COMMUNICATION FOR YOUNG

LEADERS:
SUBMITTED TO: MISS
SHUMAILA BURNEY
SUBMITTED BY: ALI SAAD
Inspiring Leadership Traits of
Barack Obama:
Barack Obama has always been a leader in a true sense. Even before becoming
the 44th US President and holding 2 terms at the office, Obama was a prolific
politician and was revered by the American public especially from his home
state of Illinois and city of Chicago from where he was elected as Senator as
well. It was getting involved and helping the community that made him a public
figure and later on a politician known all across the US.

Holding perhaps the most powerful position in the world, as president of the
United States of America, was no mean achievement. Although presidents do
have the support from his cabinet, advisors and aides, the public face is always
the president and he takes all the accolades for anything positive for the
country or economy. And, of course, it is always him who face the wrath and ire
from the public in case of a mishap or anything negative happening on the
political or economic front.

Barack Obama boosts of qualities and habits of effective leaders that made him
a statesman and a leader of the highest repute across the globe. Even countries
not having friendly relations with the USA admire Mr. Obama much. That’s why
I have decided to put forward 6 leadership traits of Barack Obama that makes
him an excellent politician and lead a nation for 8 long years.

Conviction and Perseverance

The campaign slogan of Obama for the 2008 presidential campaign when he
was elected the president for the first time was “Change we can believe in.”
Change will be discussed later as a separate aspect, let’s discuss his conviction
and belief and what he was conveying to the general public.
Obama always has a firm belief that if something is right and if you think you
are on the right track then you can influence others too and get your message
across. This will take some time but eventually you’ll succeed.

When he took a stand on many issues, like most recently on a UN resolution on

Israel-Palestinian conflict, everyone believed that he has a valid point and he is
not taking the American people and the world community for granted. He talked
with logic and knew his job well in influencing people and other leaders so that
his point of view was understandable.

Change

Everyone started to talk about change after the Obama’s campaign became
successful. It became the buzz word and was used across the board by virtually
every person talking about some transformation, revolution, etc. This quality
and the way Obama portrayed it almost becomes synonymous with him and
whenever someone talked about change, the name of Obama also resonates.

Obama just didn’t use the word change for his campaign. Across his 8 years
tenure as the president, he tried to achieve so much by applying a change in
every aspect of running the country and what he was doing for the people in
general. His critics may have a valid point that he didn’t deliver on all his
promises but he I guess most of you will agree that he did what was in his
power as the house and the senate was in Republican control during the later
stages of his second term.

We-not-I Attitude

You may have noticed when Obama delivers a speech, he talked with the first
person plural “we” rather than “I”. This is somewhat distracting at first but
when you will take a closer look, this is a clever and smart way to engage the
audience. The act of using we is not just pure politics as some of you might
comprehend but rather a unique way of making people involved in a
conversation and then making them believe they have actually contributed
something positive to a cause.

When a person say we have done it together, everyone listening to it feels a

part of the proceedings even if he was not involved in any step. This is a very
important part of being a leader, making everyone around you involved and
giving them the ownership of a successful project, for example. Countless times
in his speeches, Obama used “we” in and making people believe the people of a
particular city or the whole country has done something which they can be
proud of.

Taking Risks

It is a common practice that many people play it safe when it comes to anything
related to their work or professional life. Taking risks, even a minor one, is not
everyone’s cup of tea. That’s the reason why most successful people are the
ones who take risks in their life and come out triumphant. But it’s certainly not
that simple. In his book the “The Audacity of Hope” Obama mentioned he took a
big gamble by running for the presidency even some friends and aides advised
otherwise in the wake that he terribly lost the primaries for the 2004
presidential race.

The political risks are akin to the risks in taken in real life. So much is at stake
that sometimes people put their entire wealth or whatever they have at risk,
just for a business venture, for example. Obama always urged people around
him and the general public about taking risks, although calculated ones in the
start. The more you’ll know about Obama, the more you will be inclined to take
risks in the life and benefit from this act rather than fail.
The Art of Communication

A person cannot become a leader until and unless he is a great communicator.

And it isn’t limited to just being a great speaker. The listening, writing, and
reading skills are also important as only a great listener can become a great
speaker. Mr. Obama is a leader par excellence as he knows how to talk to any
person, group or audience regardless of their background, age, race, gender,
etc. And that’s where he truly deserves all the praise for being an immaculate
person having perfected the art of communication.

When Barack Obama got the Marketer of the Year Award in 2008 by Advertising
Age, many people were surprised and some even raised eyebrows but I knew at
that time too that he thoroughly deserves that award. His entire campaign was
a classic case of how to communicate with virtually each and every person in
the USA who is eligible to vote, gain his confidence and send the message
across in clear terms. And that’s why he was able to win the election in both
2008 and 2012 hands down.

