, 68, 74, 79, 84. 8. Ibid., 25, 32 33, 95 96, 114. 9. Ibid., 26 29, 33 34. 10. Barack Obama, News Conference by the President, press conference, White House East Room, April 29, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_ press_office/News-Conference-by-the-President-4/29/2009/ (accessed May 5, 2009). 11. Ibid. 12. Ibid. 13. Ibid.
Chapter 4
1. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/b/barack_obama.html (accessed February 4, 2009). 2. Barack Obama, Remarks of President Barack Obama Address to Joint Session of Congress, Congress, Washington, D.C., February 24, 2009, http:// www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-President-Barack-Obama-Ad dress-to-Joint-Session-of-Congress/ (accessed February 24, 2009). 3. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President at the Business Roundtable, St. Regis Hotel, Washington, D.C., March 12, 2009, http://www.whitehouse. gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-the-Business-Roundtable/ (accessed March 12, 2009). 4. Barack Obama, interview by Steve Kroft, CBS 60 Minutes, March 22, 2009, http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/18/60minutes/main4873938_ page4.shtml?tag=contentMain;contentBody (accessed July 7, 2009).
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Notes
5. Barack Obama, Press Conference by the President, White House East Room, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_ office/News-Conference-by-the-President-3-24-2009/ (accessed April 1, 2009). 6. Huffington Post, Obama Victory Speech Text, November 4, 2008, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/04/obama-victory-speech_n_141194. html (accessed February 4, 2009). 7. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Pablo Picasso, http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/p/pablo_picasso.html (accessed July 1, 2009). 8. Quotation from The Quotations Page, Stephen Nachmanovitch, http:// www.quotationspage.com/quote/27091.html (accessed April 4, 2009). 9. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on National Security, National Archives, Washington, D.C., May 21, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_ press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-On-National-Security-5-21-09/ (accessed July 9, 2009). 10. Financial Times, Obama Gets Off to a New Beginning, June 5, 2009, http:// www.ft.com/cms/s/0/3ac64d90-5136-11de-84c3-00144feabdc0.html?nclick_ check=1 (accessed July 1, 2009). 11. David Gergen, interview by Anderson Cooper, CNN Anderson Cooper 360, June 4, 2009, http://newsbusters.org/blogs/mike-sargent/2009/06/05/ac360-strikesgergen-gusher-obama-speech-most-powerful-speech-ever-mus (accessed July 30, 2009). 12. Quotation from BarackObama.com, http://www.barackobama.com/Senate Letter?source=VIC (accessed January 29, 2009). 13. Encarta Dictionary: English (North America), 2007, s.v. transformational. 14. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on a New Beginning, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_ office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09/ (accessed June 7, 2009). 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid. 17. Ibid. 18. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/authors/b/barack_obama.html (accessed February 4, 2009). 19. Barack Obama, President-elect Obama Fifth Press Conference (transcript), press conference, Chicago, December 1, 2008, http://blogs.suntimes. com/sweet/2008/12/presidentelect_obama_fifth_pre.html (accessed July 15, 2009). 20. Barack Obama, President Barack Obamas Inaugural Address, Capitol Building, Washington, D.C. January 20, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_ press_office/President_Barack_Obamas_Inaugural_Address/ (accessed February 9, 2009). 21. Joseph A. DeVito, The Interpersonal Communications Book, 8th ed. (New York: Longman, 1998), 241.
Notes
151
Chapter 5
1. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on the Economy, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C., April 14, 2009, http://www.whitehouse. gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-the-Economy-at-George town-Univ ersity/ (accessed April 14, 2009). 2. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on 21st Century Financial Regulatory Reform, White House East Room, Washington, D.C., June 17, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-of-the-President-on-Regu latory-Reform/ (accessed June 18, 2009). 3. Ibid. 4. Ibid. 5. Ibid. 6. Ali Velshi, News correspondents summary broadcast, CNN, Cable News Network, June 17, 2009. 7. Scott Horsley, Obama Draws Energy from California Swing, National Public Radio, March 19, 2009, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story Id=102128246 (accessed July 10, 2009). 8. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 69. 9. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President in Town Hall Meeting on Health Care, Southwest High School, Green Bay, Wisconsin, June 11, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-inTown-Hall-Meeting-on-Health-Care-in-Green-Bay-Wisconsin/ (accessed July 2, 2009). 10. Ibid. 11. Quotation from The Quotations Page, Menander, http://www.quotations page.com/quote/29441.html (accessed June 15, 2009). 12. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 74 77. 13. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on a New Beginning, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, June 4, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_ office/Remarks-by-the-President-at-Cairo-University-6-04-09/ (accessed June 7, 2009). 14. Ibid. 15. Obama, Dreams from My Father, x. 16. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on the Economy, April 14, 2009. 17. Quotation from The Quotations Page, Abraham Lincoln, http://www. quotationspage.com/quote/414.html (accessed June 16, 2009). 18. Jennifer Loven, Analysis: Obama Beats First National Security Test, Associated Press, April 12, 2009, http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-politics/2009 0412/Obama.Pirates.Analysis/ (accessed April 13, 2009). 19. Nazila Fathi, Recount Offer Fails to Quell Political Tumult in Iran, New York Times, June 17, 2009, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/17/world/
152
Notes
middleeast/17iran.html?_r=2 (accessed August 16, 2009); and BBC News, Ahmadinejad Defiant on Free Iran Poll, June 14, 2009, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ middle_east/8099115.stm (accessed August 16, 2009). 20. Jim Lobe and Daniel Luban, IRAN: Washington Maintains Cautious Response to Election Crisis, Inter Press Service News Agency, June 15, 2009, http:// ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47231 (accessed August 16, 2009). 21. Newsweek, commemorative inaugural edition, January 27, 2009, 29. 22. Loven, Analysis. 23. Obama, Remarks by the President on a New Beginning. 24. Barack Obama, Statement by the President on the Budget, Dwight D. Eisenhower Executive Office Building, Room 350, Washington, D.C., March 17, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Statement-by-the-Presidenton-the-Budget/ (accessed August 13, 2009). 25. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on the Economy, April 14, 2009.
Chapter 6
1. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Barack Obama, http://www.brainyquote. com/quotes/b/barack_obama.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 2. Quotation from Brainy Quote, Albert Schweitzer, http://www.brainy quote.com/quotes/authors/a/albert_schweitzer.html (accessed June, 14, 2007). 3. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 94 98. 4. Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy, and Civic Courage (London: Rowan & Littlefield Publishers Inc. 2001), 69 71. 5. Quotation from BarackObama.net, http://www.barackobama.net/barackobama-quotes.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 6. Barack Obama, President-elect Obama Fifth Press Conference (transcript), Chicago, Illinois, December 1, 2008, http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/ 12/presidentelect_obama_fifth_pre.html (accessed July 15, 2009). 7. Quotation from BarackObama.net, http://www.barackobama.net/barackobama-quotes.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 8. Quotation from Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/b/ba rack_obama.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 9. Quotation from BarackObama.net, http://www.barackobama.net/barackobama-quotes.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 10. Ibid. 11. Peter Moore, The Challenger: 9 Lessons in Balance, Love, and Leadership from a Guy Whos Even Busier Than You Are, Mens Health, twentieth anniversary collectors edition, November 2008, 176 81. 12. Susan Donaldson James, Gym Rat in Chief? Obamas Fitness Regimen, ABC News, December 4, 2008, http://abcnews.go.com/Health/President44/ story?id=6387559&page=1 (accessed September 10, 2009); and Mens Health,
