This paper will be concerned with the leadership style of Bill Clinton, who served as Governor of Arkansas as well as the 42nd President of the United States. Clinton was born in 1946 in Hope, Arkansas. He received his education at Georgetown University and Yale University. After graduating from Yale, Clinton entered a career in politics as a member of the Democratic Party. In 1978, he was elected Governor of the State of Arkansas. Over the following years, he served five terms as Governor. In 1992, he won the election to become President of the United States. He was reelected in 1996, thus serving two terms as President. Among his accomplishments as President, Clinton was involved in the passage of various new laws at the federal level. During his second term, he was impeached on perjury charges following his effort to cover-up an affair that he had had with an intern named Monica Lewinsky. However, he was acquitted in the Senate trial that occurred in 1999.
Clinton used a charismatic style of leadership. In this style, the leader wins people over by having a dynamic and likeable personality. In Clinton's case, the characteristics of this style also included a vision for the future and a strong sense of hope (Phillips 100). In addition, Clinton's approach relied strongly on the use of communication skills. An example of this can be seen when he first took office as President in January, 1993. Although Clinton had ideas for a new economic policy, he did not have the typical assets needed by a President to push the policy through Congress. In particular, his newly appointed administrative staff was still inexperienced at the time. Because of this, Clinton promoted his ideas by making speeches directly to the public. According to Nigel Hamilton, this emphasis on "presidential rhetoric" showed that Clinton's leadership style would create "a charismatic rather than an executive presidency" (74).
Clinton's charismatic ...