Interesting editorial in our local paper today that I think has some excellent points on management ability (note that I would also put Hillary in the camp of not having managed her campaign effectively which tarnishes her management credentials as well):
The Republicans have criticized Barack Obama for his lack of management experience, for never having led an organization and for not having been tested as an executive.
However, anyone with serious management experience knows that Obama has been demonstrating his executive ability over many months in an enterprise that has gone far beyond anything that Sarah Palin has ever attempted. Obama has outperformed John McCain in this same period.
Barack Obama created his own organization, initially outside the leaders of the Democratic Party; raised money; hired a staff; established objectives; coordinated activities; developed an organization of thousands; competed against another strong organization; created the necessary technological infrastructure; resolved internal disputes; and earned the admiration of even his opponents.
He is a man of unique management ability, who has demonstrated it under the close observation of detractors and skeptics, with the media constantly alert for minor flaws and failures.
The comparison with John McCain, who also led a primary campaign, is relevant because of the many mistakes made by McCain, his changes in policy and changes in key personnel, even though he had the full support of the Republican Party for many months. Stepping into the command of an Air Force unit that is not in a combat zone is not the same as creating and running national primary and election campaigns.
As far as Sarah Palin is concerned, taking over as mayor of a small town with an administrator running operations, or as governor of Alaska with its enormous revenue stream and fixed administrative base, offers no comparison. Those jobs certainly require ability to manage at some level, but Obama's management capability has been proven ahead of either Palin or McCain on the basis of his demonstrated results.
No matter how the presidential contest ends, Obama will be remembered for a stunning achievement that clearly showed his innate management ability and provided him with a truly useful experience. It is not the same as being president, but it is quite wrong to claim he has never been tested, particularly compared to Palin and McCain.
timesrecord.com |