Notes
153
twentieth anniversary collectors edition, November 2008, 176 81, 208. Paul Sullivan, Presidential Adviser David Axelrod on Barack Obama as a Sports Fan, Cubs and Sox Jacket Controversy, Chicago Tribune, July 19, 2009, http:// www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/chi-19-barack-obamabaseball-jul19,0,701556.story (accessed August 30, 2009). 13. Barack Obama, interview by Justin Webb, BBC World News, June 1, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Transcript-of-the-Interviewof-the-President-with-Justin-Webb-BBC-6-1-09/ (accessed September 1, 2009). 14. Quotation from Quotes and Poem.com, http://www.quotesandpoem.com/ quotes/showquotes/author/barack-obama/126530 (accessed August 7, 2009). 15. Quotation from The Quotations Page, Aristotle, http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/24240.html (accessed September 14, 2009). 16. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President in Town Hall on Health Care, Gallatin Field Airport, Belgrade, Montana, August 14, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-town-hall-on-healthcare-Belgrade-Montana/ (accessed September 14, 2009). 17. Quotation from BarackObama.net, http://www.barackobama.net/barackobama-quotes.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 18. Obama, Remarks on Health Care: Belgrade, Montana. 19. Ibid. 20. DeVito, Interpersonal Communications Book, 360 63. 21. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President in Discussion with 9th Graders, Wakefield High School, Arlington, Virginia, September 8, 2009, http:// www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-in-Discus sion-with-9th-Graders-Wakefield-High-School/ (accessed September 9, 2009). 22. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President on 2009 H1N1 National Preparedness and Response, White House Rose Garden, Washington, D.C., September 1, 2009, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-Pres ident-on-2009-H1N1-National-Preparedness-and-Response/ (accessed September 10, 2009). 23. Barack Obama, Remarks by the President to a Joint Session of Congress on Health Care, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C., September 9, 2009, http:// www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-to-a-JointSession-of-Congress-on-Health-Care/ (accessed September 10, 2009).
Chapter 7
1. Quotation from BarackObama.net, http://www.barackobama.net/barackobama-quotes.html (accessed September 10, 2009). 2. Dcosterd, Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership, 130 31. 3. Ibid., 120 25. 4. Ibid., 5. 5. Ibid., 165 66.
154
Notes
6. Ibid., 165 66. 7. Ibid., 165 66. 8. Roizen and Oz, You: The Owners Manual, 151, 166. 9. DeVito, Interpersonal Communications Book, 15 16. 10. William Clinton, interview by Larry King, CNN Larry King Live, September 21, 2009, http://edition.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0909/21/lkl.01.html (accessed October 1, 2009). 11. Barack Obama, interview with David Letterman, CBS The Late Show with David Letterman, September 22, 2009. 12. Reuters FACTBOX, Barack Obama Wins the Nobel Peace Prize, October 9, 2009, www.reuters.com/article/vccandidatefeed/idusl9535468 (accessed October 9, 2009). 13. Quotation from Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au thors/a/abrahamlin137180.html (accessed September 14, 2009). 14. Quotation from Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au thors/m/mohandas_gandhi160341.html (accessed September 14, 2009). 15. Quotation from Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au thors/w/warren_buffett.html (accessed September 14, 2009). 16. Quotation from Wisdom Quotes, http://www.wisdomquotes.com/002433. html (accessed September 14, 2009). 17. Quotation from Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au thors/c/colin_powell_2.html (accessed September 14, 2009). 18. Quotation from Brainy Quote, http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/au thors/m/martin_luther_king_jr.html (accessed September 14, 2009). 19. Quotation from The Quotations Page, http://www.quotationspage.com/ quote/1656.html (accessed September 14, 2009).
