It has been decided at last: Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States but what sort of leader will he be? The campaign, carefully and brilliantly orchestrated as it was, really only provided a few clues. Intriguingly, and unusually for a practising politician, he has already written several books about himself. By analysing these in-depth we have been able to produce a psychological profile of the President Elect.
Taking his strengths first, it is clear that he is analytical but can also judge mood and atmosphere. Using all of this, he is able to see the bigger picture which may pass others by.
When interacting with others, Obama is able to empathise. When dealing with his employees, in particular his Cabinet, you can expect to see someone who will empower others to work hard, whilst expecting them to deliver results. All of this helps build confidence, loyalty and trust.
The most striking aspect of his profile is a real anxiety relating to his fear of failure. This clearly does not hold Obama back, but instead keeps him motivated and means that he won’t rest on his laurels as the new President. Instead, he will be concerned about his next steps, even whilst his supporters are still celebrating.
Our profiles suggest Obama is rather introverted, something that does not appear to be the case on the surface. Under pressure this combination could mean that he will become withdrawn and if the pressure intensifies he could become guarded and mistrustful. This will detract from his ability to inspire those around him.
He also appears to be someone who prefers to take his time making decisions - under pressure this could be seen as prevaricating.
From a psychological perspective his immediate task is not to resolve the financial crisis but to manage the extraordinarily high expectations people have of him. When examining the psychological profiles of the two candidates - disregarding policies, the best candidate won. Obama has the qualities and profile to be a good President and if he can play to his strengths and minimise his weaknesses, he could be a great one.
Prof Binna Kandola
Business Psychologist
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