Presidential Character

Achievement striving was found to be one of the best correlates of greatness in the oval office and competence was also a big predictor of presidential success. "Presidents who succeed set ambitious goals for themselves and move heaven and earth to meet them," said the researchers. They say Teddy Roosevelt was such a man but Grant and Harding were not. And don't look for great presidents to have neat desks in the Oval Office. "It seems that being a bit disorganized, like Lincoln, is somewhat of an asset for attaining historical greatness," explained the authors. (Bruce, Gant, Scott 19-34)

The researchers gave special attention in their study to the personalities of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They note that both men have been in the top three of every historian's poll of presidential greatness, but besides being very tall and imposing men, they seemingly had little in common. Washington scored very high on conscientiousness but scored lower than typical Americans today on openness, extraversion and agreeableness. He also scored quite low on vulnerability, which indicates an exceptional ability to tolerate stress and adversity. He also scored low on openness to values, which indicates that he was traditional in his morals and relied on leadership from church and religious figures in these matters. Additionally, Washington scored high on achievement striving, competence, self-discipline and deliberation. (Bruce, Gant, Scott 19-34)

Each election year, the people of the United States of America are faced with the difficult decision of choosing the next President. Sometimes the selection is obvious. Other times it seems like there's no good option, and it comes down to selecting the lesser of two or more evils. Whatever the case may be, Americans as a group who patriotically believes in the core principles and values, on which this nation was founded, generally look for particular core characteristics for what makes a good president. These characteristics are described here. (Bruce, Gant, Scott 19-34)

The Born Leader

Throughout society, there are people who fit into the role of leadership with ease. Whether it's a corporate executive, a university President, or a Wall Street financial expert, these leaders are recognized by their ability to jump to the occasion, their flexibility and adaptability to overcome any obstacle, and their ability to encourage others to follow them. Finally, a good leader has the courage to stand up and make decisions without flinching, and then lead the way in that direction without hesitation. These are the traits that make a person a born leader. (Retrieved From http://www.pbs.org/newshour/character/essays/)

Responsible

Some people follow the rules because someone is watching. Other people follow the rules because it's the right thing to do. But a third class of people follow only the rules that are moral and just, and they work to change the rules that are not. This third group of people are the ones who stand above the majority of society with their ability to recognize injustice within communities and government that have become socially acceptable even though they are wrong. A person's ability to ...