Assignment part A is a presentation and Part B

Introduction

Comparison of Leadership between Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump

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Effective and truthful leadership is very integral to the success of that domain or area of jurisdiction of that leader. Essentially, when the word leader is mentioned, the impression given is that of an individual or even in some instances or cases, a group of individuals tasked with the delicate and fragile responsibility of guiding and leading a group of people, be it that group is in the most basic set up or even goes on to be as big as a whole nation. Effective leadership, is very vital and central to growth, development as well as innovation. The opposite is also true, in the case where the leadership is not effective and is not up to standards with what is expected and required. More importantly, leadership is not associated with titles and accolades. Leadership goes deeper than that. It is more meaningful, profound and impactful. Leadership is not demanded or exerted upon the subjects of that leadership Rather it is earned and worked for extensively. A culture of mutual respect and understanding should be cultivated. In this report, I will make comparison between two leaders, that is former president of the United States of America, Barack Obama and his successor, current president of the United States of America, Donald Trump.

Leadership Styles Comparison in the Actions and Behaviors between Donald Trump and Barack Obama

In terms of leadership styles, and how they are expected to behave and act, Donald Trump, the current American president does not adhere to the customary templated and the notions and perceptions of an effective leader, we are all accustomed too. Indeed, in many ways, the current president of the world’s most powerful nation and country goes against all the things that we perceive to be attributed of a great leader (Belisle et al.,2018). For instance, great leaders are careful orators who take careful and precise consideration before they speak and communicate. This is in stark contrast the American Commander in Chief who has made a habit of sparking global ourage with just a tweet. In stark contrast, Barack Obama, during his tenure in office as well as currently, is still considered as one of the best and most effective communicators of his time and generation. He was meticulous in his speaking and also was careful not to mince his words so that the right message was always put out there. In the leadership context, one of the most defining and characterizing aspects and attributes of a good leader is effective communication (Levine, 2017). Similarly, great leaders are defined by their ability to take constructive criticism into stride. Donald Trump, more often than not, has displayed a tendency to fight back, and counter criticism levelled at him. His battles in this context are mostly fought on television and in the press. Former president Barack Obama in this case was more different, and was able to take criticism well if it was with good intentions and was constructive in nature.

However, president Donald Trump much as he does not ascribe to the traditional perceptions most people associate with a leader and a great leader for that matter, also displays remarkable traits of good and effective leadership in his behaviors and actions. Case in point is the humble as well as the genuine way in which he carried himself during a recent visit to the United Kingdom and the Royal Family. In this, he did well to further strengthen ties and maintain good relations with an ally. In addition to this, Trump even before his presidential days, was a shrewd businessman whose wit, keen eye and clever thinking as a business leader and mogul elevated him to the very top of the business echelons in America, rising to become one of the wealthiest men, not only in America, but also the world.

Contribution of Contemporaneous Circumstances to the Rise in Power

Donald Trump’s unlikely at the time rise to power was strongly based on an America first strategy. In Trump’s opinion, the superpower would no longer bear the burden of supporting other nations and democracies at the expense of its own and would instead put itself and its people first in terms of opportunities and international policy. This ideology and belief were highly popular amongst the majority of his supporters during the campaigns who were liking the prospect of more opportunities coming their way that would have otherwise been accorded to others (Vi-Thong Nguyen, 2018). In addition to this, he also campaigned on the promise of a massive economic revamp to the extent that America had never witnessed before. Central to this would be a key plan to reduce widespread unemployment.

Obama, rode on the promise of one nation, whereby injustices and the wounds of division that had been a characteristic of America for so long would be healed. He was the first black president of America, and he used this as an opportunity to reach out to all races and bring them to the table to fin d ways of peaceful and loving coexistence between one another, Something he did well to achieve. He also rose to power on the promise of strong policies to effectively combat terrorism and to eradicate it.

Similarities and Differences of these Two Leaders.

Although the differences between president Trump and president Obama by far outweigh the similarities between them and could not be as clear as day and night, there are also similarities in terms of their styles and periods of leadership. The main one, is that both are very strong American leaders in their own unique ways (Qunynh Trang and Thi Phuong, 2016). Both rode on the promise of sweeping changes in Washington. Obama during his two terms did so, as is Trump doing presently. Additionally, their appeal as candidates mainly lay in their personal character traits, beliefs and individual values.

Their differences, on the other hand could not be clearer. While Obama was widely seen as a unitary leader who encouraged unity and fewer divisions, Trump is an extremely divisive leader who greatly divides opinion and is greatly controversial. Presently, Americans are more politically polarized than ever before. A recent poll even shows that 39% of members of Trump’s own Republican party believe that the country is currently headed in the wrong direction. Obama was also a more interactive and socially hands on and interactive president with the public, compared to Donald Trump.

Lessons Learnt from the Past for Leadership in the Present

There are several lessons that can be learnt from a past leader like Barack Obama, that can then be applied in present leadership, by leaders like Donald Trump. From Barack Obama’s time in power, one lesson that can be learned is the importance of diplomacy and using peaceful tact in both conflict resolutions and any other forms of negotiation. Peaceful methods, like Obama used and using a diplomatic approach in problem solving is far more effective compared to adopting combative ways of doing things.

Another lesson that can be learnt is the need to always stay in touch and in connection with those who are being led. As a past leader, Obama was close to the citizens of the USA and was a regular in interacting with them socially. As a result, this greatly boosted his approval ratings and went a long way in endearing him to his people. This is something that can be adopted in present leadership.

Lessons that I have learnt from my Analysis of the Two Leaders

There are numerous lessons that can be learnt from the leadership era of Obama as well as the current leadership of American president, Donald Trump. Chief among these lessons is to always put the interests and needs of the governed ahead of personal gain and personal benefits. Sacrifice and commitment is central to leadership and the people who are under leadership always take priority and should take precedence. Furthermore, leaders, even at their most vulnerable and weak positions should always ooze confidence and belief. The leaders’ confidence automatically extends to those being led and as such, it is important that they always display confidence.

Reference list

Belisle, J., Paliliunas, D., Dixon, M.R. and Tarbox, J. (2018). Feasibility of contextual behavioral speech analyses of US presidents: Inaugural addresses of Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald Trump, 1993–2017. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 10, pp.14–18.

Levine, K.J. (2017). Understanding the Stories of Presidential Candidates: A Comparison Between the Stories of 2012 and 2016. American Behavioral Scientist, 61(9), pp.1024–1039.

Quynh Trang, N. and Thi Phuong, D. (2016). HIGH-CONTEXT AND LOW-CONTEXT ELEMENTS IN TWO INAUGURAL ADDRESSES OF 2009 AND 2013 BY AMERICAN PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA. Journal of Science, Social Science, 61(12), pp.56–68.

Vi-Thong Nguyen (2018). A Comparative Analysis on Metaphoric Strategies in Presidential Inaugurals of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Studies in Linguistics, null(48), pp.157–179.

Leadership

What is leadership?

• Leadership essentially refers to the act or the responsibility bestowed upon a person to guide others and lead them within your area, or unit of jurisdiction and responsibility
• A leader is supposed to have certain qualities that distinguish him/her from another. Some of these qualities include, selflessness, responsibility, call to duty, commitment, sacrifice, dedication, kindness and intelligence.
• For this presentation we will make a comparison between two American leaders. One is former president of America, Barack Obama, and the current president, Donald Trump.

Leadership Styles

• Leadership styles refers to the classification or the distinction of how a leader behaves during his tenure of leading a group of people.
• Donald Trump and Barack Obama are two very different leaders with different leadership styles in their behaviors and the way they act
• The current president, Donald Trump is a more divisive figure whose term is clouded by controversy compared to Obama’s term.
• Obama was a leader who insisted on unity and togetherness. He used the presidency to heal divisions and bring people together
• Obama was a meticulous and eloquent speaker. He was a great communicator
• Trump has at times been reckless with his utterances and tweets, becoming a regular in drawing global outrage and condemnation

How contemporaneous beliefs and ideologies contributed to the leaders’ rise to power

• During their quest to power, leaders are chosen, elected r appointed primarily based on their ideologies and beliefs on issues of contention and issues of concern.
• The same is also true of the two leaders, that is Donald Trump and Barack Obama
• Trump rode on the promise of putting America first. His slogan during the republican campaigns was actually Make America Great Again(MAGA)
• This America First approach encompasses putting American interests and requirements above those of any other country or region
• This was particularly an issue of great concern seeing as America being a superpower, has a great responsibility to other countries and parts of the world.
• Obama on the other hand insisted on bridging of gaps that existed and working on creating a unified America where social injustices such as racism were a thing of the past.
• Obama was also appealing as a candidate in the sense that he promised swift and decisive action in the fight against terrorism.

Similarities and Differences between the two Leaders

• As much as it may seem unlikely, both Barack Obama and Donald Trump have certain similarities.
• Their also have differences that far outweigh the differences between the two.
• The main differences between the two leaders lie in the manner with which they conduct themselves, their behaviors and leadership styles.
• For instance, Trump is seen by many to have a radical approach and a combative approach to issues compared to the more diplomatic approach that was employed by Barack Obama.
• Another difference is the promises and the policies their campaigns rode on that then subsequently contributed to the rise in power.
• The main similarity between the two leaders is that they are both headstrong individuals, and powerful leaders whose beliefs, character traits and values attracted the voters to them.

Lessons that I have Learnt from these Two Leaders.

• It is important to always keep the interests of those who are being led above individual interests and personal gain.
• Great leaders often must sacrifice a lot. Sacrifice is essential and central to good leadership. It is a very important attribute of a good leader.
• Leaders, in their capacity or any position of leadership, must always portray strength, even in the case of vulnerability and weakness. A display of strength goes a long way in inspiring the confidence of those being governed.

Lessons from Past Leadership that can be used presently

• In a leadership position, it is important to exercise restrain and to use diplomacy and peaceful methods.
• Combative methods and non-peaceful one should be avoided at all means
• It is important that a leader find ways of connecting with those being led. A leader should find ways to ensure that he/she is always socially interacting with the people he/she leads
• It is important that a leader, as is the case with Barack Obama, always be humble and recognize the fact that leadership is a calling and a responsibility to serve others rather than a position of advantage for self gain