Michelle’s life embodies the idea of a person who has the x-factor, she shows that leadership is something that is developed over time and learned through experiences. The x-factor is when individuals in a society spark creativity, it is a multi-discipline that borrows and synthesis existing intellectual resources to generate new ones and approach causation. (Burns, 2003). Michelle is a prime example of the ideals of the x-factor that crates a leader. As Burn discusses the difference between transactional and transforming leadership, one can place Mrs. Obama into the category of transforming. “To transform something is to cause a metamorphosis in form or structure, a change in the very condition or nature of a thing” (Burns 2003, p.24). …show more content…
Obama would down play her political and professional credentials to emphasize her importance of being a mother and wife. Michelle holds family as a principal value that is close to her heart, it only right that she advocate for it. “Mrs. Obama has identified her primary role in the White House as ‘Mom-in-Chief’” (Kahl, 2009, p.2). Often times Michelle explicitly shows this to the world by her way of servant leadership, and believing in social actions, exercising your social responsibilities (Natalle & Simon, 2015). Wren describes a servant leader as one who is a servant first, someone who has a natural desire to serve first (1995). When Michelle’s husband was elected into office, she became first lady of one of the most powerful countries in the world giving her a greater opportunity to serve the people. As Kahl states Michelle “has adopted a generalized advocacy for the welfare of families, serving as a symbol of the complexities of contemporary motherhood (Kahl, 2009, p.1). By starting with her own family and branching out to the families in this country she was able to exercise her value of giving back to the people, helping them not only to survive but to thrive (Bond, 2012). Her love of service became a powerful motivator in her leadership, with the potential of having those that she served becomes servant leaders themselves (Wren, 1995, p. …show more content…
The Let’s Move Campaign is a “three part health campaign for kids that include exercise effort; a parallel campaign to reduce childhood obesity and simultaneously increase healthy eating; and the White House Kitchen Garden as a physical demonstration of healthy food” (Natalle & Simon, 2015, p.61). In her leadership Michelle uses wrens 5 C’s of historical analysis; Change, causation, context, character, and connections. The change that was happening was the rise in childhood obesity, the cause had a variety of factors, such as poor diet, low levels of exercise and so on. As wren quotes from Gaddis “Causes always have context, ad to know the former we must understand the later” (Wren, 2011, p.69). Michelle, as a character, had an understanding of her context and that is why she found it necessary to start this campaign. Other charters were involved in the grand process to obtain a mark on history. Lastly the concept of connections, by observing patterns Michelle was able to find ways to combat the context of the situation at hand. This interpretation derived the
James A. Autry is the author of the bestselling book The Servant Leader. He has put together the fundamental skills every leader should hold in order for them to successfully run their businesses. Within thirteen chapters, the book has been divided into four categories: a foundation of character and vision, servant leader as manager: the everyday nuts and bolts, the harsh realities of organizational life, and finding the balance. The importance of developing yourself into the character of ‘servant leadership’ is identified to show how to harness productivity, creativity, courage, a nurturing nature, and handle both short and long term management situations. Although a particular purpose or mission leads every organization, all organizations are in a sense the same. The dependency on people is a dominant factor (Autry 2001, xviii).
Between 1980 to 1990, 8% to 12% of African-Americans completed four or more years in their college education (Educational Attainment, by Race and Hispanic Origin: 1960 to 1998). For many African Americans in the 1980’s, it was very hard to Imagine graduating from college, let alone graduating from two Ivy league Universities. One very influential woman did just that, her name is Michelle Obama. Alma maters of Michelle Obama includes Princeton University and Harvard Law School. Upon graduating from both of these Universities, Mrs. Obama clearly defied the odds against her. During her time at Harvard, she met Barack Obama. Soon after, they got married and she became a lawyer in the Chicago offices of the law firm Sidley & Austin. Years after,
“In my own life, in my own small way, I’ve tried to give back to this country that has given me so much. That’s why I left a job at a law firm for a career in public service, working to empower young people to volunteer in their communities. Because I believe each of us has something to contribute to the life of this nation,” stated Michelle Obama, First Lady and influential leader of the United States. As long as Michelle Obama has been living, she has taught others to be fair, thoughtful, hard-working, and an overall successful person. Michelle Obama, wife of President Barack Obama, and influential leader of the United States has a strong background full of success and hard work. She is beneficial to everyone, especially women, children,
From the group Biblical Integration Paper, it was understood that servant-leadership is not only a gift of purpose that God places in the hearts of His people, but it is also a calling in one’s life to truly touch the lives of others in need. Living a successful life, as a servant-leader is not one that focuses on self-fulfillment, rather it is in seeking a fulfillment that comes from Christ when one pours him/herself out for the sake of others. It is through servant-leadership that one is able to bring hope into hopeless situations (Group Integration Paper,
Her mom told her when she was young and talked down on herself and had low self-esteem. The Mother said, “If it can be done, you can do it.” Also, her father told her “Anything is possible.” This helped Michelle a lot in her future when she became a Harvard graduate and a lawyer. Even her teachers did not have much faith in her they told her she “should not to aim too high because her grades were not that acceptable”, “other said she wouldn’t achieve anything too great. Because she was just a black girl from the south side of Chicago.” Despite, people not believing in her, she quit her job as a lawyer to help her future husband Barack Obama become the first African American President of the united
I know that Michelle Obama is a hero because she helps kids get active , and learn about health in her program ( Lets move). She also helps kids (for example) that have come from Africa, and she helps them learn in there schools and at the white house!. In the article from white house.gov. It told that “In 2014, Mrs. Obama launched the Reach higher Initiative, an effort to inspire young people across America to take charge of their future by completing their education past high school, whether at a professional training program, a community college, or a four-year
