Essay About Barack Obama
Barack Obama is someone I truly admire as a leader. He may not have a nursing background but exemplifies my vision of professional nursing leadership. He is the 44th President of the United States of America and the first African-American. He was a selfless leader who put everyone’s interest first before his own. He is compassionate, empathetic, humble, confident, and well-mannered. He exemplified flexibility in his thinking and adapted well to changing dynamics in American politics.
He listens to the input of all who surrounds him. He is an effective communicator, a trait that is a must-have for every leader. Like a nurse, he is convicted and advocates constantly for the underserved population. Obama is a respected leader all over the world and right here at home in the United States. His policies might not be accepted by all but he brought everyone together whether Republican or Democrat. He always reaches a middle ground or offers a bipartisan solution to move things along in Congress. A true leader is someone who is able to work with both sides and come up with a solution that benefits both sides. He has numerous charities like Girls Opportunity Alliance, Leaders: Africa, and My Brother’s Keeper Alliance that are leadership programs that empower the youth all over the world. Perhaps his greatest achievements that will go down in his legacy are the Affordable care act and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).
The Affordable Care Act commonly referred to as Obama Care was to improve access to health care through both expanded public health coverage and improved availability and affordability of private insurance(Kaye, 2019). Low-income families and people who did not have access to healthcare now have a chance to affordable healthcare. Even though the access to healthcare increased, and the number of uninsured reduced by 42% to 29 million, about 9% still remained uninsured(Bowleg, 2017). He has built numerous working relationships with many foreign countries around the world which is evident in his foreign policies. As a leader, he portrays the servant leadership and transformational leadership style. According to Yoder-Wise, transformational leadership theory is one in which the leader is a role model who inspires his followers through displayed optimism, provides intellectual stimulation, and encourages follower creativity (Yoder-Wise, pg. 51). President Obama is able to lead his team as a leader and incorporate the input and creativity suggested by his team in his policies which is evident in the famous slogan in his campaign, “yes we can”. He is not an I man. He is we man, someone who puts others before himself. Awe man who is compassionate and empathetic.
To sum it all up, a leader is someone who rises to the occasion in the midst of adversity. He leads, manages, and follows when appropriate. He advocates for his clients. He foresees the future and plans around it. He is humble, adaptable to change, and has a servitude attitude. He puts the interest of everyone above his own. I am fortunate to have someone who exhibits these qualities and inspires me- former president Barack Obama-a true leader.
