When I think of the word "leader" I make an immediate connection the position of president, as many often do. Two of the most fascinating and effective leaders were discussed in the video, Mystique of Leadership. Franklin Delano Roosevelt and John Fitzgerald Kennedy are the two presidents in my mind that shaped modern American history. Prima facie, anyone could argue the fact that FDR and JFK were great leaders just by looking merely at their many accomplishments in such a relatively short period of time; however, taking a deeper look we can analyze their success of their leadership by applying the trait approach highlighted in chapter two of the text. .
Since trait approach focuses merely on the individual leadership traits of that person, this approach to find leadership qualities is very focused. We could all rattled off lists a mile long of the qualities found in both of these great men, just as throughout all of the trait approach research there has been a long list of traits applied to the personalities of leaders. However, there are five that remain consistent through out the research. Intelligence, Self-Confidence, Determination, Integrity and Sociability are considered the five major leadership characteristics central to trait theory. For our purposes, examining the two presidents under these traits makes it easier to compare them to others.
FDR was no doubt an educated man, he was a Harvard graduate and an attendee of Columbia Law School. He had the privilege of growing up with an elite education. His strength in the intelligence trait lies with his ability to problem-solve and the use of his knowledge to relate to the people he governed, rather than his actual IQ. It has been proven that leaders who utilize their intelligence to gain ground over the public can ostracize those beneath them; FDR did exactly the opposite. He used his intelligence to not only come up with government policies that would eventually steer America out of the Great Depression, but he also had the inclination to put strong minded men right below him to aid in carrying out his vision of the New Deal.
