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Leadership
by James Glaser July 27, 2009 I'm sure there are a lot of definitions for the word "leadership," but since I am writing this about the President of the United States and our Commander-in-Chief, I have to think about the leaders I served under while in the Marine Corps. Marine Corps officers and non-commissioned officers led more often by example rather than being out in front, charging ahead of the troops. They inspired us with their words, but you had the confidence that they had done and still could do everything they were asking of us. This started out in boot camp, and went right on through my time in Vietnam. I had a drill instructor in boot camp, Sgt. Garrett, who could run backwards yelling at the platoon, heck circling the platoon, while wearing a gabardine shirt and tie, with one of those Smokey the Bear hats on. We were running for all we were worth, and Sgt. Garrett, might have had a little sweat under his arms, while we were all drenched in perspiration. Sgt Garrett was leading by example. In Vietnam we had a warrant officer who had been a private in WW II and got a battlefield promotion in Korea. This officer did not go out in the field with us, but when he spoke to you, you knew he understood the pressure we under and how scared we were every time we were sent somewhere. He could have just told us what to do and walk away, but his experiences told him that as our leader he owed us more than that. He would explain what he wanted us to do, and he would then tell us why he wanted us to do it and how we would be helping our Marine unit and other Marines. That made all of all of us part of his team, and you had confidence in what he was telling you. You trusted his leadership. I think those two examples of leadership, and there were many other examples I could have used in the Marine Corps and throughout my life, but those two give you some idea of what I am writing about. Now, I start thinking of President Obama and his leadership style. Candidate Obama was filled with charisma, but Presidential candidates really are not leading, they are just applying for the leadership job. So far, all I have seen out of Barack Obama is someone who wants things done his way, but the man does not have the experience or the ability to do what he is asking of the nation. Obama has all these ideas on the economy, health care, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he is not an economist, he has no medical background, and for sure he was never in the military. So he is not leading, but rather passing on information he thinks is good, but that information is coming from people he has deemed as experts in the field. That is not leadership, but rather management. Right now, America needs a leader, and Barack Obama is showing us he is not what we need. Last week on national television, the President of the United States took sides on a police issue that he admitted he knew nothing about. President Obama took the side of his friend and maligned every police officer in America. First off, the President, and the Commander-in-Chief of the nation does not get involved in local police matters. Secondly, the President made this local police matter become a national issue on race and police brutality, when those two issues had nothing to do with this case. Barack Obama is President of the United States, and for some reason, he has decided to become a television commentator. Leaders don't do things like that. What we need out of this President, and soon, is some sort of explanation of what he is trying to do, how he plans to do it, and what our part in his plan is. After that, he has to tell us how we are going to pay for his plan, because, don't kid yourself, you and I are going to pay. Maybe the rich will get hit harder, but we are all going to pay, too. We need President Obama to stop telling us what he wants to do and to start truly leading. Obama must make every American part of his team and give all of us a role to play. If he can't do that, then we will have to wait a few years and elect somebody who can. |
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