MPU3223 LEADERSHIP AND LIFE SKILLS

ASSIGNMENT 1

DEPARTMENT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Prepared By:

I Putu Andika Jaya Wiguna – E1400443

1. Introduction

Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States, and the first
African American to serve in the office. First elected to the presidency in 2008, he
won a second term in 2012.

Who Is Barack Obama? Born in Honolulu in 1961, Barack Obama went

on to become President of the Harvard Law Review and a U.S. senator
representing Illinois. In 2008, he was elected President of the United States,
becoming the first African-American commander-in-chief. He served two terms
as the 44 president of the United States.

When Barack Obama was elected president in 2008, he became the first
African American to hold the office. The framers of the Constitution always
hoped that our leadership would not be limited to Americans of wealth or family
connections. Subject to the prejudices of their time – many of them owned slaves
– most would not have foreseen an African American president.

2. Content
2.1 Obama’s Leadership
No matter which side of the political fence you live on, President Obama
is good at moving his agenda forward from a leadership perspective. That is the
acid test of leaders: getting things done. Obama's healthcare reform has been
cemented by the Supreme Court. Gay marriage is legal in every state. The United
States is less dependent on foreign oil than it was when he became president.
Healthcare, oil prices, marriage? These are some of the most controversial
subjects in the American conversation. As a leader, how does Obama confront so
much controversy without sacrificing results?
1. Personal risks.
Obama's reputation as a master orator is obliterated by what he is willing
to do as an average singer. He spoke at Tucson after the shooting and at the Sandy
Hook Elementary School after the killings. He spoke at the funeral of Senator
Daniel Inouye. He spoke at Nelson Mandela's eulogy. You may not remember
what he said at any of these events. But when he sang "Amazing Grace" in front
of the world, you remember it. He showed us he's able to be himself, just as he is.
In showing his average singing voice, he took a personal risk in order to create a
memorable message. Taking personal, public risks shows how much you care
about your message as a leader.
2. Make endings into beginnings.
When you're a leader with a big bucket list, how do you keep momentum?
Obama said recently, referencing the Affordable Healthcare Act, "This was a
good day for America. Let's get back to work."
He repeats that phrase--let's get back to work--hundreds of times in the two terms
of his presidency. Classic Obama leadership celebrates ends with a begin. Rather
than rest on the laurels of any particular victory or mope about moments that
didn't go his way, Obama uses circumstances to set up the next phase of his
agenda. In business terms, you blew it out of the park this quarter? Awesome! But
be sure to use this quarter's success to set up next quarter's quota. Even more so,
Obama's leadership style in using the moment as a springboard for his message
forwards his longer term agenda-meaning as he leaves office at the end of his
term, he's accomplished a lot of the items in his leadership bucket list. In classic
Obama fashion, as he recently said to NPR, he's got a lot more "bucket" left.
3. Out communicate your competition.
In 2008, Obama was awarded Marketer of the Year by Advertising Age.
His policies were online and as they evolved, they were updated by email and
text. He had online call tool that helped supporters make millions of calls from
personal computers. Today, Obama keeps talking on multiple channels including
video, network news, talk shows, personal appearances, web cams--you name it,
he's trying it.
4. Believe.
Obama's campaign used the slogan "change we can believe in." Belief in
change is a fundamental, foundational quality of his leadership.
2.2 Obama’s Strong and Weak Characteristics
It’s been said that the Presidency magnifies both your strengths and
weaknesses. And, it might be true for President Obama. His strengths far
outweigh his weaknesses, in my opinion.

Strengths include: intelligence, humility, communication skills, patience,

visionary approach, pragmatism, empathy, intuition and problem solving skills.
He used these skills masterfully to change the trajectory of our country, bolstering
our financial system though the great recession, inspiring those from marginalized
communities to claim their place at the American table and taking a big step
forward to solving the under-insured and un-insured health care dilemma in this
country.

Weaknesses include: introversion and lack of managerial, governmental,

organizational experience. It’s tough for those who are not naturally extroverted to
do all the “wrangling” need to be an effective persuader. This skill seems even
more important in politics than business. As in business they are many surrogates
who can carry the message. However, even in business, it is considerably more
effective if the leader is an extrovert like Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan and Lyndon
Johnson. They’re more likely to win over hearts, minds and eventually votes
needed to move legislation. Accordingly, I’m speculating if President Obama
were more extroverted, he might have been willing to persevere and make more
bipartisan progress when it comes to health care, jobs and the economy.

