The Introverted Leader » obama

“Cool Coming Off As Cold” – Coaching Obama

Jennifer Kahnweiler — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 23:13:54 +0000

I have been discussing the idea of the Perception Gap for a while now. Introverts often are misunderstood and considered aloof or disengaged when they don’t exude warmth. Newsweek’s writer Jacob Weisberg, had an interesting take on President Obama’s temperament in the piece, Cool Coming Off As Cold and how this perception is becoming an issue for our President.

Weisberg writes, “….so while many people deeply admire him, few come away from any encounter feeling closer to him. He’s not warm, loyal, or deeply involved with others. His most fervent enthusiasts tend to express affection more for the ideas he represents—America transcending its racial history, a fairer society, rational decision making—than for the man himself.

and, he adds….”For a politician, emotional self-sufficiency is both asset and liability. On the positive side, it supports Obama’s rationalism, his level-headedness in crisis, and his dispassionate decision making. On the negative, it can read as cold, aloof, or arrogant. It’s healthy that Obama doesn’t need the roar of the crowd for validation. It’s a problem that the crowd seems to need more from him than he is able to provide.”

Do you think our President needs to make some changes in his style to connect more with the masses? If so, what would you coach him to do differently?

I’ll start: How about getting rid of the teleprompter?

Tags: introvert, introverted leader, jacob weisberg, jennifer kahnweiler, obama

Obama Watch Continued

Jennifer Kahnweiler — Sun, 03 May 2009 16:50:58 +0000

I like collecting the clues about our President’s temperament. So I am relying on reporters like Holly Bailey of Newsweek. Is he or isn’t he(an introvert)?

Bailey writes in the 5/4/09 issue http://www.newsweek.com/id/195086/page/2 of walks the President has taken(that give the Secret Service heart attacks). “He likes solititude, where he can just take a moment, collect his thoughts and breathe”,
says a close Obama friend.” At Camp David, “There’s lots of open space where he can go for a walk and clear his mind,” says Valerie Jarrett, a senior White House aide and longtime friend of the Obamas.”

I imagine that all Presidents relish breaks from the intense demands of that role but if Obama is indeed an introvert, I imagine these breaks are critical. Walks and basketball sound like good re-energizers to me.

Tags: holly bailey., introvert, jennifer kahnweiler, obama

Is the president an introvert?

Jennifer Kahnweiler — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 02:55:53 +0000

President Obama an introvert? Note what he tells Ed Henry of CNN at his recent press conference. ” I like to know what I am talking about before I speak.” Is that a clue? We already know that he is a great listener. On the other hand, some have commented that it was his way of putting off the question from Henry(about waiting to act on AIG bonuses). What do you think? Is our new President an introverted leader?

http://tiny.cc/8BvMa

Tags: cnn, ed henry, introvert, leader, obama