Advice for Obama's First 100 Days

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Doing so allows one to clearly articulate a position in a way that will resonate and connect with others.

4. Maintain a healthy sense of curiosity and an openness for new ideas.

During times of conflict and change, the best CEOs and Presidents may be resolute, but they seldom are rigid. Rather, they tend to be lifelong "students of the world," continually learning as they lead. The best leaders are curious, seek out new ideas and information, and act on that newly acquired knowledge. It is an inquisitiveness balanced with a healthy dose of skepticism and reason.

5. Create an effective leadership team that can help drive his vision.

The role of President, like many CEO roles today, is simply too big for one person to execute, no matter how experienced or qualified. The best top leaders engage teams of bright, capable individuals to help them lead. We're not suggesting the President surround himself with "yes" people. For that matter, his closest advisers don't even need to be like-minded. Abraham Lincoln brought the country through a civil war with a cabinet that at best was cranky and contentious, comprised of a number of political foes.

Lincoln's genius was in his ability to channel and focus the diverse ideas and energies presented by that group. Likewise, President-elect Obama must "mine" his cabinet's knowledge, expertise, and opinions, know when to be empathetic and when to listen, when to let the members squabble and argue, and when to be tough and make them work together to drive his vision. He must, like Lyndon Johnson, know when to bully, when to cajole, and when, in the interest of the greater good, challenge his own beliefs.

6. Create a unique "Presidential" self-image.

One of the most difficult transitions many Presidents and top corporate leaders struggle with is embracing the uniqueness of the role in which they suddenly find themselves and making it their own. Ultimately one of Obama's biggest challenges—admittedly he has many—is to within the first 100 days of office, create and define his own Presidential persona. He must move from candidate, a role in which he has proved highly successful, to President of the U.S., a role that is far more challenging.

How successfully our new President executes these six steps will in many ways determine whether he can emerge as the great leader that so many voters are hoping for. While much has been made of Obama's so-called lack of experience, the fact remains that no individual—no matter how smart or experienced—is prepared for a role of such magnitude. It's simply too big and too complex to comprehend from a distance. And, as we've seen not only in the Oval Office, but also with seemingly increasing frequency in C-suites around the globe, using experience and expertise alone to identify the Next Great Leader is at best a crap shoot.

In today's complex environment, being a successful President or CEO requires a unique combination of attributes and actions such as those outlined here—those more subtle, more nuanced attributes and behaviors that although seldom identified as "deal-makers" by headhunters or handlers, ultimately determine success or failure, especially during times of change and uncertainty.

Scott Spreier is a senior consultant with the Hay Group's Center for Innovation and Research. He was a member of a team that researched and wrote Senior Leadership Teams, What it Takes to Make Them Great, Harvard Business School Press, 2008, and is currently on a team researching the outstanding attributes of effective CEOs. John Larrere is national director of leadership and talent at Hay Group. He works with global senior executives on strategy implementation and top team effectiveness.