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Index
Active listening (tool), 126 27 Adaptive (behavior trait), 47, 70, 73, 112 Alignment-driven (behavior trait), 47, 70, 72 Alter-brain behavior, 35, 38, 52, 113, 118, 122 Ambiguity-allowing (behavior trait), 47 Analytical (behavior trait), 34, 37, 48, 80, 83 Anticipatory (behavior trait), 46, 60, 63 Approachable (behavior trait), 49, 88 91, 101 Articulate (behavior trait), 48, 84 85 Assertive leadership, 11, 42, 45, 49, 52 53, 55, 74, 87, 90 95, 101, 113, 117 18, 121, 125, 129, 143. See also behavior traits: candid; closure-seeking; confident; confrontational; courageous; decisive; delegating; driven; purposeful; tenacious Assimilating (behavior trait), 50, 106, 110 12 Assimilative (behavior trait), 47, 70 71 Astute (behavior trait), 50, 105 7, 112 Attitude setting (tool), 130 31 Attuned (behavior trait), 47, 70 71 Behavior rehearsal (tool), 129 Big-picture oriented (behavior trait), 46, 60 62, 123
Brainstorming (tool), 126 28 Bush, George W., 7 8, 37, 53 Candid (behavior trait), 49, 70, 92 93, 95, 101, 133 Cautious (behavior trait), 49, 88 89, 91 Chaining (tool), 125, 129 Charismatic (behavior trait), 1, 27, 37 38, 47, 74, 76, 100, 117 Cheney, Richard, 63, 66 Clear thinking (behavior trait), 50, 98, 101 2 Clinton, William Jefferson, 37, 133 Closure-seeking (behavior trait), 49, 92 93, 95, 113 Coalition-building (behavior trait), 50, 106, 108 9, 112 Coherent (behavior trait), 48, 84 85 Collaborative (behavior trait), 47, 56, 74, 76 Composed (behavior trait), 49, 87 89, 91, 101, 131 Conceptual (behavior trait), 6, 46, 61, 118 Concise (behavior trait), 6, 48, 84 85, 117 Confident (behavior trait), 93, 101 Confrontational (behavior trait), 49, 92, 95, 113, 131 Constructive intolerance, 11 12, 17, 113, 117
160
Index Experimental (behavior trait), 47, 65 66 Expressive leadership, 42, 45, 48, 52 53, 83 87, 91, 112, 117 18, 122, 129, 142. See also behavior traits: articulate; coherent; concise; erudite; interesting; passionate; personable; persuasive; prepared; presentable Facilitative (behavior trait), 47, 70 71 Factual (behavior trait), 48, 71, 80 81, 83 Feedback: benefits of, 121; in development planning, 121, 124; overview of, 119 21; as a tool, 130 Feed forward (tool), 130, 132 Flexible (behavior trait), 50, 65, 98, 102 Focused (behavior trait), 48, 79 80, 83 Freire, Paulo, 100 Fulfilled (behavior trait), 103 4 Genetics: chromosomes, 21; crossing over, 21; genes, 20 21, 23; genome, 21; genotype, 21; phenotype, 21 Genuine (behavior trait), 49, 88 91 Global (behavior trait), 46, 61, 63, 123 Grounded leadership, 42, 45, 49, 52 53, 68 69, 87 91, 101, 112, 117 18, 122, 129, 143. See also behavior traits: approachable; cautious; composed; established; genuine; loyal; pragmatic; questioning; stable; trustworthy Groupthink, 74 Holistic (behavior trait), 34, 37, 46, 61, 90, 123 Imaginative (behavior trait), 34, 47, 65 66, 68, 116 Implementing (leadership action), 51 Inclusive (behavior trait), 47, 74, 76, 108, 123, 131 Incremental (behavior trait), 47, 51, 69 70, 72 73, 117, 125 Innovative leadership, 42, 46, 57, 64 66, 68 69, 100, 116, 118, 121, 127 28,
Cooper, Anderson: interview with Obama, 14 Counterintuitive, 43, 118 Courageous (behavior trait), 49, 92 94, 101 Creative (behavior trait), 47, 64 65, 116, 127 28 Cuing (tool), 129 30 Culturally oriented (behavior trait), 50, 106, 108, 112 Curious (behavior trait), 47, 64 65, 76 Decisive (behavior trait), 2, 7, 49, 92 93 Declaring (leadership action), 51 Deep breathing (tool), 130 32 Delegating (behavior trait), 49, 92 93 Detail oriented (behavior trait), 48, 79 80, 83 Diplomatic (behavior trait), 50, 105 7, 112 Drawing (tool), 126 28 Driven (behavior trait), 49, 92 93 Dunham, Madeline, 27 Dunham, Stanley, 23, 27 Dunham, Stanley Ann, 23 25 Dynamic interplay, 2, 39, 52, 90 Effective (behavior trait), 82 83 Emotionally sound (behavior trait), 50, 98, 101 Empathic (behavior trait), 25, 47, 74, 76 Empowering (behavior trait), 47, 74, 76 Engaging leadership, 42, 45, 47, 52, 54, 57, 73 74, 76 77, 84, 87, 92, 112 13, 117 18, 120, 122, 127, 128, 141. See also behavior traits: charismatic; collaborative; empathic; empowering; inclusive; inquisitive; listening; motivational; respectful; responsive Environmental (behavior trait), 50, 98, 103 5 Erudite (behavior trait), 48, 84 85 Established (behavior trait), 49, 88 90 Ethology: cross-cultural existence, 21 22; defined, 21; sensitive periods, 22 23
