The Leadership of Michelle Obama PDF

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1 Rosemary Bryant COM 222 August 15, 2020 Dr. Chris Kasch The Leadership of Michelle Obama Michelle Obama is a lawyer and writer who was the first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She is the wife of the 44th U.S. president, Barack Obama. As first lady, Michelle focused her attention on social issues such as poverty, healthy living and education. Her 2018 memoir, Becoming, discusses the experiences that shaped her, from her childhood in Chicago to her years living in the White House (Biography.com, 2017). In 1841, Thomas Carlyle’s book On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic History led to what we now call Trait Leadership Theory. This theory is based on the assumption that leaders are born, not made. Trait Leadership Theory is an approach to leadership that identifies physical, behavioral, personality, competency, and attitudinal traits that characterize successful leadership across a variety of situations. (Engleberg & Wynn, 2017). There are certain traits that distinguish people who are considered to be natural born leaders. Often called “extroverted thinkers”, they use their reasoning ability to influence and direct those around them. Their traits usually include being enthusiastic, decisive, confident, organized, logical, and argumentative. They love to lead, enjoy debating challenging questions, using their ingenuity and logic to develop new ideas and strategies, and provide others with plans and structures to help them work toward a common goal (Engleberg & Wynn, 2017). Michelle Obama possesses all of these characteristics, except being argumentative. She is very knowledgeable and can think on her feet to get her point across, but she does with such confidence in knowing what she believes and wants to convey without

2 delving into a back and forth argument. She is a great communicator and does so clearly and concisely to the point where no one has to ask for clarification. She stood out as one of the most passionate and accomplished First Ladies in history because of her charisma, compassion and powerful speech-making (www.inspiringleadershipnow.com, 2020).

A democratic leader promotes the interests of group members and practices social equality. These leaders share decision making with the group, promote collaboration, focus on group morale as well as the task, give the group credit for success, and tend to rely on referent power and expert power to motivate members. There are, however, potential drawbacks to democratic leadership. Democratic collaboration takes time and can be unmanageable in large groups. Also, by failing to take charge in a crisis or to curb a discussion when decisions need to be finalized, democratic leaders may be perceived as weak or indecisive by their followers (Engleberg & Wynn, 2017). In my opinion, Mrs. Obama fits the Democratic leadership style perfectly without falling into the negative aspects of not being able to manage large groups and has always been strong enough to able to stay in charge. During President Obama’s 8-year term, she has shown that she can hold her own in leading both large and small groups by speaking directly to the people's needs and building their overall morale up. From the very beginning, Michelle has shown that she has a true heart for the general wellbeing of the people, no matter their race, gender, or religious beliefs. Because she has always shown respect, she has become of the most highly respected women in America, if not the world. At the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Michelle Obama spoke directly to the people about how they inspire her and make her proud...and remind her how blessed we are to live in the greatest nation on earth. She went on to praise the Latino community for their support for President Obama, who “understands the American Dream, as well as the everyday struggles

3 of American families, and cares deeply about making a difference in people’s lives (Biography.com, 2017). Mrs. Obama also supported and campaigned for former First Lady Hillary Clinton in 2016 while she was running against Donald Trump for presidency. Gary Yukl and Cecilia Fable noted that if you combined John French and Bantrum Raven’s classification of power, you end up with two basic types of power: position and power. Position power is authority derived from a member's job responsibilities or official status within an organization. Personal power is authority that stems from an individual's character, competence, and earned status (Engleberg & Wynn, 2017). The four categories that fall under the two main categories are: 

Legitimate - relies on the authority of a job title or duty

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Reward - relies on the ability to give out resources valued by members

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Coercive - relies on the ability to deal out sanctions and punishments

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Informational - relies on the control and transmission of needed info

Based on the two main categories and the four sub-categories, the former First Lady uses a combination of personal, informational and reward power. Mrs. Obama’s has proven her character and competence repeatedly. I believe her humble upbringing combined with her education and being a lawyer have enabled her to be a very knowledgeable and resourceful leader in her own right. Michelle Obama’s greatest leadership qualities have shaped her legacy and inspired millions. According to Inspiring Leadership Now, some of her top leadership qualities in consisted of a strong character. Her capacity to motivate, inspire and call others to action was rooted in her strong personality. She was also known for her compassion. For her, being a successful leader was more than just having good business skills, it was about having empathy

4 for others. Michelle is also known for her perseverance. Her life story shows us how a strong commitment to one’s values can lead to tremendous change in the world. And finally, but certainly not least, was her honesty and integrity. Great leaders are honest about their strengths, weaknesses and expectations. Michelle’s transparency and authenticity is one of her most valued leadership traits which has in turn has made her a great leader (www.inspiringleadershipnow.com, 2020).

In closing, in former First Lady Michelle Obama’s own words, “You should never view your challenges as a disadvantage. Instead, it’s important for you to understand that your experience facing and overcoming adversity is actually one of your biggest advantages” (www.inspiringleadershipnow.com, 2020).

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References Biography.com Editors. (2014). Michelle Obama Biography. A&E Television Networks. Retrieved from https://biography.com/us-first-lady/michelle-obama Engleberg, Isa N. and Wynn, Dianna R. (2017). Working in Groups: Communication Principles and Strategies, Seventh Edition. Pearson Publishing. Michelle Obama’s 10 Most Admirable Leadership Qualities. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.inspiringleadershipnow.com....