Introduction
The possession of powerful leadership qualities is one of the outstanding strengths of competent leaders. Followers consider or prefer individuals whose competencies and abilities can transform their lives and eventually make them successful. William Jefferson Clinton’s achievements as one of the most famous American presidents are attributable to his leadership style. He was born on 19th August 1946, to Virginia Kelley and William Jefferson Blythe (Schweizer, 2016). He changed his original name, William Jefferson Blythe III when he was aged 15 years (Schweizer, 2016). He added “Clinton” as a way of appreciating his stepfather, Roger Clinton Senior. Clinton would become the governor of Arkansas in the year 1983 (Aswad, 2018). He later served as the 42nd president of the United States from the year 1993 to 2001 (Nsoedo, 2016). As a democratic leader, Clinton guided his followers efficiently, applied ethical standards, diversified his office, and utilized effective communication strategies to achieve his goals and take the country to the next economic level.
Leadership Style Analysis
Clinton remains one of the widely studied and analyzed presidents whose efforts transformed the United States for the better. He relied on his leadership style to remain rational, engage others, promotes collaborative decision-making procedures, and offer visionary ideas. Clinton was always keen to monitor and address most of the challenges different partners encountered in his office (Schweizer, 2016). He positively influenced his followers and promised them a better economy and national peace. These attributes indicate that Clinton utilized the charismatic style of leadership. With such a model, this president managed the country successfully, thereby creating new opportunities for economic expansion.
Ethical Analysis
The actions and achievements of Clinton reveal that he was ethical whenever he was focusing on his pursuits. For instance, he decided to bring together many leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), public, and private sectors to think deeply and consider new ways to solve the problems that were affecting the world during his leadership period (Leith, 2017). He encouraged such individuals to focus on the best initiatives to address the problem of climate change. He went further to start the Clinton Foundation that continues to support more people facing numerous challenges in their lives. According to these examples, the president was always ready to make the world a better place and empower more citizens to achieve their goals. Such actions indicate that he applied a positive ethos to influence his followers and all members of the global society.
Emotional Intelligence Analysis
Emotional intelligence (EI) has become a powerful concept for analyzing the way different people manage stress or their emotions. Clinton stands out as one of the presidents who recorded the highest EI levels throughout their terms. Despite all the accusations leveled against this leader, he was able to handle every situation practically without expressing his anger or pain. Although he might have failed to control himself while in power, he remained empathic and determined in an attempt to achieve his objectives. When he was signing a law aimed at nullifying the provisions in the presented appropriation bills, Clinton managed to address the attendees with the highest level of fluency (Black, 2016). This example explains how and why he tried to exhibit a high EI. During the time of his impeachment, Clinton remained involved and informed his accusers how the presidency was a defective instrument put in place to promote effective governance (Klein, 2016). This outcome or ability is a clear indication that he was successful in the manner in which he responded to other people’s remarks and emotions. With such an EI, Clinton managed to achieve additional goals for the country while at the same time overcoming most of her national, international, and personal challenges.
Diversity Analysis
America remains one of the most diverse nations in the world due to the presence of many citizens with various cultural, religious, and racial backgrounds. Leaders need to consider this issue when identifying the right people to complete a wide range of tasks and make their countries more prosperous. Clinton succeeded in this area since he embraced the idea of equality and diversity during his term in office (Nsoedo, 2016). The first outstanding example is that he was on the frontline to support his wife, Hillary Clinton, to become the presidential nominee and candidate for the Democratic Party in 2016 (Klein, 2016). Such a decision meant that he was one of the leaders who were ready for a female presidency in the United States. The victory of Hillary Clinton would have become a historic development or event in the history of this country.
As the president, Clinton became the first leader to transform the country’s cabinet by taking the idea of diversity seriously. Throughout the eight years, he appointed a total of seven Cabinet Secretaries (CSS) from the African American race (Klein, 2016). His administration was comprised of around 44 percent women (Schweizer, 2016). In the country’s history, Madeline Albright would become the first women to occupy the position of Secretary of State under this leader (Klein, 2016). During the same period, Janet Reno was appointed to become the first female to serve as the United States’ Attorney General (AG). The federal judgeships recorded an increasing number of African Americans during Clinton’s reign (Schweizer, 2016). Additionally, the country saw more disabled citizens occupying different positions or completing various roles in his White House office. With such examples, it becomes quite clear that Clinton chose to develop the most diverse staff, thereby setting the stage for future presidents in the country.
Presentation Analysis
Many scholars and historians of American politics identify Clinton as one of the charismatic presidents of all time. He applied his advanced oratory skills to deliver most of his speeches and presentations. He was keen to focus on the intended outcome and the expectations of the audience. He was always straight to the point and applied most of the attributes of interpersonal communication (Leith, 2017). For eight years as the president, he remained pragmatic and tactical to influence his followers accordingly. He could go further to rely on the power of gestures and sign languages to augment his presentation processes.
During most of the conventions, Clinton was able to ad-lib for more than ten minutes. He was keen to read the moods of the people and apply the right strategies to deliver the targeted message. He has always to add emphasis through the use of hard-stop tactics (Klein, 2016). Additionally, Clinton utilized frequent pauses to engage the listeners and encourage them to consider the relevance of the presented messages. Through the combination of body language, Clinton managed to attract crowds and encourage more people to vote for him. He relies on the power of smiles, lip biting, and powerful quotations to make his presentation more meaningful and inspirational.
Internal and External Communication
Teamwork has remained one of the powerful aspects that make it possible for more people to achieve their leadership objectives. During his early years and presidential terms, Clinton took the idea of collaborating with different members of his team seriously. He believed that such an approach would make it possible for him to campaign successfully and deliver high-quality speeches. Similarly, he collaborated with the media to make sure that more citizens were aware of the intended national goals. His team identified the most appropriate forums or platforms to deliver the targeted messages. The use of a positioned communication staff improved the nature of this president’s strategy. He worked with different partners to handle crises and solve problems amicably. He considered the concept of good timing to deliver his speeches and address specific issues affecting the country and the entire world, such as climate change and terrorism (Klein, 2016). These attributes explain why many people believe that Clinton is one of the greatest and successful American presidents.
Conclusion
The above discussion has identified Clinton as a great president who applied the charismatic leadership style efficiently. He resolved emerging conflicts amicably, established the most diverse cabinet and staff in the country’s history, and pursued ethical ideas to transform the world. He went further to apply appropriate communication abilities and strategies to present the intended information to different people during his two terms. His strategy of coordinating with different members of his team and the focus on the expectations of different citizens made his model sustainable and capable of taking the United States’ economic and social positions to the next level.
References
- Aswad, N. G. (2018). Exploring charismatic leadership: A comparative analysis of the rhetoric of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 49(1), 56-74. doi:10.1111/psq.12490
- Black, E. (2016). “Comparing the speaking styles of Clinton and Trump — And what it reveals about their minds. Minnpost. Web.
- Klein, E. (2016). Bill Clinton explained Hillary’s political style perfectly — But disguised it as a love story.” Vox. Web.
- Leith, S. (2017). “Bill Clinton’s oratory marries argument and passion.” Financial Times. Web.
- Nsoedo, E. E. (2016). Effective leadership in the 21st century: Bill Clinton and the new way to philanthropy. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 4(2), 186-198. doi:10.4236/jss.2016.42024
- Schweizer, P. (2016). Clinton cash: The untold story of how and why foreign governments and businesses helped make Bill and Hillary rich. New York, NY: Harper Collins.