Servant leadership is a leadership style that puts others first and begins with a natural desire to serve first. According to Robert K. Greenleaf (1970), servant leadership is a “philosophy and a set of practices” that improves the lives of people. The “servant-leader is servant first” (Greenleaf, Senge, Covey, Spears, 2002 & Center for Servant Leadership, n.d.) and selflessly serves others, while empowering them to lead with a purpose. Although, the term servant-leader was first proposed and coined by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970, the concept of servant leadership can be traced all the way back to the life of Jesus. Servant leadership, according to Greenleaf, is a theoretical framework that considers a leader’s key role as being that of service
Barack Hussein Obama is the current and 44th president of the United States of America. He is also the first African American President who was first elected to the presidency seat in 2008 and won a second term in 2012. He was born in Honolulu, Hawaii on August 4th, 1961 to Stanley Ann Durham and Barack Obama sr. He schooled in Indonesia until he was ten years then went back to Hawaii where he lived with his grandparents. He continued his education until he graduated with honors in 1979. With the aid of a scholarship, he furthered his education at Columbia University (in New York) majoring in political science. He later joined Harvard Law School due to his interest in law. After finishing with the law school he went back to Chicago where he began working. He met Michelle Robinson and got married in 1992. He was elected to the Illinois state in 1996 and in 2008; he became the 44th president of the United States. He
Michelle was a huge support of women, children and our troops in war. She has the kind heart of a mother a strong mind of a leader which make her a perfect influencer of our generation. She’s made it her goal to support girls through schooling all around the world, not just in America. She’s helped kids with childhood obesity and helped parents make better and healthier choices for their kid’s food choices She’s also made it easier on the families of the troop overseas who struggle to get by. Mitchell isn’t only an amazing American leader she’s influenced people all around the world and is a great example of a women of the 21st
With our recent electoral poll to establish a new presidential power in the United States, a great amount of political figures used their authority and known status in the political system, to inform and persuade the public of the great things that our candidates could provide to our country. These political figures spoke their minds to advise the citizens of America and to vote for the candidate that could be the one leader this country needs. As a matter of fact, Michelle Obama, our first lady, shared her point of view during Democratic National Convention, igniting millions of citizens into making the decision of voting for our female candidate for presidency, Hillary Clinton. Obama’s use of repetition for emphasis, the implementation of personal anecdotes to deliver concern and compassion and, her use of empirical evidence which helped into the legitimization of her
Anecdotes provide emphasis and familiarity through a consistent narrative; Michelle Obama utilizes examples of her background to create a link between orator and audience. Obama’s humble background presents the picture of a blue collared father struggling to make ends meet while providing for his children. As the prominent fixture in her childhood, her father is “the rock” (Obama, line 54) that grounded her in society. The proletariat audience naturally sympathizes, but Mrs. Obama’s rhetorical fusilade now turns its attention to her husband’s past. The candidate himself is indirectly the subject of several anecdotes; Paragraph sixteen details Barack Obama socialist worldview as being the culmination of generations of civil rights. This particular analogy serves the dual purpose of legitimacy paired with vision. True, the young Illinois senator possesses the dynamism of Martin Luther King Jr. along with a forward looking vision. Examples of the aspiring politician’s magnanimity appear in paragraphs twenty and twenty one are lauded: “It’s what did on the streets of Chicago setting up job training and after school programs to keep children safe” (Obama lines 70-72). Intentional or not, the inclusion of anecdotal evidence as a rhetorical tool crafts an image of Barack Obama as the “people’s hero.”
Lady Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama, the wife of the United State of America’s 44th President, Barack Obama, is a lawyer and writer, as well as the first African American First Lady. Through the years she has become a role model for many women across the globe and an advocate promoting healthy families, service members and their families, higher education, and promoting international adolescent girls’ education.
Admirable people are humble and trustworthy when it comes to contributing their time for the good of others. Furthermore, they are role models who keep a positive mindset despite what others may say about them. The First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama, inspires many to follow their dreams, despite obstacles, by explaining how her past experiences did not stop her from achieving her goals. Her aim is to make sure our generation grows up with healthy lifestyles and attitudes. Michelle Obama “often speaks about the importance of diversity as a strength…” (Stolberg) and is convinced that having challenges to face can later be conquered through people’s “courage, their grit, their resilience” (Phelps). Those who support Michelle Obama
I enjoyed reading your post! Servant-leadership is imperative for leading people. I think that this is a lost art in the word today. Many leaders are in leadership roles for selfish reason. I think the most primary reason is for monetary gain. Many think that this is an opportunity to "lord" over others. I must admit, as an young lead many years ago I was operating from that prospective and guess what this is the quickest way to lose respect. However, as I continue to mature in my leadership roles I found out that I am more effective when I am willing to serve others while leading. Not matter what position you are in it is essential to consider you brother over yourself. Furthermore, I must agree with you when you mentioned, "I find
As written in the lines above, employee engagement has a significant impact on an employee and their engagement. Although there has been many articles and research written about leadership and servant leadership, in this study, it will provide and overview, key traits and influences that servant leaders use in collaboration to address significant problems with strategy and other individuals. Therefore, how do managers and leaders facilitate the engagement of their employees? Leaders do this through their leadership style. In 1970, Robert K. Greenleaf identified servant-leadership, which was different from the traditional views of leadership. According to Greenleaf, “The servant-leader is a servant first. Servant