Index 140. See also behavior traits: creative; curious; experimental; imaginative; novelty-seeking; pioneering; playful; risk-taking; spontaneous; unconventional Inquisitive (behavior trait), 47, 65, 74, 76 Insightful (behavior trait), 9, 46, 60 61, 63, 133 Interesting (behavior trait), 49, 85 86 Intuitive (behavior trait), 34, 36 37, 46, 60, 63, 106 Lakoff, George, 15 Leaders audiences: cultures, 42, 47, 50, 70, 106, 111, 121; individuals, 42, 47, 55 56, 70, 121; teams, 42, 47, 50, 55 57, 70, 74, 121 Leadership actions. See declaring; implementing; operationalizing; visioning Leadership behaviors. See assertive; engaging; expressive; grounded; innovative; methodical; resilient; savvy; strategic; transformational Leadership Behavior Rating Form, 121 22 Leadership breadth, 77, 115, 118, 122, 132 Leadership depth, 115, 123 Leadership development: breadth analysis, 121; depth analysis, 122; initial reflection / visioning, 119; STOPSTART-CONTINUE (development plan format), 124 25. See also active listening; attitude setting; behavior rehearsal; brainstorming; chaining; cuing; deep breathing; drawing; feedback; feed forward; mentors; reflection; reframing; stress busters; visioning Leadership vulnerability, 3 Left-brain leadership: essentials, 117. See also MEGA Mind Left-brain toolkit, 129 Left hemisphere, 34 Line of Site, 45 46, 57, 59, 116, 118, 140 41
161
Listening (behavior trait), 47, 74, 76, 117 Logical (behavior trait), 34, 48, 80, 82 85, 130 Looking in (Plus Factor positioning), 49, 51, 97 Looking out (Line of Site), 45 46, 51, 118 Looking over (MEGA Mind), 47, 51 Loyal (behavior trait), 49, 75, 88 90 McCain, John, 38 MEGA Mind, 47 48, 117 18, 142 Mentoring (behavior trait), 47, 70, 72, 132 Mentors (tool), 130, 132 Methodical leadership, 42, 45, 48, 52, 53, 79, 82 83, 87, 91, 117 18, 122, 127, 129, 142. See also behavior traits: analytical; detail oriented; effective; factual; focused; logical; organized; procedural; sequential; task oriented Moral imperative, 14 15 Motivational (behavior trait), 47, 52, 74, 76, 100 Multidominance, 34 35, 95 96 Multidominant, 34 35, 37, 43 44, 95, 122 Networking (behavior trait), 31, 50, 106, 108 9, 112, 129 Nobel Prize for Peace, 133 Novel learning, 35 Novelty-seeking (behavior trait), 47, 65, 68 Nonverbal communication, 76 77 Obama, Barack Senior, 24 Obama, Michelle, 32 33, 104 100th day press conference, 52, 54, 56 Open to learning (behavior trait), 47, 70, 107 Operationalizing (leadership action), 51 Opportunity-conscious (behavior trait), 47, 70 71 Organized (behavior trait), 48, 79, 82 83
162
Index Risk-taking (behavior trait), 46, 65, 68 69 Savvy leadership, 42 43, 49 50, 76, 96 97, 105 6, 108 13, 118, 121, 129 30, 144. See also behavior traits: assimilating; astute; coalition-building; culturally oriented; diplomatic; networking; promotive; subtle; timely; visible Sensitive periods. See ethology Sequential (behavior trait), 34, 48, 80, 82 83 Shrewd (behavior trait), 46, 60, 63 Soetoro, Lolo, 28, 33 Spiritual (behavior trait), 32 33, 50, 98, 102 3, 105 Spontaneous (behavior trait), 47, 64 65, 68 Stable (behavior trait), 35, 38, 49, 88 89, 101, 105 Strategic leadership, 42, 45 46, 52 53, 55, 57, 59 61, 63 64, 68 69, 116, 121 23, 140. See also behavior traits: anticipatory; big-picture oriented; conceptual; global; holistic; insightful; intuitive; shrewd; theoretical; thoughtful Stress busters (tool), 130, 132 Subtle (behavior trait), 50, 106, 108, 112 Task oriented (behavior trait), 48, 79, 82 83 Tenacious (behavior trait), 24, 49, 92 93, 125 Theoretical (behavior trait), 8, 22, 63, 125 Thoughtful (behavior trait), 4, 13, 17, 60 61, 63, 90 Timely (behavior trait), 50, 106 7, 112 Tolerant (behavior trait), 50, 98, 102 Transformational leadership, 42, 45, 47, 52, 57, 69 71, 73, 87, 92, 100, 112, 116, 127 28, 141. See also behavior traits: adaptive; alignment-driven; ambiguity-allowing; assimilative; attuned; facilitative; incremental;
