United States

09/17/2008

Public Leadership Guru

'Obama Needs to Have more Fun'

John McCain and Barack Obama have both promised to be strong leaders. But what makes a good political leader? In a SPIEGEL ONLINE interview, Harvard University expert Barbara Kellerman analyzes the leadership style of both candidates and explores the phenomenon that is Sarah Palin.

Republican McCain, Democrat Obama: Both show weak spots.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: In this presidential campaign, both candidates promise: "I am ready to lead." Who's right?

KELLERMAN: That depends on what issue will be most important to Americans on election day in November. Is it national security? Then they will probably pick (Republican presidential candidate) John McCain. Is it the economy? Then they will probably side with (Democrat) Barack Obama. So, this decision depends as much on the needs of the followers as on the leaders.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: McCain says he is a better leader because of his experience. Obama highlights his ability to inspire change.

KELLERMAN: Well, both sides have weakened their arguments over the past few weeks. McCain has picked a vice-presidential candidate who is not very experienced. Meanwhile, Obama has chosen Joe Biden, who has a lot of Washington experience but does not represent change. Also, when you just look at the competence -- and that should be most important to voters after the obvious lack of competence of the current administration -- they both show weak spots. McCain is not familiar with the economy, and Obama's resume is rather thin.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: But don't many Americans feel a strong desire for a different kind of leadership after eight years of George W. Bush?

KELLERMAN: Four years ago, I wrote a book called "Bad Leadership." One of the examples I gave is "rigid leadership" -- leadership not open to advice or to new information. We have seen elements of that over the past eight years. During the 2004 campaign, the Bush team could still frame (then Democratic Party candidate) John Kerry as "flip-flopper" when he presented more nuanced positions. But that attitude is discredited. One really has to find a find the balance between being clear-eyed and flexible to react to new challenges.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Lately, this campaign does not look so different from the one in 2004. Sarah Palin also promises never to waver and openly mocks nuanced arguments.

KELLERMAN: Her selection has created a huge distraction. The press seems to have fallen under the Palin spell and, unfortunately, ignores the larger issues. What we see here is for me a conflation of political and personal culture. It is the People-ziation of American politics. In the United States, our obsession with the private life of American politicians really began with the first "TV President," John F. Kennedy. We wanted to know all about his wife, his children, his outfits. Palin now takes it to a new level, for two reasons: Who she is and what she does.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: She is a woman.

KELLERMAN: That is not enough of an explanation. We have had strong women in the limelight before, most notably Hillary Clinton. Why are we so fascinated with Palin? I think she is the first highly visible figure in American politics that combines two crucial qualities: She can be as tough as a man -- she hunts and she runs the show in Alaska. But she is also very feminine -- beautiful, attractive, a mother of five children!

SPIEGEL ONLINE: She is also somehow mysterious because nobody really knew her before she was chosen by McCain to be his running mate.

KELLERMAN: Right after her nomination, I would have predicted that her popularity would fade once the public gets to know her more. But I see that differently now. She will stay popular. Politically, Palin is just very good. Very smart.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Back to the presidential candidates. Based on Obama's and McCain's previous records in their earlier lives and their careers in the US Senate, what kind of leadership can we expect from them?

KELLERMAN: If you define the traditional qualities of leadership as taking on an issue, getting people around you to side with you and push that issue, then McCain has not really shown these qualities in his Senate years. He has developed a reputation as an independent, as a maverick. But that was better for his own brand than for the citizens. Obama has certainly developed leadership qualities as a community organizer, but he also lacks significant executive experience. Also, both sides have so far failed to address their own weaknesses -- by adding experienced business experts to their team, for instance. It's about time. Not to be able to delegate is also a leadership failure.

SPIEGEL ONLINE: You have studied presidential history extensively. What historical role models come to mind when you look at McCain and Obama?

KELLERMAN: McCain likes to compare himself to former President Theodore Roosevelt because Roosevelt also occasionally rebelled against his own party. Roosevelt , however, had much more executive experience as a former vice president. A well-known historian just pointed out striking similarities between Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama -- including a certain moral rectitude and a reluctance to play politics. I am sure the Obama advisors would not like this comparison. After all, Carter got voted out of office after one term. But one can also learn from the past. Al Smith coined the term of a "happy warrior" for political campaigners. I think that is something we should see much more from Obama. Right now, we don't see very much joy in his appearances and not much determination to pick a fight. McCain does that much better. He seems combative, and he also seems to enjoy himself more.

Interview conducted by Gregor Peter Schmitz.

Article...

For reasons of data protection and privacy, your IP address will only be stored if you are a registered user of Facebook and you are currently logged in to the service. For more detailed information, please click on the "i" symbol.

Post to other social networks: