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Barack Obama: An ECO-SYSTEM Leader
The Obama campaign generated unprecedented enthusiasm in Americans from all walks of life. Thousands of campaign staffers
worked around the clock to recruit approximately 1.5 million active volunteers and more than 500 million donation dollars.
The campaign energized segments of the population, especially young voters, who had never been to the polls. What is it
about Barack Obama that inspired hundreds of thousands of Americans to sport his face on their T-shirt?
Learning as Leadership, a San Francisco-based leadership development firm,
recognizes elements of their philosophy known as “Ecosystem Leadership“ within Obama's campaign for presidency.
Ecosystem leadership is a motivational perspective in which people care about something larger than the self, ultimately
generating more collaborative and trusting relationships. Barack Obama appears to be an exceptional embodiment of this perspective.
Not all Ecosystem leaders are naturally born; these skills can be learned. The four characteristics outlined below can
serve as a guide for aspiring Ecosystem leaders.
What are the qualities of an ECO-SYSTEM Leader?
Self-transcendent Goals- Ecosystem leaders like Barack Obama focus on taking action that is good for the larger whole. Instead of being driven by their own ego,
they are driven by the strong desire to accomplish a goal that is meaningful to many. Obama's attitude at the National governor's
conference demonstrated his ability to put his own agenda aside and get down to the real issues. Politico reports that he welcomed
both Republicans and Democrats to engage in the kind of open dialog that none could recall on the part of a newly elected
president (Smith and Martin 2008).
Non-defensiveness - Too often, leaders resort to blame, excuses or denial when failures or setbacks occur.
A trademark of Ecosystem leadership is the grounded, calm way such leaders respond in the face of a crisis or threat.
Ecosystem leaders take criticism and even failure as an opportunity to learn.
Global Systemic Perspective - Ecosystem leaders know that the well-being of the system (community, organization, nation)
depends on the well being of the parts. They look at problems in relation to the larger context, and acknowledge the competing perspectives that exist
in complex issues. They seek solutions that unravel knots in the whole system v. simply advocating for their own biases or preferences.
Willingness to Listen - Barack Obama has been quoted as saying: "I'm a good listener, and I'm a better listener
when people disagree with me." His actions align, as he invites his rival John McCain to support him in guiding the country
over these next four years. Ecosystem leaders want to hear about perspectives that are different than their own.
They believe that the best solution is a synthesis of many people's ideas, and that the "truth" lies somewhere in between.
For a full text article on the ideas in this excerpt, see: Crocker & Hughes, Ecosystem Perspective and Barack Obama's Campaign for
the Presidency, DuBois Review, in press.
I want to be an ECO-SYSTEM Leader
At Learning as Leadership, we believe that Ecosystem Leadership can be learned.
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