Passionate (behavior trait), 48, 76, 84 86 Personable (behavior trait), 48, 85 86, 100 Persuasive (behavior trait), 49, 69, 85 86, 109 Physically fit (behavior trait), 103, 104 Pioneering (behavior trait), 46, 65, 68 69 Playful (behavior trait), 47, 64 65, 85, 100, 116, 133 Plus Factors, 49 50, 96 97, 118, 130, 144 Plus Factor Toolkit, 130 Positive (behavior trait), 50, 98 100 Powell, Colin, 16, 135 Pragmatic (behavior trait), 2, 28, 49, 88, 90 91 Prepared (behavior trait), 48, 84 85 Presentable (behavior trait), 48, 84 86 Procedural (behavior trait), 48, 79, 81, 83 Promotive (behavior trait), 50, 106, 110 13 Purposeful (behavior trait), 49, 92 93 Questioning (behavior trait), 49, 88, 90 91 Readiness (for learning), 29, 33 Reflection (tool), 101,119, 126, 128 Reframing (tool), 129, 130, 134 Relaxed (behavior trait), 50, 98, 103 Resilient leadership, 42 43, 49 50, 96 98, 100, 103 5, 112, 118, 122, 130, 144. See also behavior traits: clear thinking; emotionally sound; environmental; flexible; fulfilled; physically fit; positive; relaxed; spiritual; tolerant Respectful (behavior trait), 47, 74, 76 Responsive (behavior trait), 47, 74, 76 Right-brain leadership: essentials, 116 17. See also Line of Site Right Brain / Left Brain Leadership Model (fundamentals), 4, 41, 51, 91, 119 20 Right-brain toolkit, 126 Right hemisphere, 34, 36
Index mentoring; open to learning; opportunity-conscious Trustworthy (behavior trait), 49, 88, 90 Unconventional (behavior trait), 47, 52, 64 65, 68, 116
163
Visible (behavior trait), 50, 106, 110, 112 Visioning (leadership action), 51, 128 Visioning (tool), 119, 126, 128 Vygotsky, Lev S., 30 Zone of Proximal Development, 30
About the Author and the Lead Life Institute
Mary Lou Dcosterd is founder and managing executive of the Lead Life Institute, a learning consultancy offering programs and services to help executives, teams, and organizations become their best. Dr. Dcosterd has twenty-five years of experience in organizational development, applied psychology, and university teaching. She has also authored the book Right Brain/Left Brain Leadership: Shifting Style for Maximum Impact and the childrens book series titled The Adventures of Magical Max. Dr. Dcosterd is adept at assessing individual and organizational needs and obtaining results. She works as an executive coach to leaders and leadership teams and as a facilitator, speaker, designer, and trainer for both profit and nonprofit organizations. Areas of expertise include leadership and interpersonal development, implementation and execution, cultural and team alignment, strategic change leadership, mediation, attitude and motivation, wellness, and work /life integration. Her work focuses around four critical success drivers: business acumen, influencing, executing, and self-satisfaction. Prior to founding the Lead Life Institute, Dr. Dcosterd was a partner at a Chicago-headquartered international consulting firm, and before working there she had her own consulting practice, was a tenured university professor, and held high-level leadership positions in the nonprofit sector. Dr. Dcosterd has lived and worked in the United States and abroad. She is a graduate of the University of Hartford, the University of Oklahoma, and the Fielding Institute. She holds a bachelors degree in psychology; masters degrees in educational psychology, organizational development, and clinical psychology; post-masters certification in community/school psychology; and a doctorate in human development. She has been recognized by Who s Who in Teaching and Outstanding Women of America. The Lead Life Institute is a research-based learning consultancy offering dynamic programs and services to help executives and their teams realize their potential
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About the Author and the Lead Life Institute
and become their best. Recognizing the challenges, opportunities, and complexities of todays world, the Lead Life Institute provides state-of-the-art approaches for business and organizational success. As the name indicates, the Lead Life Institute focuses on the successful integration of leadership and life skills, with leadership as a broad term encompassing business and professional acumen, how the leader favorably impacts the world, and how the leader makes a difference. The life aspect focuses on attitude, interpersonal power, and resilience. The overall aim of the Lead Life Institute is to help individuals and organizations attain next-level success through sound strategic leadership and strong, aligned operating cultures. The Lead Life Institute offers executive coaching, leadership development, womens executive development, team excellence, and training design and delivery in more than twenty areas of expertise, as well as work /life success seminars and individual /organizational assessments.
