Leadership in Public Policy
Successful public policies often hinge upon the ability of talented leaders to develop, promote, and execute those public policies. In a two-page paper, discuss which leadership traits you feel are the most important in the creation of sound public policies. The leadership traits that I feel are important in the creation of sound public policies are vision, charisma, passion and character. Having vision is an essential leadership trait because it is difficult following someone who does not have a plan. The leader who communicates the idea in a way that is clear, concise, and is easily understood will have a better chance of getting their issue or policy created. Charisma is the magnetism that many great leaders possess. The ability to draw or get the attention of others in a way that will influence them to your way of thinking is a leadership trait. When you think of Roosevelt and Reagan, the American public had a fondness for them that allowed them to lead with relative success. I would attribute to charisma. Having passion is another leadership trait. A passionate individual has a fire and is motivated beyond the normal level in order to continue when obstacles and problem are presented. In order to lead effectively character must be possessed by the leader. Character is exemplified is the integrity shown when things do not go as planned but in crisis the leader emerges as a source of strength and direction. An example of such character would be Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s initial response to the American immediately following the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
Some questions to consider are: does a leader’s educational background matter significantly in providing leadership in the policy making process? The educational background of the leader is not as important as having the ability to gather information from various sources in order to come to a definite decision. One
References: Cropf, 2008. American Public Administration: Public Service for the 21st Century. 1. VitalSource Bookshelf. Pearson Learning Solutions, Monday, May 21,2012. http://online.vitalsource.com/books/