Turning Endings into New Beginnings

A leader is a person who is never satisfied with even his own work and always
look to achieve more. Take the example of Barack Obama. With a host of things
to do on his list, how he turned an ending into a beginning for the next project
dozens of times? That’s where his leadership skills come into effect and made
all the difference. Let me give you an example so that you can understand this
point easily.

Listen or watch 4-5 of his speeches and in 1-2 speeches for sure you will find
the phrase “Let’s get back to work”. That’s his way of celebrating a victory in a
battle or just after inaugurating a new project. He did that time and again and
made sure everyone listened to it. He uses the positive public reaction and
sentiment to begin a fresh project so that the buoyant mode keeps the
momentum going and help in completing the new task with ease.
COMMUNICATION FOR YOUNG
LEADERS:
SUBMITTED TO: MISS
SHUMAILA BURNEY
SUBMITTED BY: ALI SAAD
 TEAM WORK
A single brain sometimes is not capable of taking critical decisions alone. An
individual needs the support and guidance of others to come out with an effective
solution. When individuals come together on a common platform with a common
objective of accomplishing a task, a team is formed. Ideally the team members
should be from a common background and have a common goal to ensure
maximum compatibility. The team members must complement each other and
work in close coordination as a single unit to deliver their best.
As they say “There is no I in Team Work”, every individual must think of his
team first and the personal interests must take a back seat.
The success of any team is directly proportional to the relation among its team
members and their collective efforts.
What is Team Work ?
The sum of the efforts undertaken by each team member for the achievement of the
team’s objective is called team work. In other words, team work is the backbone of
any team.
Every member in a team has to perform and contribute in his best possible way to
achieve a common predefined goal. Individual performances do not count in a
team and it is the collective performance of the team workers which matters the
most.
Let us go through a real life situation.
One cannot work alone in any organization and thus teams are formed where
individuals work together for a common objective. Peter, Michael, Jackson and
Sandra represented the legal team in a leading organization. Peter and Michael
always took the initiative and performed their level best while Jackson and Sandra
had a laidback attitude towards work. Their team could never meet their targets
inspite of Peter and Michael’s hard work.
Peter and Michael worked hard, then why do you think their team fell short of
targets?
In a team; everyone has to work equally for the maximum output.
Team work is actually the collective effort of each and every team member to
achieve their assigned goal. No member can afford to sit back and expect the other
member to perform on his behalf. The team members must be committed towards
their team as well as their organization to avoid conflicts. Nothing productive
comes out of unnecessary conflict and in turn diverts the concentration and focus
of the team members. Every member should adopt an adjusting and a flexible
attitude. One should consider his team members as a part of his extended family all
working together towards a common goal. The team members must be dependent
on each other for the best to come out.
Tips for a better team work
Let us go through some steps for a better team work

 Think about your team first - Every individual should think of his team
first and his personal interests should take a backseat. Do not mix your
personal issues with your professional life. Keep them separate.
 Never underestimate your team member - Do not neglect any of the
members, instead work together and also listen to them as well. Never try to
impose your ideas on any member. Avoid demotivating any team
member.</b

 Discuss - Before implementing any new idea, it must be discussed with each
and every member on an open platform. Never ever discuss with anyone
separately as the other person feels left out and reluctant to perform and
contribute to the team.
 Avoid criticism - Stay away from criticism and making fun of your team
members. Help each other and be a good team player. Be the first one to
break the ice and always create a friendly ambience. If you do not agree with
any of your team member, make him understand his mistakes but in a polite
tone and do guide him. Avoid negativity within the team.
 Transparency must be maintained and healthy interaction must be
promoted among the team members. The communication must be
effective, crystal clear and precise so that every team member gets a
common picture. Effective communication also nullifies misunderstandings
and confusions. Confusions lead to conflicts and individuals waste their time
and energy in fighting rather than working.
 The team leader must take the responsibility of encouraging the team
members to give their level best and should intervene immediately in cases
of conflicts. The personality of the leader should be such that every team
 member should look up to him and take his advice whenever required. He
should not be partial to any member and support each of them equally. It is
the duty of the team leader to extract the best out of his team members.

 For better team work, try to understand your team members well. Do not just
always talk business, it is okay if you go out with your team members for
lunch or catch a movie together. It improves the relations and strengthens the
bond among the team members. The team members must trust each other for
maximum output.</b