About the Series Editor and Advisory Board
Chris E. Stout, PsyD, MBA, is a licensed clinical psychologist and is a clinical full professor at the University of Illinois College of Medicines Department of Psychiatry. He served as a NGO special representative to the United Nations. He was appointed to the World Economic Forums Global Leaders of Tomorrow, and he has served as an invited faculty at the Annual Meeting in Davos. He is the founding director of the Center for Global Initiatives. Dr. Stout is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, past president of the Illinois Psychological Association, and a distinguished practitioner in the National Academies of Practice. Dr. Stout has published or presented more than 300 papers and 30 books/manuals on various topics in psychology. His works have been translated into six languages. He has lectured across the nation and internationally in nineteen countries and has visited six continents and almost seventy countries. He was noted as being one of the most frequently cited psychologists in the scientific literature in a study by Hartwick College. He is the recipient of the American Psychological Associations International Humanitarian Award. Bruce Bonecutter, PhD, is director of behavioral services at the Elgin Community Mental Health Center, the Illinois Department of Human Services state hospital serving adults in greater Chicago. He is also a clinical assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. A clinical psychologist specializing in health, consulting, and forensic psychology, Mr. Bonecutter is also a long-time member of the American Psychological Association Taskforce on Children and the Family. He is a member of organizations including the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers International, the Alliance for the Mentally Ill, and the Mental Health Association of Illinois.
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Joseph Flaherty, MD, is chief of psychiatry at the University of Illinois Hospital, a professor of psychiatry at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, and a professor of community health science at the UIC College of Public Health. He is a founding member of the Society for the Study of Culture and Psychiatry. Dr. Flaherty has been a consultant to the World Health Organization, the National Institutes of Mental Health, and also the Falk Institute in Jerusalem. Hes been director of undergraduate education and graduate education in the department of psychiatry at the University of Illinois. Dr. Flaherty has also been staff psychiatrist and chief of psychiatry at Veterans Administration West Side Hospital in Chicago. Michael Horowitz, PhD, is president and professor of clinical psychology at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology, one of the nations leading not-forprofit graduate schools of psychology. Earlier, he served as dean and professor of the Arizona School of Professional Psychology. A clinical psychologist practicing independently since 1987, he has focused his work on psychoanalysis, intensive individual therapy, and couples therapy. He has provided disaster mental health services to the American Red Cross. Mr. Horowitzs special interests include the study of fatherhood. Sheldon I. Miller, MD, is a professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University and director of the Stone Institute of Psychiatry at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. He is also director of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, director of the American Board of Emergency Medicine, and director of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Dr. Miller is also an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He is founding editor of the American Journal of