2-15-10 The President

Happy President’s Day! This holiday has me pondering the whole idea of being a president. I’ve always wondered why anyone would want to be the President of the United States. And if I separate the policies from the person, I’ve always admired those folks that actually have the fortitude to be the President.

And while most of us will never be the President of the United States, or a president of a company, or even a president of a local special interest group (think president of the knitting circle) --- there are things that we can all learn by watching these presidents. And I’m NOT talking politics here!

If you go back to my model of executive skills and traits (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model), you can see that any of these presidential position holders exhibit most, if not all, of these skills and traits. But today, some stand out in my mind.

First, in order to become a president, you have to set a vision for whatever organization or group you want to lead (1-8-10 I Have a Dream). Our presidential campaigns do a great job of giving the candidates the opportunity to lay out this vision. (Even though we all get REALLY tired of the campaign by the time elections finally roll around!) For the president in the corporate world, setting the vision is probably the most important function that this particular executive will perform.

Second, the president is ALWAYS under the microscope or in the glare of the media (2-10-10 A Fine Line). As a president of a nation or even a president of a company, you can never separate your personal life from your public life. You are always “on”. No doubt that this can be wearing to the individual. But, in the case of our President, it is a choice that he has made…. And has to deal with.

Third, when you are president, everyone is a critic and an expert on your job. You have to work with supporters and detractors. You can’t ignore either of them as both sides are required to make your vision come true. You must have a network that you can go to in order to put the policies and decisions in place. As president, you aren’t the “doer” of the organization or the nation. The executive execution skills are critical here (1-13-10 Execution Skills -- Now go DO something!) as are the networking skills (1-4-10 Let’s Talk).

And finally, as president of anything, don’t expect immediate satisfaction. It isn’t like being the mechanic that builds a 737 every 6 hours. The president of an organization can’t expect to see results in the short-term. He/she can only be persistent (1-18-10 Executive Traits) and follow his/her vision. And if fortunate, will see the results by the end of his/her term.

So while most of us will never be a president, we can definitely learn something from observing the President of the United States, the president of a company, or even the president of our homeowner’s association. And even better, we can take those learnings and apply it to our own executive position.

Cheers!