THE QUESTION
Recovering from Mistakes
With his beer-garden summit, President Obama managed to turn a divisive and attention-diverting comment into a national feel-good moment. What are the leadership lessons from Obama's handling of the Gates-Crowley affair?
Posted by Ben Bradlee and Steve Pearlstein on August 3, 2009 9:58 AM
FROM THE PANEL
A Slip of the Tongue
The fact that the president listened, heard, and acted to mitigate the damage of his unfortunate comment is a test of good leadership.
Posted by Kathy Kretman, on August 6, 2009 11:41 AM
Anti-Leadership
With the beer summit, Obama turned down the heat and calmed the situation, just what we want people in authority to do for us: Make things nice.
Posted by Marty Linsky, on August 5, 2009 2:23 PM
Loose Lips Sink Political Ships
For senior leaders, there is no such thing as a casual conversation, especially when you are in front of the camera.
Posted by George Reed, on August 5, 2009 2:19 PM
Phony Staging
A quieter meeting inside the White House without all the hoopla might have had a more profound impact on the American public.
Posted by Pablo Eisenberg, on August 5, 2009 2:16 PM
Health Care Summit
If President Obama can bring leaders together on both sides of the health care debate, I think all Americans would be happy to buy the first round.
Posted by Robert Goodwin, on August 5, 2009 12:32 PM
When the Shade Snaps Up
Politics is so scripted today that most Americans are especially attuned to those brief and usually unwanted glimpses of what a politician is really thinking.
Posted by Bill Shore, on August 4, 2009 12:00 PM
A Sign for Obama's Mirror
I have a habit of putting a key reminder on my mirror to read each morning when I'm shaving. President Obama needs to have one that says 53/47, to remind him that nearly half of voters last year still went for his opponent.
Posted by John R. Ryan, on August 4, 2009 11:46 AM
How Very Human
Obama's recovery was good, but in some ways perhaps too measured, in contrast to his initially spontaneous reaction.
Posted by Rick Rochelle, on August 4, 2009 11:42 AM
Opportunity Still Ahead
President Obama has set the stage. We must determine that we will no longer accept that only 10 percent of African American and Hispanic students who enter 9th grade graduate from college and the many other racial disparities in our society today.
Posted by Yash Gupta, on August 4, 2009 11:37 AM
The Power of the Personal Story
Can the administration find a story as engagingly positive on health-care reform as the Gates-Crowley story was engagingly negative?
Posted by Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., on August 4, 2009 10:59 AM
Stupidity Begets Stupidity
The president instead blended confidence and humility by owning his mistake and seeking to fix it, despite the frustration he must feel knowing that from the arrest forward, it was all pretty stupid.
Posted by Paul Schmitz, on August 4, 2009 10:47 AM
Washington-Style Leadership
I often wonder how much "leadership" transpires in the White House. I picture every decision staffed and vetted with a multitude of advisers.
Posted by Lt. Col. Todd Henshaw (Ret.), on August 4, 2009 10:37 AM
Self-Created Problems
Better to be silent and thought insensitive than to speak out and prove it.
Posted by Slade Gorton, on August 4, 2009 10:28 AM
Less Beer, More Honesty
Candidate Obama criticized then-President Bush for not admitting mistakes. I think President Obama missed an opportunity here to distinguish himself from "politics as usual."
Posted by Bob Schoultz, on August 4, 2009 10:14 AM
The Distorted Loudspeaker
Our president may have learned that he has to weigh his words carefully, most especially when uninformed or not carefully briefed on all the facts.
Posted by Warren Bennis, on August 4, 2009 10:05 AM
The Essential Assist
Pres. Obama did not want to revisit the Gates-Crowley affair after his "stupidly" remark at the press conference. It was Michelle Obama and, I would guess, Valerie Jarrett who said to him, in effect, "You made this worse, now make it better."
Posted by Howard Gardner, on August 3, 2009 12:53 PM
Don't Wait for It to 'Blow Over'
If you are trying to accomplish important goals, don't throw out a divisive, emotionally charged observation. If you do, however, act quickly and don't wait for it to "blow over."
Posted by Michael Maccoby, on August 3, 2009 12:05 PM
Worth a Thousand Words
Leadership is the ability to respond quickly to situations, including "correcting" mistakes or mis-speaks.
Posted by Andy Stern, on August 3, 2009 12:01 PM
A Bias for Action
The first report is always wrong. But once known, facts should be deliberately confronted.
Posted by Gen. John Batiste (Ret.), on August 3, 2009 11:57 AM
'Four Seasons' Service
The Four Seasons Hotels are known for excellence, but not because they don't make mistakes. Rather, they have a deeply ingrained culture of recognizing their mistakes and making up for the mistake in ways that make the customer happy.
Posted by Roger Martin, on August 3, 2009 11:44 AM
A Stroke of Leadership Genius
Obama saw the potential to demonstrate qualities that people value just as much as toughness and steadfastness in a leader: Willingness to admit error is one.
Posted by Steven Pearlstein, on August 3, 2009 11:32 AM
When Leaders Act Like Human Beings
When a leader admits to mistakes and reaches out to others for reconciliation, he or she makes it easier for others to just be human.
Posted by Marshall Goldsmith, on August 3, 2009 10:11 AM
Save & Share:
IIntgrty: It was simply INAPPROPRIATE for the President to become involved in this minute altercation, and in a biased way. His action was somewhat de...
drzimmern1: Second try.
It is appalling to see how quickly our President leaped to judgement. This kind of thing is happening too often. At least one wh...
angie12106: Obama has never really recovered from his knee-jerk comment bashing the police - in defense of Gates - with LIMITED info.
His "teachable mom...
