For nearly a decade, I served this country. During this time in the Air Force, one of the key lessons for me was quality leadership. As commander-chief of the United States military, our president holds the unofficial title, “leader of the free world.” While considering our current president, I’m sorry to say that he fails to live up to this title. I have seen firsthand how successful military leaders behave and act. Our current president and his kitchen-cabinet advisors’ actions are the antithesis of successful leadership.
I ask only that you consider the following and ask yourself, is this president demonstrating these qualities?
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Demonstrates integrity- For a leader to command his troops, he or she must be trustworthy. Troops had to know that the commander would keep them effectively informed and always prioritize the mission over personal advancement. In turn, we troops prioritized each other and our country.
Does this president put himself aside to serve our country or does he use the country to
advance himself?
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Takes responsibility, even for the actions of his/her subordinates. Think Regan taking responsibility for the Iran-Contra scandal: https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-12-mn-554-story.html
Does this sound like something President Trump would do?
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Thinks strategically and practically - great leaders understand the need for now, but plan for tomorrow and beyond. They implement policies and procedures that will ensure success on more than one front and will allow for a robust set of tactics that ensure success. The current president was not prepared for the pandemic, what else is he not prepared for? Before you answer, it’s not his fault, see my first bullet above.
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Creates a unified force with a strong central command. I realize that Trump has created a fanatical following, but he has not unified the country as a whole. Think of post-911 when we needed President Bush to encourage, reassure, and unify our country. Has President Trump done anything to bring the country together, or has he used insults and vulgarity to further divide us?
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Supports subordinates and prepares them for success. a great leader supports his or her troops and ensures that they have all of the tools/equipment, personnel, political support and capacity to do their jobs. Think about the number of high-ranking military officers who have resigned under the Trump administration, and ask yourself, did they see Trump as a strong commander-in-chief, or did they consider him a poor leader? How many staff members has the Trump administration seen come and go? If Trump is a great leader, why do so many decide to stop following his lead?
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Gathers the best advisors available and listens to them. Do you see President Trump listening to his advisors, or have you seen him dismiss their advice. Again, I ask you to consider the career military leaders and other high-ranking officials who, realizing they would not be heard, resigned.
One last thought-exercise. Imagine our current president on an actual battlefield, planning the attacks necessary while coordinating the defenses required. Ensuring the logistics of troop movement and equipment setup; ground, sea, and air support; medical contingency, etc are all timed, and orchestrated to ensure a measured response that will cause the enemy to surrender ground, while also preparing for the next several strikes’ successes? Can you picture this president rallying the troops, so that they will act as a single force moving into multiple arenas with a sacrificial spirit? Does this president have what it takes to be our commander-in-chief and leader of the free world?