Case Study

President John F. Kennedy has been considered by historians to be one of the most charismatic and effective leaders in the American history. He was born into a very rich, highly disciplined and a closely knit family. His Father was not only an industrial tycoon but also highly politically influential and at one time, he served as the U.S. ambassador to England. Thus, John Kennedy came from a family of highly placed socio-economic status.

When he ran for the presidency of the United States, odds were stacked high against him. If elected, he would be the first catholic in that high office and perhaps the youngest president ever. Even though he had been a senator for some time, he was not as well known nationally. As one commentator remarked at the time “don’t send a boy to do a man’s job”. His leadership quality had not yet been tested.

As it turned out, during his brief period of presidency, he was instrumental in passage of many laws to protect human and civil rights. His Handling of Cuban missile crisis in October 1962 established him as one of the great leaders of modern times. His personality, boyish charm, his personal charisma, his sense of humor, his political acumen, his sociability and his grasp of world affairs made him a leader to remember.

Behaviour is considered to be a function of personality and environment so that some of the characteristics exhibited by successful leaders are genetic by nature and others are formed by environmental factors including value system of the immediate family.

Questions:-

Q1. What are the traits of President Kennedy that you consider as inherited?

Q2. Can these traits have been acquired later?

Q3. What role did these inherited traits play in making him a leader?