Former President George W. Bush

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

~George W. Bush

 

 On Saturday the former President George W. Bush held a press conference in which he talked mainly about the troops saying he misses being able to visit with the troops in Iraq. It goes on to quote him saying "I was a little concerned that our veterans don't think that I still respect them and care for them a lot...There's nothing as courageous in my judgment as someone who had a leg blown off in combat overcoming the difficulties." (Jamie Stengle AP)

I have a cousin in the military who has served in several tours, which is why this article stood out to me in the news. Regardless if the war in Iraq/Afghanistan was the correct action to take or if we should be pulling out now, it's clear to me that Bush is and was an excellent example of leadership.

Leadership, as we touched on in class, involves interpersonal relationships. Those relationships build trust which gives people more incentive and will to do what is being asked of them by the leader. Bush was very good at being respectful and building relationships with those he was working with. For example, when visiting with the Prince of Saudi Arabia he frequently walked around holding hands with him and talking. While in America seeing two grown men holding hands and talking would seem out of the ordinary, in Saudi Arabia it is a sign of trust and a good relationship between two men. If Bush was too self-conscious about the appearance of holding hands then he could have offended the Prince and inadvertently caused conflict between our countries. Bush was also more concerned about meeting with the soldiers fighting and building personal relationships with them than his own safety, as he took numerous troops into the battle zones to visit with the troops. This kind of selflessness to maintain relationships so as to get things accomplished is an excellent example of leadership. 

Learning from his example, I will try to focus on building and maintaining relationships with those who I have to work with to get something done. Even if it means I have to do something that is out of my comfort zone, Bush has taught me that to be a great leader you need to respect others beliefs/practices and go a step further by taking part in some of them.

Photo by Staff Sgt. Clinton J. Evans, U.S. Army