What Should You Look For In A President?
Regardless of where you stand in the political spectrum, you should ask the following questions of the candidates. Values – What does the candidate value? What things do they hold as important? How do they prioritize their values? Character – Are they courageous? Do they have self control? Are their values, as practiced, the same as their values in theory? As an example, someone may strongly value the ability to control their temper but not be able to keep their cool. They may value honesty but not be able to frankly tell the truth to people for fear of disapproval. Judgment – The ability to evaluate a situation, to weigh values, to determine and discover possible options for actions, and to consistently select the option that provides the best outcome. This involves, among other things, understanding the law of unintended consequences and the ability to evaluate the risk that it entails. Knowledge – Understanding of human nature, government, history, religion and philosophy in general. More specifically, knowledge of the current state of affairs. What are the issues? Who are the players and what are their values, character , judgment and personality. This knowledge constitutes the information that are necessary for the process of judgment. Specific Skills – Ability to communicate. Administrative skills. Ability to supervise. Ability to negotiate. Ability to inspire. Ability to delegate. Recruiting – Can they put together a good team? Quarterbacks don't win games; teams win games. Do they have the ability and necessary connections to recruit qualified subordinates and assign appropriate responsibilities to these people, to monitor the results and to take corrective action if necessary. Do they have the ability to get the best out of these people. Who are their current associates? Do they associate with themselves with people who have requisite values, character, judgment,knowledge and skills. Cabinet and other important positions will be filled by people they already know and trust. |