Feature

Lessons in Leadership

Henry DeSio, chief operating officer of Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign, took time out during the final days of the race to give Harris School students an inside look at Obama for America and leadership lessons learned throughout his career.

"Successful leaders have a particular way of thinking that is different. They are principle driven, not tactic driven." This observation crystallized while he was a graduate student and later staff at the Kennedy School of Government. DeSio noted that the quality that separated the exceptionally successful from others was their ability to clearly state a goal and the steps they were going to take to reach it. "That's a campaign," he asserted.

"Barack Obama is that kind of leader. He has a goal and he will tell you his plan for how to get there." When starting his campaign two years ago to win the Democratic nomination, Obama's plan was simple: win Iowa. If victorious in that state, Obama believed that momentum and organization could propel him through the early states and the remaining contests to ultimate victory. The campaign's plan-and almost all its resources-were primarily directed to winning Iowa.

"If the golden rule of leadership is to have a plan, rule number two is stick to the plan," explained DeSio. Even as Obama began to close the gap in Iowa, national polls showed him trailing significantly. This caused some outsiders to question the plan. Obama never veered from his strategy, but rather remained calm as he led his team.

Perhaps the most important leadership lesson for DeSio has been watching Obama balance his roles as the CEO of his own campaign and as a key player within it. "Leaders have that unique ability to move from the dance floor to the balcony," DeSio observed. "In this way, they understand the challenges and can rise above them to maintain the perspective necessary to lead." Senator Obama, DeSio believes, "is that rare candidate who is comfortable with both roles."

Before rushing back to hectic life at campaign headquarters, DeSio dispensed one last piece of advice to students. "The work you're doing here at the Harris School builds real hard core skills and gives you some real knowledge which is invaluable," he said. "But at the end of the day, how you lead, how you get things done is equally important as what you know."

The views expressed in this article do not reflect those of the Harris School or the University of Chicago. The Harris School and the University are non-partisan and do not endorse any candidates or their platforms.