He clearly faced unprecedented and immediate pushback from

Republicans on nearly day one of his Presidency. However, he maintained focus
and exhibited grace under fire and won the respect of folks around the world
while making our country better.
2.3 Obama’s Effectiveness

Not just the first black man in the White House but a new sort of
American president: thoughtful, reflective and determined to represent all of his
country. Now, a year away from the next presidential election many people
question what sort of leader he has turned out to be.

On the political side, he’s one of the most liberal Presidents the United
States have ever had. He fights for equality and healthcare. He will be well
remembered as the President, who gave Americans affordable healthcare and gay
marriages. One of his presidency’s strong characteristic was also creating good
relations with other countries. During his two terms, he visited more countries
than any other US President. One of the most important relations he’s established
is the one with Cuba. He’s the first US President to visit the communist Cuba and
did pretty well at negotiating with President Castro.

Apart from politics, he’s known to be charismatic, a great speaker,

empathetic and humble. He loves his family and his country. He understands other
people. He’s also very funny and “cool”, as young people often describe him for
his successful effort to appeal to the younger ones. And he possesses the
characteristic, that every President should have, ethics and good behavior, which
sadly doesn’t describe the current President.

Why Obama is my role model of leadership? Because he’s a Democratic

leadership, has a good communication skill and also he will be very happy in
hearing the criticism and suggestions. And Barrach obama is the perfect for being
a leader of all time and all situations because I think Barack Obama is the
definition of leadership itself. He was open minded and acceptable for all his
people in America. Barack Obama leadership aspects are very important to
become a successful leader.
2.4 Pattern of Obama’s Leadership
President-elect Barack Obama implements a cautious and thoughtful
leadership style. His leadership style is very effective as shown when managing
campaigns. The Obama campaign organization proved to be very disciplined in
addressing the issues. The members of the Obama team revealed, they were very
impressed with the president's calm appearance. Because of his calm demeanour,
the staffs dubbed him "No Drama Obama" (Obama Without Drama). The staff
said they rarely heard Obama speak in a high tone. He applied subtle ways of
expressing his dissatisfaction with a decision. He chose those he trusted, gave
them great authority, and controlled them to be responsible.
Obama has several prominent leadership styles, from the presidential
campaign, until he was sworn in. Obama has a democratic leadership style this is
evident from the following points:
 Offer Change
One of the things that stand out from across Barack Obama's campaign is
the slogans he's been saying, "Change We Belive In", "Change We Need" and
"Yes We Can". The slogans indicate that he will be ready to lead America in the
face of change. This slogan seems to be a powerful positioning, because it is
change or change is what coveted the US society today.

 Listening Feedback
After positively winning the US General Election, a few days later Obama
publishes a transitional government web, change.gov, through which he seeks to
collect the voices of the people. US society, through the site can send feedback in
the form of suggestions or criticism, until their wishes US in the future. Listening
to feedback is a habit a leader needs to have. Because through feedback, leaders
can ensure that they are on the right track and meet the needs and expectations of
the people.

 Communication Skill
Obama's ability to communicate is unquestionable. He is a great orator,
charismatic and has the ability to convince the masses to trust him. In addition to
communicating directly, Obama is also excellent in using Web 2.0
communication. Mastery of Web 2.0 is an important key to the victory of Obama's
campaign, which increases its popularity online. Facebook and Twitter, are two
tools that he used during the campaign and associated with the supporters.
Barack Obama is known as a politician who enjoys communicating directly or
indirectly with US citizens. He often poured his thoughts, opinions and new ideas
packaged in an audio podcasting audio file that is always accessible to the public
worldwide. Her unpretentious and friendly voice is as impressive as if she were
speaking personally to her listeners. This is certainly worth a profit that is not
necessarily owned by any politician anywhere.

Conclusion
It’s not impossible to remember Barack Obama. Every body in the U.S.A.
knows him, he is the first African American president. He makes laws to keep
America safe and healthy. He does a lot of everything he can to help America.
Barack Obama gave America not what America want but what America need and
America should appreciate that.
Obama is an example of a leader who has excellent ethics. He is the leader
who is responsible for the welfare of his people. Obama is also a democratic
leader, because each makes his decision he can accept opinions from his
subordinates so he can make a good choice for his people.
Reference
Barack Obama Shares His Lessons Learned on Leadership and Power. (n.d).
Retrieved July 6, 2018, from http://fortune.com/2017/05/10/barack-obama-
leadership-power/

Barack Obama Biography. (n.d). Retrieved July 6, 2018, from

https://www.biography.com/people/barack-obama-12782369