A report on

LEADERSHIP STYLE OF
BARACK OBAMA
(Non Business Leader)
in partial fulfilment of the
Leadership Course.

Submitted to

Prof. Pawan KumarSingh

Submitted By: Group 2

Avalanche Saini 2015PGP015

K M Natarajan 2015PGP021
Navjyoti Raji 2015PGP031
Shivi Shekhar Singh 2015PGP045
MEMO OF TRANSMITTAL
To: Professor Pawan Singh
From: Avalanche Saini, K M Natarajan, Navjyoti Raj, Shivi Shekhar Singh
Date: 15 April, 2016
Subject: Report on LEADERSHIP STYLE OF BARACKOBAMA
We are presenting our report on LEADERSHIP STYLE OF OBAMA here as a part of our course
on Leadership.
Group Number- 02

2
 Contents
Executive Summary.................................................................................................... 1

Life History................................................................................................................. 1

Success and Failure.................................................................................................... 3

Leadership Style......................................................................................................... 4

Take Away................................................................................................................... 4

3
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Executive Summary

Born on August 4, 1961, in Honolulu, Hawaii, Barack Obama is the 44th and current president of
the United States and the first African American to serve as U.S. president. Obama is a graduate
of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. His story is the American story - values from
the heartland, a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, hard work and education as the
means of getting ahead, and the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to
others.

Life History
Overview of his personnel life and career is as follows:

With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, President Obama was born in
Hawaii on August 4, 1961.

His mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, born in Wichita, Kansas, was of mostly English
ancestry. His father, Barack Obama, Sr., was a Luo from Nyang'oma Kogelo, Kenya.

While living with his grandparents, Obama enrolled in the esteemed Punahou Academy,
He excelled in basketball and graduated with academic honors in 1979.

As one of only three black students at the school, Obama became conscious of racism and
what it meant to be African-American. He later described how he struggled to reconcile
social perceptions of his multiracial heritage with his own sense of self
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At the age of 16 he entered into the Music industry and advertised one of his successful
records in The Student, a magazine. It became famous and he started trading records
under the name Virgin.

After high school, Obama moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend Occidental College. In
February 1981, Obama made his first public speech, calling for Occidental to participate
in the disinvestment from South Africa in response to that nation's policy of apartheid.

In 1981, he transferred as a junior to Columbia College, Columbia University, in New

York City, where he majored in political science with a specialty in international relations
and lived off-campus on West 109th Street. He graduated with a BA degree in 1983 and
worked for a year at the Business International Corporation.

In 1985, Obama was among the leaders of May Day efforts to bring attention to the New
York City Subway system, which was in a bad condition at the time. Obama traveled to
several subway stations to get people to sign letters addressed to local officials and
the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and was photographed at the City College
subway station holding a sign protesting against the system's condition.

After graduation, Obama was hired in Chicago as director of the Developing

Communities Project, a church-based community organization. He worked there as a
community organizer.

In 1988 Obama entered joined the Harvard Law School. He was selected as an editor of
the Harvard Law Review at the end of his first year and president of the journal in his
second year, and research assistant to the constitutional scholar Laurence Tribe while at
Harvard for two years.
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After graduating from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago. Obama's election as

the first black president of the Harvard Law Review gained national media attention and
led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations, which evolved
into a personal memoir.

From 1994 to 2002, Obama served on the boards of directors of the Woods Fund of
Chicago. He served on the board of directors of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge from
1995 to 2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to
1999.

Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, succeeding Democratic State
Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois's 13th District.

He was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, defeating Republican Yesse Yehudah in
the general election, and was reelected again in 2002.

In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human
Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority, regained a majority.

Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 3, 2005, becoming the only Senate member
of the Congressional Black Caucus. CQ Weekly characterized him as a "loyal Democrat"
based on analysis of all Senate votes from 2005 to 2007.

On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United
States in front of the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois.

On November 4, Obama won the presidency with 365 electoral votes to 173 received by
McCain. Obama won 52.9 percent of the popular vote to McCain's 45.7 percent. He
became the first African American to be elected president.
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On April 4, 2011, Obama announced his reelection campaign for 2012. On November 6,
2012, Obama won 332 electoral votes, exceeding the 270 required for him to be reelected
as president. With 51.1 percent of the popular vote, Obama became the first Democratic
president since Franklin D. Roosevelt to twice win the majority of the popular vote.

Success and Failure

The biggest accomplishments of Mr. BarackObama are

He created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

Ended the Iraq War.
Saved the US from the economic depression of 2008. Staved off a Bush Depression. In
2010, under his tenure more jobs were created than had been created during Bushs
tenure.
Organized the clandestine mission to kill Osama Bin Laden and finally succeeded in
killing him in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
He addressed wrongdoing in the Financial Sector. Signed the Fraud Enforcement and
Recovery Act giving the Federal Govt. more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in
every corner of the financial system.
Improved conditions for Consumers and Small Businesses. Signed the Credit card
Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act to protect consumers from
unfair and deceptive credit card practices.
Improved Education and Educational opportunities.

Some failures are:

Unemployment has not come down fast enough.

He did not do enough to help Homeowners and the housing Market.
He hasnt meaningfully addressed Global Warming issues.
He hasnt passed immigration reform.
He hasnt improved Veterans Affairs Waiting Times.
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Leadership Style
BarackObama brings a careful, deliberate style to the White House that differs from President
George W Bushs tendency to rely more heavily on his guts instincts.

He is confident, open in decision making.

He has a visionary and optimistic leadership style. Barack Obama has shown that he has
the temperament, the judgment and the strength of character to get the country through
these hard times, and reclaim America's leadership position in the world. Obama made all
the American people to participate in the design and implementation of the change, and
show the people where the hope is.

In conclusion, Barack Obamas leadership style suited the turbulent times US faced.

Take Away
Know Yourself
Understanding your own strengths and weakness can help to build credibility just like
Obama did. Obama took a fiercely disciplined approach to life. Grounded and reflective,
he shows his values, his self-regard and his emotional awareness.
Listen to People
Obama is described as someone who is acutely sensitive to other peoples predicaments.
He is able to position himself as in tune with the mood of the nation. Similarly we should
emulate his style.

Provide an inspiring vision

A good leader needs to set the direction. Obama has given America an existing, optimistic
and inclusive vision of the future. He has won hearts and minds of the people.
Communicate clearly
Good leaders are usually good communicators. Obama has impressed with his ability to
deliver eloquent, from the heart and highly persuasive speeches.
Be authentic
Obama has a magnetic and likeable appeal, and seems brimming with energy to get
things done. He is also consistent in his words and his actions, and this has helped him to
make people believe not only that he is genuine, but also that he is on their side.
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Be decisive
Good leaders do no dither. Obama takes a decision based on rational and emotional
content.
Keep your composure
In a crisis, leaders need a temperament that doesnt overheat under pressure. Obama has
shown extraordinary composure and remained cool, calm and collected.