The Rise of President Barack Hussein Obama Case Solution And Analysis, HBR Case Study Solution & Analysis of Harvard Case Studies

The Rise of President Barack Hussein Obama

Which are the main strategic mistakes in their respective leaderships?

Barack Obama

The case “The Rise of President Barack Hussein Obama” discusses the life of Barack Obama and his struggle, his ambition and his leadership qualities that made him become the 44^th President of the United States of America. The case reflects upon his charismatic personality and the leadership which tilted the focus of more people than not towards his campaign which was based on “Change we can believe in”. His speech which made him raise the ranks of Democratic Party was the speech in which he focused on uniting all ethnic groups, casts and religions by focusing on “The United States of America.”

Strategic Mistakes of Barack Obama

Barack Obama evolved from a middle-class background and was an unknown politician until 1992 where he was considered as a political star. He grew rapidly in the ranks of Democratic Party and in 2004; he became candidate for Illinois seat in the US senate for the Democratic seat. In 2005, Obama won the election for senator and became the fifth African American Senator in the history. However, with the successful campaign of Senator he grew in the party and in 2008 was elected as the front-runner for the Presidency along with Hillary Clinton from Democratic Party. Although within a period of 12 to 15 years Obama became such a successful politician that ultimately led him to become the President of United States, but throughout his journey to the White House he made some mistakes too.

First of all, the most obvious mistake he made was the time of announcing himself as a candidate for the Presidential Election of America on February 10, 2007. On the same day, Tavis Smiley, author and broadcaster was hosting the annual “State of Black America” which Obama refused to attend although he should have attended it because later on the black population of America was actually concerned over his approach towards black Americans. However, he should have actually announced his Presidential campaign on this forum and should have gained the trust of Black people to kick-off his campaign. This strategic mistake made Hillary Clinton gain the support of the black community because of the prosperous legacy of her husband.

Another strategic mistake which he made was the campaign where he affixed an idea “Obama for America”, this move was publically criticized for being “too presidential” as it looked arrogant. However, Obama changed it but it actually dented his image and portrayed his eagerness and desperation to become the President. He made a strategic mistake with his more than extra emphasis on social media dependence to carry forward his campaign. At one stage, McCain called Obama as the “biggest celebrity in the world” and compared him to Paris Hilton because of his extra involvement in special media coverage.

His speeches most of the times during his early part of the campaign condemned the intrusion of the United States Army in Iraq, but once he was publically accepted as the front-runner for the Presidency, Obama changed his stance and was determined to carry forward the mission of war on terror. This was criticized by many strategists because it was only affecting the budget of the US economy.

Another strategic mistake which Obama made was his lack of focus and interest to gauge votes from the states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania Iowa and New Mexico. He only won the votes from these regions because of the support he got from Hillary Clinton after she backed-off from taking part in the Presidential Election as a candidate. If she had not supported him then the results might have turned in favor of McCain. The lack of focus on blue collar individuals by Barack Obama’s election campaign was another strategic mistake where he entirely focused on making the educated Americans a part of his campaign, although he could have better emphasized on all demographics of America during his campaign. Another controversy which crept up during his campaign was the fact that McCain exploited his father’s religion and his inclination towards Muslims turned out to be a strong negative aspect. Rather than allowing McCain to raise the issue, Obama should himself have come up and explained his religious and ethnic views. The campaign was affected by the negative publicity by McCain.

However, with all the strategic mistakes and faults that Barack Obama made during his campaign, the fact is that he is now the President of the United States of America which shows that he made more correct strategies than wrong ones. He is therefore, widely seen as one of the most thriving and influential leaders in the history of the United States of America.

Margaret Thatcher

Which are the main strategic mistakes in their respective leaderships?

Margaret Thatcher

Margaret Thatcher is the first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the only one to date. She was born on 13^th October 1925. The case “Margaret Thatcher” basically explains the struggle of Margaret and her rise through all the odds which actually demotivated women empowerment. To her credit is that she is the longest serving Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Right from her early days, she had the desire and courage to do something different and wanted to achieve better things for herself. As the Prime Minister of the UK, she implemented policies that are called as Thatcherism. The policies describe the economic conviction politics, political style and social policy of the British Conservative politician Margaret Thatcher, who lead the party between 1975 and 1990.

Strategic Mistakes of Margaret Thatcher

During the early part of her life Margaret Thatcher was brought up by her father to become unusual and stand out from the rest. She was taken to political meetings, seminars and other social forums because her father was also a politician. She was very focused and organized while she was growing and was determined to take a ministry position in the Conservative Party. She was a successful politician who served as the leader of the Conservative party and was nick-named as “Iron Lady”. Though she was a successful Prime Minister and a good servant for the British people but during her emergence as the National leader, she made some strategic mistakes which actually hindered her progress and even stopped her for some time.

The first strategic problem which she could have managed in a better way if she had clear vision with her strategy of cutting the budget for milk. Basically she ended $19 million free milk program for primary school children aged 7 to 11. Her view was to invest on children education rather than providing them with milk. This move by Margaret was criticized by all circles of life. In fact was called “Thatcher, Milk Snatcher”. She was taken very badly by students, NGO’s and all public forums but............

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This case growth profile of President Barack Hussein Obama for president as "an incredible candidate." The case illustrates how he overcame criticism from those who question his authority and his values and skepticism on the part of those who were unsure of whether America was ready to elect its first African-American president. It also examines how President Obama was able to get the support of the American people, despite lagging behind Senator Hillary Clinton, the alleged leader of a democratic, for most of the pre-school period. "Hide
by David Thomas, Laura Morgan Roberts, Stephanie J. Creary Source: Harvard Business School 29 pages. Publication Date: June 30, 2009. Prod. #: 409115-PDF-ENG