Class (2) Peer Response (2)

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Institutional Affiliation

The researcher identifies the importance of having dependable people around us, especially in consideration of their differing or developed opinions. On this note, I completely agree with his need. In the same frame of mind, the researcher identifies the importance of strategic leaders operating in the same way, through having dependable people around them to help eliminate the issue of minute mistakes that might be greatly impactful. The researcher then goes ahead to identify the differences between the presidencies of Obama and Trump, in this light of strategic leaders and thinkers.

First, Obama considered the engagement of his rivals, past, and future presidential contenders as the best team members, not only in strengthening his leadership capabilities but also in moving the country (Coutu, 2019). I agree with the researcher on the terms that Obama already had in place as a good idea for effective decision making in his presidency. It is true that the members aboard Obama’s cabinets did not necessarily disagree a lot as was expected, but it is also true that they helped bring a great deal of knowledge and information to the president’s attention, especially in the most challenging of times (Vinik, 2014). This is to say that they resourceful in dealing with crises. In this case, therefore, I completely agree with the researcher on the strategic leadership of Obama.

On the other hand, the researcher views Trump as a leader far from embracing strategic leadership. Trump is said to have a different approach to leadership. He lacks a strategic plan to bring his goals to fruition, thus making the achievement of these goals difficult. With his firing and hiring ways, it is difficult for Trump to have a dependable team, especially in light of being resourceful when needed (Power, 2017). The constant turnover is an issue in effectiveness. Trump lacks empathy especially towards those people with whom he disagrees. Not only does he lack empathy, but he also fails to understand why certain task forces are in place. In the case of the task force on public health threats and pandemics that had been created by Obama, he has it dismantled when he takes over presidency. He applies his personal feelings in leadership; therefore, failing to see what is important for his leadership and most importantly, for his people (Riggio, 2018). This leads to ineffective decision making, resulting in ineffective leadership. This is one of the explanations why the COVID-19 pandemic has been a difficult issue to deal with, especially in light of a lack of preparedness. On this note, I agree with the researcher on lack of strategic capabilities on Trump’s part. There is a greater failure in a lack of effective communication and a lack of criticism acceptance, both of which contribute to consideration of Trump as lacking strategic capabilities (Bridges, 2019). I agree with the researcher on this point of ineffectiveness of Trump as a strategic leader.

The two leaders have a lot of differences. However, it is clear that Obama has had more achieved with a dependable team by his side, as opposed to the limited achievements by team, especially due to a divided, ineffective, and less than strong-willed team. On this, I agree with the researcher.

References

Bridges, F. (2019, Apr 30). How Trump Embodies The Definition Of A Bad Leader. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/francesbridges/2019/04/30/how-trump-embodies-the-definition-of-a-bad-leader/#6a205ec5c0c3Coutu, D. (2019, Apr). Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/04/leadership-lessons-from-abraham-lincolnRiggio, R.E. (2018, Oct 28). Leadership Lessons from Donald Trump. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/cutting-edge-leadership/201810/leadership-lessons-donald-trumpPower, R. (2017, Jun 20). 5 Leadership Failures of President Trump. Inc. https://www.inc.com/rhett-power/5-leadership-failures-of-president-trump.htmlVinik, D. (2014, Oct 29). Why Can’t The Media Give Obama Credit For Crisis Management? The New Republic. https://newrepublic.com/article/120022/obama-better-crisis-manager-media-gives-him-credit