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A President is the head of the Country and represents not only his party but also the people of his country. Their hopes and aspirations for themselves as well as their country's role in the world are a reflection of the President's performance. A great President is someone who can give a fillip to domestic balanced growth as well as play a key role in guiding international politics. What are the attributes of a great President – does he go strictly by the constitutional written word or does he give his own interpretations more importance, should he risk being unpopular by taking the correct but difficult decision or should he play to the gallery and leave his successor to sort out the mess. Read on to find out qualities that make a great President.
Clear Vision and Direction: To lead a country and its people, a President needs to have a strategic vision and direction. He should be clear what his goals are, how he can accomplish them. He has to concentrate on big issues and challenges and have a macro view of economic, social and political realities.
For instance, Roosevelt's fireside chats (thirty evening radio speeches) during the 'Great Depression' gave people hope and inspired them to take advantage of the various measures being introduced to tackle unemployment and encourage entrepreneurship. The same quality was exhibited by Abraham Lincoln during his "House Divided" speech emphasizing his goal of preserving the Union while limiting slavery.
Consistency of Purpose: It takes courage to stick to your chosen course of action to achieve your stated end goal. Lincoln was firm in tackling the Civil War but he was flexible enough to take the changing ground realities into consideration and modified strategies to achieve his goal.
Inherited Legacy: This is something all Presidents have to live with – the inherited legacy of the previous President. For instance, Lincoln inherited a tough legacy filled with officials who sympathized with the Southern States. His task of preserving the Union became enormously difficult as it was being sabotaged from within.
Emotional Maturity: Emotional maturity, popularly referred to as' Emotional Intelligence "or" Emotional Quotient "refers to the ability to think rationally distancing oneself from personal prejudices and looking at the big picture. A great President must have self confidence and must not be frozen by doubt and indecision.
Respect for Public Opinion: A successful President must have a healthy respect for public opinions as expressed in the form of surveys, polls and media interviews but should not be swayed by them. In fact, he should learn from it and engage in educating the citizens about the actual short-, mid- and long-term effects of his policies.
Negotiation and Collaboration: No President can function in isolation only on the strength of his cabinet and party. A great and successful President is one who engages in negotiation and collaboration with the opposing parties to successfully pass and implement acts and ordinances. In the American context, it can happen that the President belongs to one part while the House and Senate is controlled by the other party. Only negotiations and collaborations can help is such situations.
Quick Action: This is the hall mark of a great President – taking quick decisions and implementing them immediately. In other words, readiness to act and comfort in deciding are important.
Of course along with the above qualities alone will not make for a great President. How he applies these qualities in the discharge of his duties will ultimately determine how history will judge him.
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Source by Eric Schultz