Addictions and founding chairman of the American Psychiatric Associations Committee on Alcoholism. Dr. Miller has also been a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Public Health Service, serving as psychiatric consultant to the Navajo Area Indian Health Service at Window Rock, Arizona. He is a member and past president of the Executive Committee for the American Academy of Psychiatrists in Alcoholism and Addictions. Dennis P. Morrison, PhD, is chief executive officer at the Center for Behavioral Health in Indiana, the first behavioral health company ever to win the JCAHO Codman Award for excellence in the use of outcomes management to achieve health care quality improvement. He is president of the board of directors for the Community Healthcare Foundation in Bloomington, and has been a member of the board of directors for the American College of Sports Psychology. He has served as a consultant to agencies including the Ohio Department of Mental Health, Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations, Oklahoma Psychological Association, the North Carolina Council of Community Mental Health Centers, and
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the National Center for Heath Promotion in Michigan. Dr. Morrison served across 10 years as a medical service corp officer in the United States Navy. William H. Reid, MD, is a clinical and forensic psychiatrist, and consultant to attorneys and courts throughout the United States. He is clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Dr. Reid is also an adjunct professor of psychiatry at Texas A&M College of Medicine and Texas Tech University School of Medicine, as well as a clinical faculty member at the Austin Psychiatry Residency Program. He is chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board and Medical Advisor to the Texas Depressive & Manic-Depressive Association, as well as an examiner for the American Board of Psychiatry & Neurology. He has served as president of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, as chairman of the Research Section for an International Conference on the Psychiatric Aspects of Terrorism, and as medical director for the Texas Department of Mental Health and Mental Retardation. Dr. Reid earned an Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill. He has been cited on the Best Doctors in America listing since 1998.

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Right Brain / Left Brain President

Right Brain/Left Brain President

Mary Lou Dcosterd

Contemporary Psychology Chris E. Stout, Series Editor

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Summary Thoughts Parting Inspirations Acknowledgments Appendix Notes Bibliography Index

132 134 137 139 145 155 159

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3.1 3.2 6.1 7.1 7.2

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The Obama Phenomenon

Leading with Both Sides of His Brain

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Obama Phenomenon

The Obama Phenomenon

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Obama Phenomenon

From Intellect to Action

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Obama Phenomenon

Passion and Attitude

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Obama Phenomenon

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Obama Phenomenon

His Human Side

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Obama Phenomenon

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Phenomenon Recapped

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The Nature / Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Luck of the Draw

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Inuences, Experiences, and Moments

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

Leadership and the Brain

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

Right Brain/Left Brain President

The Nature/Nurture of Leadership

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Right- and Left-Brain Potentials

Right Brain/Left Brain President

Figure 3.1 Guiding Behaviors Sorted by Right- and Left-Brain Ability

Right- and Left-Brain Potentials

Right Brain / Left Brain: Counterintuitive

Right Brain/Left Brain President

Right- and Left-Brain Potentials

A Leaders Line of SITE