Whether in individual interviews or future debates, are enough of the right questions being asked to the candidates? I fear there is too little attention paid to the “doing” aspects of the presidency. Okay, you’re for this and opposed to that, but to be successful, how are you going to get the job done? What is your executive style? What will be your approach in working with Congress and, in particular, the opposing party? What experience have you had that makes you qualified and, if there is a gap, what are you going to do about addressing it?
What we don’t have is any discussion of how up to this point they have dealt with executive leadership, as in putting a team together, dealing with conflict, and making tough decisions. For those who have limited executive experience, how would they plan to deal with such challenges? Are they comfortable and experienced surrounding themselves with talent and diversity? Do they have to be the smartest person in the room?
I don’t recall many of these questions being asked in previous presidential campaigns either. For example, candidates like then-Senator Obama—who came in with little or no executive experience—were rarely pressed to share their approaches to running the country. I’m not suggesting this to disqualify anyone from the presidency, but I’d like to hear how they intend to compensate for this gap. Do they know it is a gap? What will they do to address it? What has been their experience in filling high-profile jobs as well as firing and what have they learned? What other experiences have they had that demonstrate their leadership capacity? What values are most important to have for someone wanting to be a part of your team?
This will not happen unless citizens start pressing for the questions to be answered directly or through the press who start seeing the value and start asking these questions. The way it is going now, the election result will be tied to raising money, effectively using modern technology to organize and get people out to vote, TV commercials, and finding ways to rip the opponent. Come Election Day, voters will have little or no information on how the candidates would do the job.
Through the comment section below as well as through other blog posts about the debates and media coverage, I plan to follow up on this issue and keep an eye on other forums where these questions could be addressed. It is my hope that each of us, as voters, can learn together through this process to select our next President.
What we don’t have is any discussion of how up to this point they have dealt with executive leadership, as in putting a team together, dealing with conflict, and making tough decisions. For those who have limited executive experience, how would they plan to deal with such challenges? Are they comfortable and experienced surrounding themselves with talent and diversity? Do they have to be the smartest person in the room?
I don’t recall many of these questions being asked in previous presidential campaigns either. For example, candidates like then-Senator Obama—who came in with little or no executive experience—were rarely pressed to share their approaches to running the country. I’m not suggesting this to disqualify anyone from the presidency, but I’d like to hear how they intend to compensate for this gap. Do they know it is a gap? What will they do to address it? What has been their experience in filling high-profile jobs as well as firing and what have they learned? What other experiences have they had that demonstrate their leadership capacity? What values are most important to have for someone wanting to be a part of your team?
This will not happen unless citizens start pressing for the questions to be answered directly or through the press who start seeing the value and start asking these questions. The way it is going now, the election result will be tied to raising money, effectively using modern technology to organize and get people out to vote, TV commercials, and finding ways to rip the opponent. Come Election Day, voters will have little or no information on how the candidates would do the job.
Through the comment section below as well as through other blog posts about the debates and media coverage, I plan to follow up on this issue and keep an eye on other forums where these questions could be addressed. It is my hope that each of us, as voters, can learn together through this process to select our next President.
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