Leadership is often discussed and analyzed by examining people who have held very prominent positions of leadership.  US Presidents and corporate CEOs are often the subject of these studies.  In the case of US Presidents considerable time passes before history makes its full judgement on their legacies as leaders.  Everyone agrees on the leadership skills of Washington and Lincoln.  In the case of Reagan, some have come to appreciate that he did have some remarkable leadership skills.

Two Presidents for whom the the term leader (while in office) was a subject for much debate were Eisenhower and Carter.  Eisenhower was called the "Hidden Hand President" in the book by Greenstein because he led so much by his personal style of communication.  He was the first President to hold televised press conferences.  But, he was not known for public expressions of leadership as much as for behind the scenes activities to get things done.  Among his many accomplishments were the Interstate Highway System, integration of the armed forces and he held inflation to near zero for his two terms in office.

Many people know that Eisenhower was named the Supreme Allied Commander for the joint forces that planned and executed the D-Day invasion at Normandy to liberate Europe during WWII.  He did not have the battle record of Patton or the English Commander Montgomery.  What he did have was the ability to pull together a team of officers from four countries to lead a successful invasion.

Carter is more controversial in the leadership discussion.  But, he did lead effectively.  He was able to get more of his legislation passed than any modern President following Johnson.  He also succeeded in cutting America's oil imports during his Presidency.  Likely he is remembered more for his battles with the Washington elite than many other things that he accomplished.

While more knowledgable political analysts may have argument with these statements on the two Presidents mentioned.  There is one point that should not be missed.  Leadership is about results.  When people set out to get something done in high level positions it matters not how they went about getting things done.  It matters what they did with their opportunity to be leaders and to solve the problems that faced them at the time.

Leadership is often defined in many terms and with long dissertations on how the leader effected his or her results.  However, this focus on the person in charge and their characteristics can lead to a misunderstanding of the true meaning of leadership.  When a true leader takes charge and gets the intended results their approach can take many forms.  The important factor that must be considered is the results that are obtained.  When a leader sets out clear goals and helps their team members to set their own goals that lead to success for all that leader has demonstrated true leadership. 

Whether Eisenhower or Carter were great speakers, had tremendous personal charisma, or presented themselves as starts in front of the TV cameras did not matter in the final analysis.  Their leadership took different forms but, as Presidents they were able to complete significant programs for our country.  In the end is that now what we, as voters, really want?