Profile of President Ronald Reagan - Essay Example

LEADERSHIP PROFILE AND ANALYSIS: Profile of President Ronald Reagan President Ronald Reagan was called the great communicator. His talent in expressing his ideas was evident early in his career. He started in the radio and accordingly, in one of his stints, while covering for a live game for Chicago Cubs, using Western Union reports, his wire went dead while Augie Galan was at bat in a tough situation. To fill in the gap, Reagan kept Galan fouling off pitch after imaginary pitch for six minutes until he could pick up the play again upon regaining wire connection (Maxwell 1999). Reagan displayed an uncommon ability to connect and communicate with people. During his term as a president, it was commonly known among the staff of white house that he gave effort in reading fan mails and on his own writing sends letters to them. Before Reagan run for the office, he was the president of the Screen Actors Guild. He became involved over the issue of communism in the film industry. His political views shifted from liberal to conservative (www.whitehouse.gov). His skills helped him gain popularity among people and this is evident when he toured the country as a television host, carrying the idealism of conservatism and becoming its spokesman. As a result, he was elected Governor of California and was re-elected in 1970. Reagan became the Republican President on 1980 and he chose former Texas Congressman and United Nations Ambassador George Bush as his running mate. While announcing his run for the presidency, he was able to communicate clearly his vision by saying, “At the heart of our message should be five simple familiar words. No big economic theories. No sermons on political philosophy. Just five short words: family, work, neighborhood, freedom, peace”. He won 489 electoral votes to 49 for President Jimmy Carter. Reagan took office on January 20, 1981. Only 69 days later, he was shot by a would-be assassin. But before he allowed to be brought to the hospital, he delivered his one-hour speech. And while on the hospital bed before being brought to the operation room, he remarked to the hospital staff, “Please assure me that you are all Republicans”. He was able to recover quickly and returned to duty. His wit and grace during the dangerous incident cause his popularity to soar. The president was able to deal with congress and obtained legislation that stimulated economic growth, control inflation, increased employment and strengthen national defense. In short, he was able to improve the economy of U.S.A. He cut taxes and government expenditures. In the long run, it helped him and Bush get a second term, winning over the democrats. Reagan pushed to achieve “peace through strength.” He increased defense by giving 35% of the budget and by improving relationship with Soviet Union. He was able to negotiate a treaty with Gorbachev that eliminated intermediate-range nuclear missiles. He strongly expressed his opinion against international terrorism. Analysis of Reagan’s leadership traits in relation to models of leadership Reagan’s ability to communicate helped him gain popularity and made him the kind of leader that inspires people to follow his lead. He was a very effective communicator. With a clear vision, a skill to choose the right kind of words in influencing people, and ability to clearly translate what he wanted to achieve for the nation made him a good leader of the nation. Reagan’s approach or model of leadership style may be assessed as within the contingency theory. 3. Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation (Wagner 2007). According to this theory, there is no one leadership style that is best in all situations. Success relies upon several factors or variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation. Looking at the way Reagan led the nation, he made use of his skills in communication. But communication alone did not make him a good leader. He also got a full grasp of the situations the nation is experiencing, its difficulties and needs and what must be done. He also tapped talents and brilliance of his followers like Bush. He also established relationship with strong nations like the Soviet Union. Another As a result of his effectiveness as a communicator, he may also be considered a Charismatic type of leader. Because he was able to please people and give them hope. Max Weber (1947) introduced this term “charismatic” to social science, which applies to leaders with strong emotional appeal. Before, charismatic leaders were likely to be religious. But now, it is likely to be political (Lindgren & Harvey1981). Reagan’s ideology, combined with his strong emotional appeal to people made him more popular and attractive, specifically to the dissatisfied citizens. According to Maxwell (1998), most people think of charisma as something esoteric or mystical. They think that it’s a quality that is inherited or not at all (Trait theory of leadership). Charisma is plainly the ability to draw people or attract people to you and according to Maxwell, it can be learned. Reagan may have developed his skills from his experiences when he started out as an actor, and as a radio announcer. He grew as a nation’s leader because he was able to provide hope, share himself and made them understood his ideals. He was passionate of what he was doing and these are traits or behaviors that can be learned. As discussed in behavioral theory of leadership, people can learn to become leaders through teaching and observation. Reagan’s skills were developed through his experiences in life and having the opportunity to be around with other great leaders like Bush, Gorbachev, and even John Wayne. Resource Materials Lindgren, Henry Clay & Harvey, John H. (1981). An Introduction to Social Psychology. C.V. Mosby Company. St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A. pp. 452-453. Maxwell, John C. (1999). The 21 Indispensable Qualities of A Leader. Maxwell Motivation, Inc. Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. pp. 24 – 25. Maxwell, John C. (1998). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. pp. The White House (2007). President Ronald Reagan. Retrieved on 17 January 2007 from http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/rr40.html. Van Wagner, Kendra (2007). About Psychology: Leadership Theories. Retrieved on 18 January 2007 from http://psychology.about.com/od/leadership/p/leadtheories.htm. Weber, Max (1947). The Theory of Social and Economic Organization. (Translated from German). 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