 Avoid conflicts in your team. Don’t fight over petty issues and find faults
in others. One should be a little adjusting with each other and try to find an
alternative best suited to all the team members.
 Rewards and Recognition - Healthy competition must be encouraged
among the team members. The performance of every team member must be
evaluated timely and the best performer should be rewarded suitably so that
the other members also get motivated to perform. Recognitions like “The
Best Team Player” or the “The Best Performer” go a long way in motivating
the team members. Appreciate the member who performs the best or does
something unique.
 Have you ever wondered how some work groups exhibit
effective teamwork and other teams remain dysfunctional for the life of the
team? Effective teamwork is both profoundly simple and difficult at the
same time and the success of a particular team is also tied in closely with the
culture of their organization. Some organizational cultures support
teamwork; others don't.
 This is why so many teams struggle to get the relationships, the interaction,
and the task execution right. Their success depends on these factors. In fact,
twelve factors exist that have a serious impact on how successful work
teams will be in your organization.
 People Are Both the Joy and the Problem in Creating Better Teamwork
 No matter the team or its reason for existing, humans are in the mix, and
each team member brings along all of their baggage—for good and for ill.
So, diverse people with different life experiences, different work
experiences, and varying degrees of success working with former teams and
the accomplishment of prior team missions converge around a new mission.
 Given the complexity of forming a team including consciously or
unconsciously developing team interaction norms and guidelines, ending up
with an effective, functioning team is downright amazing.
 You can significantly increase the chances of the teams that you join or
oversee to make needed contributions. Given appropriate support and
nurture, teams can succeed beyond your wildest dreams. Don't let anything
hold you back as you help your teams succeed.
 Teams have basic needs that must be acknowledged and fulfilled if you
expect your teams to experience their greatest success. No team will succeed
if these basics do not exist.
 10 Keys to Successful Teamwork
 These ten tips describe the environment that must occur within the team
for successful teamwork to take place. Successful teamwork is the
cornerstone for creating a functioning, contributing team.

The Team Is Clear About Its Mission

 The team understands the goals and is committed to attaining them. This
clear direction and agreement on mission and purpose are essential for
effective teamwork. Team members must have an overall mission that is
agreed upon and that provides the umbrella for all that the team tries to
do. This team clarity is reinforced when the organization has clear
expectations for the team's work, goals, accountability, and outcomes.
 The Team Environment Encourages Reasonable Risks
 The team creates an environment in which people are comfortable taking
reasonable risks in communicating, advocating positions, and taking action.
Team members trust each other. Team members are not punished for
disagreeing; disagreement is expected and appreciated.
 Respectful Communication Is the Norm
 Communication is open, honest, and respectful. People feel free to express
their thoughts, opinions, and potential solutions to problems. People feel as
if they are heard out and listened to by team members who are attempting to
understand. Team members ask questions for clarity and spend their thought
time listening deeply rather than forming rebuttals while their co-worker is
speaking.
 They do this by formulating questions that will lead them to more deeply
understand their teammate's point of view.
 Strong Sense of Group Commitment
 Team members have a strong sense of belonging to the group. They
experience a deep commitment to the group’s decisions and actions. This
sense of belonging is enhanced and reinforced when the team spends the
time to develop team norms or relationship guidelines together.
 Team members are viewed as unique people with irreplaceable experiences,
points of view, knowledge, and opinions to contribute. After all, the purpose
of forming a team is to take advantage of the differences.
 Otherwise, why would any organization approach projects, products, or
goals with a team? In fact, the more a team can bring out divergent points of
view that are thoughtfully presented and supported with facts as well as
opinions, the better.
 Creativity and Innovation Are the Norms
 Creativity, innovation, and different viewpoints are expected and
encouraged. Comments such as, "we already tried that and it didn't work"
and "what a dumb idea" are not allowed or supported. The team members
recognize that the strength in having a team is that every member brings
diverseness to the effort to solve a problem, improve a process, reach a goal,
or create something new and exciting.
 Engages in Continuous Improvement
 The team is able to constantly examine itself and continuously improve its
processes, practices, and the interaction of team members. The team openly
discusses team norms and what may be hindering its ability to move forward
and progress in areas of effort, talent, and strategy.
 The team holds review meetings that assess the team's process and progress
in approaching and accomplishing the team mission. The team has a clear
understanding about the five stages of team development and the members
know what is required to move the team successfully through the stages.
 Solves Teamwork Problems and Conflicts
 The team has agreed upon procedures for diagnosing, analyzing, and
resolving teamwork problems and conflicts. The team does not support
member personality conflicts and clashes nor do team members pick sides in
a disagreement. Rather, members work towards the mutual resolution of
problems and disagreements.
 Practices Participative Leadership
 Participative leadership is practiced in leading meetings, assigning
tasks, recording decisions and commitments, assessing progress, holding
team members accountable, and providing direction for the team. This
 means that every participant on the team must actively contribute to leading
the team to successful outcomes and contributions.
 Makes High Quality Decisions
 Members of the team make high quality decisions together and have the
support and commitment of the group to carry out the decisions made. They
also gain the support and commitment of the people they report to in order to
accomplish and communicate the team's progress and success.
 They gain the support and commitment from senior leadership by
demonstrating all of these ten teamwork necessities each and every day. The
team lives high quality interaction that is observable and an example for all
other teams to emulate.