Becoming President of the United States

Just for the fun of it, I Google searched "how to become president of the United States." I figure that with the Internet and search engines making it so easy to learn a new trade, why not try the top one in the land?

The top search result was a coy 10-step procedure on exactly how to become the Commander-in-Chief from eHow.com. It makes it look so easy that anyone could do it.

Some of the most important leadership lessons of our time can be learned from a study of the presidency. Fred Greenstein has written extensively on this, and his "Qualities that Bear on Presidential Performance" are also qualities that bear on the rest of us as we are called to lead in our schools, communities, and world:

-Effectiveness as a public communicator: be able to talk to your people, and more important--keep the respect so that they will listen.
-Organizational capacity: surround yourself with the best.
-Political skill: know the inning and the score--put your team in the best position to succeed.
-Vision: see our last post.
-Cognitive style: know the job to steer the ship as best you can.
-Emotional intelligence: provide the motivation for your team to move forward, but keep a level head when problems arise.

For more insights into the presidency, check out an outstanding research group in Washington DC-- the Center for the Study of the Presidency.