DEAR ALL,
When confronted with a problem, a person’s first reaction is to ask themselves: “Why am I confronted with this obstacle and who’s fault is it?” People search for an offender and ponder about the punishment that should be inflicted.
There will always be a big difference between the people who ask themselves why things aren’t functioning the way they wish they would, and those who ask themselves how they can solve a problem. Today, the people who ask themselves “why” own the world. But the future remains in the hands of those who ask themselves “how”. They are the ones who put situational leadership at work.
A perfect example of of lack of leadership is President Obama’s comment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show a few days ago: “George Bush left us a $1 trillion deficit, and so it’s a lot harder to climb out of this hole when we don’t have a lot of money in the federal coffers”. It certainly was an unusual personal reference to his predecessor, since there is an unspoken rule about not commenting on a predecessors work.
In this example we clearly see that President Obama is looking for someone to blame for the USA’s predicament. Whether his comment is accurate or not is not the point. The point is that if he rose to the challenge of being a great leader, he would focus on the task at hand and present the country with a concrete plan for a solution.
Who cares what Bush or Nixon or Lincoln or Hoover did? That was the past and it remains in the past. What is important in today’s fast and ever changing world is the demonstration of excellent situational leadership skills at a pivotal time that will make or break the country and possibly the world.
Maybe President Obama needs to take a deep breath. Maybe he forgot to look at the big picture for a minute. We all do sometimes, which is why it is important to step back, rewind the tape, regroup, refocus and move ahead with a clear head.
From India, Suri
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3When confronted with a problem, a person’s first reaction is to ask themselves: “Why am I confronted with this obstacle and who’s fault is it?” People search for an offender and ponder about the punishment that should be inflicted.
There will always be a big difference between the people who ask themselves why things aren’t functioning the way they wish they would, and those who ask themselves how they can solve a problem. Today, the people who ask themselves “why” own the world. But the future remains in the hands of those who ask themselves “how”. They are the ones who put situational leadership at work.
A perfect example of of lack of leadership is President Obama’s comment on the Tom Joyner Morning Show a few days ago: “George Bush left us a $1 trillion deficit, and so it’s a lot harder to climb out of this hole when we don’t have a lot of money in the federal coffers”. It certainly was an unusual personal reference to his predecessor, since there is an unspoken rule about not commenting on a predecessors work.
In this example we clearly see that President Obama is looking for someone to blame for the USA’s predicament. Whether his comment is accurate or not is not the point. The point is that if he rose to the challenge of being a great leader, he would focus on the task at hand and present the country with a concrete plan for a solution.
Who cares what Bush or Nixon or Lincoln or Hoover did? That was the past and it remains in the past. What is important in today’s fast and ever changing world is the demonstration of excellent situational leadership skills at a pivotal time that will make or break the country and possibly the world.
Maybe President Obama needs to take a deep breath. Maybe he forgot to look at the big picture for a minute. We all do sometimes, which is why it is important to step back, rewind the tape, regroup, refocus and move ahead with a clear head.
From India, Suri
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A good observation! I believe Obama's reaction, as put across by you, manifests a big dip in leadership; a good example of our basic human flaws that come to the fore instinctively. However, I am sure there would be a realization soon enough; when Obama will seize the reins and produce an answer to this dreadful challenge.
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When a leader is confronted with a problem, the focus should be on the subject and not on the object. Obama appears to be confused about whether he should focus on the problem or the country he believes is the cause.
Subhash
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Subhash
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Hi Narendra,
Thanks for a great observation, although let's look at it from a different perspective. A leader should not blame others, but at the same time, it is expected from any leader to call a spade when they are sure of it. The leader is also a human being; let us not judge them too often and too soon. No offense intended!
Regards,
RV
From India, Mumbai
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Thanks for a great observation, although let's look at it from a different perspective. A leader should not blame others, but at the same time, it is expected from any leader to call a spade when they are sure of it. The leader is also a human being; let us not judge them too often and too soon. No offense intended!
Regards,
RV
From India, Mumbai
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Situational leadership.pdf
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