Chapter 12 - Leadership Is A Team Sport: Brokering Peace in Washington    

Presidents enter office with a handicap—a glaring gap between what the public expects them to accomplish and the (limited) tools at their disposal to meet those expectations. So a president needs to take a team approach and build strong alliances—even with those holding differing views—if he or she is going to fulfill the promise of the position.

The American people have come to see the president as the “chief policymaker” of the United States, setting the legislative agenda for the direction of the country. Yet the Constitution grants the president very little power in that regard (some might say no power). The primary role of the president, as conceived by the framers, is to execute the laws created by the Congress. Yet, perhaps because of the continual gridlock in Congress, the public increasingly looks to the president to play a legislative leadership role.

We need a president who sees him or herself not just as a leader in the individualistic sense of the word, but as a “team leader,” whose job is to listen to diverse perspectives, bring out the best in everyone, and help bring opposing viewpoints together. We need a leader who will broker peace between the two parties....[Purchase the book here to keep reading]