Leadership Lens

So to be honest, I thought this assignment was going to be super easy.  I thought there were so many good examples of leadership in the media that it would be simple just to pick one and go with it.  But it's turned out to be a lot harder than that for me.  I think each individual person has a totally different view of what makes a great leader.  I can't choose one person that I feel is viewed all around as an exceptional leader, but I can choose one that I view as an exceptional leader.  And choosing this guy is bound to stir up some controversy.  A man who has shaped my view of leadership is George W. Bush.

Now I know Bush isn't exactly popular in too many people's eyes.  You either love him or you hate him. But I think he carries some awesome qualities.  I don't feel this way because of his political party or his choices made during his Presidency.  I simply think he's a good man who stuck to what he believed in even when he was bashed for it.  I don't think we could've had a better person to lead us during 9/11.  In my opinion, what's truly admirable about George Bush is the fact that he does so many great things for others but almost always does these things out of the limelight.  He didn't want the fame and has talked a lot about that.  He was a good, honest man who did what he thought was best for the country he loved, and I think that says a lot about what leadership is.  Someone who doesn't change his opinions based off of approval ratings, someone who refuses to say a bad word about our President now, someone who looks to better the lives of others and doesn't need everyone's approval for his actions.  I know a lot of people make fun of Bush and say he was a terrible leader.  And maybe he wasn't the best President America has ever seen.  That's not at all what I'm trying to say.  To me, it's his character that has totally shaped my view of what good leadership is.

"I can hear you, the rest of the world can hear you and the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon."

"Leadership to me means duty, honor, country. It means character, and it means listening from time to time."