Barack Obama Visionary Leadership Case Assignment (Term Paper Sample)

Barack Obama Visionary Leadership Case
Name
Institutional Affiliation
Barack Obama Visionary Leadership Case
Throughout the history of United States there have been countless influential leaders who have brought liberty, justice, and incredible change. From George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and now the 44th president of the U.S. “Barack Obama.” He was the first African-American to serve as the U.S. president and instilled the ideology “Yes We Can” a theme now embedded in American tradition. Obama was propelled to national prominence, in part, because of his oratory skills and unyielding willpower to establish bonds of empathy with supporters from an ostensibly impossible broad political base (Bowleg, 2017). Conservatives admired Obama’s us of language and rhetoric that reverberated well with their core beliefs whilst liberals and progressive held that the rise to eminence of a self-identified African American with immaculate civil rights credentials epitomized a conquest for their national agenda (Bowleg, 2017). The current paper will focus on Barack Obama visionary personality, value of visionary leaders in organizations, need for visionary in organizations and finally business conditions that call for visionary leadership.
The visionary leadership of Barack Obama was clear from the time he entered national politics. His vision is apparent in his rhetoric, “I see it as a vision for America – as a blueprint for our future” and later said, “We do what is necessary to this country forward move (Obama B., Election night victory speech, 2008). Throughout the speeches, he delivered during campaigns and the two terms in office, he always advanced his vision for the future. According to Bowleg (2017), Obama was a visionary leader with a novice approach to politics. However, was unique visionary and extended his vision to the rest of the world by being sensitive to global issues.
As a visionary, Obama shaped the global agenda on green energy and climate change. For example, he developed an energy partnership for the Americas to grow research and development in clean coal technology, the next generation of renewable energy like wind and solar. Concerning climate change, Obama incepted new climate service to assist tackle head-on the challenges of mitigating and adapting to climate change (Bowleg, 2017). Further, he substantially increased federal spending for research on clean fuels to $10.8 billion to protect future generations. Moreover, Obama developed EPA regulations that need large U.S. ships to lower soot emission by 85%. There are many things that Obama did to shape the future not only on clean energy but also in the health care reform, education reform, manufacturing reform and Wall Street reform. In his victory night speech, Obama challenged fellow Americans to rise to the occasion and support this vision by openly stating “I need your help (Obama B. , Election night victory speech, 2008). To sum it up, Obama visionary leadership is captured by three primary themes: change, hope and yes we can.
Furthermore, Obama added a lot of value to the American society that will transcend several generations. The greatest legacy of Obama is the unification of the American community. According to Bowleg (2017), Obama’s decades of public service are founded on his resolute belief in the ability to unite Americans around a politics of purpose. While serving as the Illinois State Senator, he developed the first main ethics reform in 25 years, lowered taxes for working households, and expanded healthcare for children and their parents (Bowleg, 2017). Moreover, as a U.S. Senator, Obama reached across the aisle to pass revolutionary lobbying reform, lock up the globe’s most hazardous weapons and improved transparency to government by putting digitizing federal spending (Obama B., The audacity of hope: Thoughts on reclaiming the American dream, 2006). Throughout his public service as a politician, he was able to identify with the majority of fellow Americans through his personal story and his unyielding hope for a better future.
Another value that Obama added is the development of third world nations particularly Africa. Obama’s most efficaciously developed presidential initiative in the development arena is Power Africa, incepted in 2013. Power Africa set a clear objective: to double access to electricity in sub-Saharan Africa. Power is undoubtedly a primary development issue, and it reaches on everything from public health to education in an incredible manner. The Obama regime brought a sense of new expediency and dynamisms to a sector that will be critical to Africa’s future.
Additionally, Obama gave motivation and hope to the downtrodden Americans. Bowleg (2017), argues that Obama used the power of words to motivate and inspire Americans to change – contending change is the way top move America forward. He once said, “America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time” (Obama B. , Election night victory speech, 2008). Fundamentally, Obama’s motivation was embedded in hope – hope for a better future: promises of work, economic stability, and housing. Through trials and tribulations such as the school shootings, Obama still gave Americans hope by reminding them that the nation had come through tough periods before and therefore should keep hope alive to navigate the prevailing challenges. His belief in unwavering hope is captured in words such as hope in the face of difficulty, hope in the face of uncertainty and the audacity of hope.
On the other hand, visionary leaders are required in every organization in the world. Visionary leadership integrates the task orientation style and people orientation style of leadership in a remarkable novice level of performance. Presence of visionary leaders make employees perform tasks wholeheartedly because the vision inspires them. According to Boaz & Fox (2014), the full organization will attain a particular level of cohesiveness and a sense of togetherness because of the shared cause. Furthermore, visionary leaders make the reward and punishment mechanism an internal affair rather than external affair. It is argued that people desire to do things right because they understand them but not because of external monetary rewards or job promotions (Taylor, Cornelius, & Colvin , 2014). It is said, “Virtue is a reward in itself.”
Visionary leaders are also needed in organizations because they bring the best in people. Organizations with visionary leaders experience incredible performance because employees are inspired to perform beyond their imagined limits. According to Cardenas & Crabtree (2009), people would be happy because they have become their best selves because of their leader. For example, Steve Jobs hire people who wanted to be at Apple and inspired them to build great products for the world. In addition, visionary leaders empower all the members of the organization to be strong to face the formidable challenges despite the odds. This is because visionary leaders pursue a selfless cause and are prepared to face challenges and setbacks. Consequently, visionary leaders are indispensable in organizations because they effectively transcend personality idiosyncrasies.
There are several business conditions that call for visionary leadership. Visionary leaders are developers of a new dawn, working with imagination, insight and brevity and best for leading organizational change. The current corporate landscape is dominated by organizational changes and transformation which the conservatives are o...