To me, when I think of authentic leadership I think of Barack Obama. I think he is one of few leaders that have had the most power over people but have used it in sincere ways. He has always intended to influence his country, not through dominion or aggression, but rather inspiration and authenticity. Now, I am not an American native, so I am not overly obsessed with his specific political sphere. Instead, I have been able to observe his leadership from distance and without personal attachment to any of his political decisions.
Who is Barack Obama? Obama was the 44th president of the United States. He served in the White House as president from 2009 to 2017. He was also the first black man to serve. A total of eight years. He was known for being a very influential leader and calm during crises. He endured incredible charisma and sensitivity toward his country. He was a true embodiment of an authentic leader. Authentic leadership summarized by having strong honest relationships, being true to oneself, and lastly, it is not fixed, abilities are developed over time (Hamel, 2021).
He exampled sensitivity when the country was in crisis when he first arrived at the president’s seat. He managed to pull a diverse number of parties together and heal the cultural divide. Not only, by the way, he handled some of the questions in regards to diversity but also who he chose to have around him. He picked a diverse group of people with several different backgrounds to work with him in the White House. He was always true to himself and displayed a positive attitude. With his campaign slogan being ”Yes We Can” he encouraged the American people to always be optimistic.
It is known across media reports that he read 10 letters from the public every day to ensure he kept the people in focus. After all, he served the people and was very well aware of this. His job was to build capacity in the people and then let their potential electrify. One of the main qualities an authentic leader embodies is ”walking the talk”. Obama expected his people to be good because he was a good-hearted person himself. He did not expect anything out of them that he did not do himself. Again, this shows that he sought to influence and inspire his people instead of demanding and forcing. He made them want to work for him because he was able to convey that he genuinely wanted the best for them.
To conclude,
It is clear that Barack Obama conveyed a positive authentic leadership. He included others in the decision-making process and wanted the best possible opportunities for the people. He wanted to include everyone and from all different kinds of cultures and Ideals. He always assumed that progress would be done by togetherness and not individualism. It is absolutely clear that Barack Obama is an authentic leader.
References:
Hamel, R. (2021). Lesson 12: Authentic Leadership
I think this is a great analysis of President Obama’s leadership. I think that looking at Presidents through the lens of leadership can become complex when politics are incorporated into analysis but you did a fantastic job keeping them separate. Obama is certainly a President that inherited an America in turmoil and adapted and adjusted to be the leader that we needed him to be. I think that this is something particularly interesting about the election process for President. It is entirely based on situational leadership. The state and needs of the country at the time of elections determine who will win the election for the most part. In terms of the 2008 election where Obama was elected for the first time, the crisis in America certainly called for a leader who would lead with a positive authentic model of leadership. Keeping the people first is not something that Americans had felt was happening in the government in the prior elections, this is why his leadership was needed especially by the people in this country. By reading their letters every day and reminding himself why he was in this position, Obama was authentic and made the people believe that he was always putting them first. There are elements of the government that the general public does not understand but the figurehead of the government is their leader and he represents their needs. And at that time, just like you analyzed, they needed an authentic people-oriented leader.