Bill Clinton--Post 2

Bill Clinton—chankeeED614—Blog2

Without a doubt, one of Bill Clinton’s prominent leadership qualities is that he knows the context of his community; he knows his audience. Clinton is a grassroots politician from common roots, an attribute that is attractive to many blue-collar Americans. Marty Kaplan was at one time Disney Productions’ Vice President, and he contributes his success in the movie business to knowing the context of the community, the movie industry. Before starting his job with Disney Productions, he spent countless hours reviewing movies, trying to get a sense of what made them successful. Kaplan (2009) concurs, “I’ve always been in worlds where knowing the community has been important” (cited in Bennis, 2009, p. 54).
The second of Clinton’s leadership qualities—risk taking—is probably the foremost reason for his winning the presidency. Bill Clinton’s obvious risk-taking tenacity is evident from the 1992 presidential election. “President George Herbert Bush had a 90% approval rating in the polls following the Persian Gulf Conflict” (Schoenberg, 2001, p. 1). Other Democrats were opting out of candidacy in fear of losing to the incumbent Republican, but this did not stop the unlikely candidate from Arkansas. Clinton remained steadfast to the challenge, kept his eyes on the goal, and eventually won the election. According to Schoenberg (2001), “He demonstrated the ability to stay on course despite the ideological sling-shots of his opponents who underestimated his determination, courage, and persistence” (p. 2).
The third of Clinton’s qualities—lifelong learner—is evident in his ability to learn facts and figures in preparation for his audience. During the 1992 election Clinton, known for his crossword puzzle obsession, was being interviewed by Will Shortz, who was crossword editor for the New York Times, a major newspaper renowned for its challenging puzzles. To Shortz’s amazement Clinton completed a puzzle during the interview in record time. Shortz (1992) astounds, “It was absolutely perfect and he had finished it in six minutes and 54 seconds” (p. 1).
Another of Clinton’s leadership qualities—direct yourself, do not be directed by others—became apparent when he was just a teenager. This was probably the turning point in his life. After Clinton’s mother and siblings suffered years of physical abuse from his alcoholic stepfather, he [Clinton] one day stood up to the man and threatened him. Schoenberg (2001) concurs, “After that, his self-destructive stepfather left everyone else alone” (p. 2).
One more of Clinton’s characteristics that deserves mentioning is his compassion, a trait he and I share. Despite the years of abuse from his stepfather, later when the man lay dying of cancer, Clinton drove hundreds of miles every weekend to visit him.
Failure seemed to be the impetus for Bill Clinton’s impelling desire for success. Despite the poverty and emotional and physical abuse that were conditions of Clinton’s childhood, he managed to overcome the negatives, learn from them, and go on to become the 42nd president of the United States.

References

Schoenberg, Philip E., Ph.D. (2001). The presidential expert. Retrieved from http://www.presidentialexpert.com/leadership_bill_clinton.html

Shortz, Will (Interviewer) & Clinton, William (Interviewee). (1992). Retrieved from http://www.fun-with-words.com/first_crossword.html
Kaplan, Marty. (2009). In Bennis, Warren. (2009). ). On becoming a leader: The leadership classic. New York: Perseus.
Bennis, Warren. (2009). On becoming a leader: The leadership classic. New York: Perseus.