Qualities of a Leader

When reflecting on the articles, interviews and speeches given by and about Michelle Obama, it is made apparent the leadership qualities that she demonstrates. I feel Michelle displays all of the “Five Practices and Ten Commitments of Exemplary Leadership” as designed by James M Kouzes and Barry Posner (2003). The five practices are listed as: Model the Way, Inspire a Shared Vision, Challenge the Process, Enable Others to Act and Encourage the Heart. I believe she held these five practices and demonstrated them throughout her life as she grew to become a leader. In speeches and essays, Michelle states her personal values and acts on visions and causes that share her voice. Her recent initiation of the “Let’s Move” campaign that helps to fight against childhood obesity is just one example of how she is looking for ways to collaborate and strengthen others. She is able to “Challenge the Process” and “Enable Others to Act” who are on the Task Force working toward the end to childhood obesity. While she is focusing on a solution she is also strengthening the youth of tomorrow.

I feel Michelle’s primary behavior characteristic would be Controller and secondary behavior characteristic would be Promoter. As a Controller, Michelle is persistently thorough, uses time well and is strong-willed. Although there are many roles that Michelle fulfills, she still manages to have time for family, while making decisions and advocating on a worldwide stage. By being a controller, she was ambitious toward excelling at and completing her education in Princeton University and Harvard Law School.

In Michelle’s secondary behavior characteristic, Promoter, she is goal oriented, makes decisions deliberately and is non-threatening. I feel she is a person who has not only set goals for herself but for her husband, daughters, and her country. When her husband decided with her to begin the Presidency Campaign, they were setting goals for themselves of how much time on the road, what needed to be accomplished during the campaign and what interviews and invitations to accept. All of these decisions were deliberate and serious and carried out as such, by each of them.

I feel a turning point in Michelle’s life was during the Inauguration of Presidency for her husband, Barack Obama. This life changing event made the whole country and the world an audience, there at every moment, to recognize the leadership qualities that she has. Michelle did not all of a sudden gain these qualities; they were with her before the Inauguration and before the Presidency Campaign. The difference is that since the Inauguration, the turning point, these qualities became recognized on a grander scale. This became an advantage because now Michelle has an opportunity to bring about change, not only to a small community but to a whole country and the world.



Obama, Barack. (February 2010). Presidential Memorandum – Establishing a Task Force on Childhood Obesity. Retrieved 06:35, February 16, 2010 from The White House website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-memorandum-establishing-a-task-force-childhood-obesity


Tedaldi, Anita. (August 2008). Michelle Obama On the Campaign, Her Career and Raising Kids In the Public Eye. Retrieved 06:05, February 16, 2010 from http://www.babble.com/Michelle-Obama-on-the-campaign-her-career-and-raising-kids-in-the-public-eye/


Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 05:30, February 16, 2010, from
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michelle_Obama