Presidents & the Presidency Stephen Hess Brookings Institution, Washington, D.C. (1996) Few leaders are more scrutinized than Presidents of the United States.  Stephen Hess analyzes the qualities Presidents need and have, as well as organizational forms that appear to be productive. Book Review © Dr. Terry J. van der Werff, CMC

As a long time senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, Stephen Hess has been an astute observer of Presidential leadership and effectiveness.  He has served several Presidents on the White House staff and in other assignments and has conducted extensive taped interviews with former White House staffers going back to Franklin Roosevelt's administration.

While explicitly written about Presidents (the man) and the Presidency (the office - the White House in common parlance), any leader will recognize the familiar issues of leading an organization and can learn from Hess's observations about some of the subtleties.

What are some of the Presidential qualities and skills?

 

	Being able to be a public person, since the loss of privacy is almost total.
	An intelligence that is broadly based on wide interests and concerns, since the problems of the country are diverse and interrelated.
	Choosing the decisions they wish to make, since they only have so much time and political capital to invest.
	Having an understanding of the ordinary citizen's hopes and fears.
	Being able to communicate effectively with the nation.
	Knowing how the present day's problems and opportunities match up in the broad sweep of history.
	A finely tuned sense of timeliness in decision making.
	The ability to delegate responsibility.
	Stamina.
	Honesty.
	Courage.

Little on the above list is unique to the President of the United States.  Indeed, every CEO or division head can relate to and must deal with them to be effective in their own position.

Three lessons stood out most for me in the book:

1. The need for attention to the organizational structure of his Presidential Office in order that the President is brought into decisions only when necessary so he can concentrate on the few issues that he has chosen to be the hallmark of his Presidency.  In other words, it's one thing to lead and another to ensure things get done.  Both are needed.
2. The unique rhythm of a Presidency, largely revolving around the two-year electoral cycle, which constrains what can and will be done at certain times, regardless of the personal wishes of the President.
3. How often Presidents are faced with balancing short-term pressing needs with long-term sustainable policies.

A wise leader should be able to find counterparts to these in his or her own leadership challenges in their own organization.

Hess writes well, and the reader is the beneficiary of sometimes little-known incidents about and attributes of well-known Presidents.  It's like being a fly on the wall in the White House.

A valuable book on leadership.

---

For convenience, you may order this book from:     amazon.com     Borders     Barnes & Noble

Sign up for e-mail alerts to new postings.