President Bush: Communicator-In-Chief by Steve Adubato, Ph.D.

President George Bush is facing a critical moment in his presidential tenure. His leadership ability and communication skills are on the line. With respect to Iraq and his proposed 21,500 troop expansion, the president has a very difficult message to communicate—particularly nearly four years into the war.

His communication plan is to go on the offensive, which is why he spoke to the nation in prime time on January 11 and did an in depth and very rare interview with “60 Minutes” last Sunday night. On “60 Minutes”, President Bush called himself not only the “commander-in-chief” but also the “educator-in-chief,” which is another way of saying you are the chief communicator in the country. With all this at stake, let’s explore some important leadership and communication questions.

Q—President Bush’s televised speech was 24 minutes. Was it too long?

A—How long a speech should be is largely a question of who is communicating the message. President Bush’s speech felt too long because of his style and delivery. He was reading off a teleprompter, working hard to make sure he got every word right. That’s hard for him, and even harder for us to watch. This caused the president’s delivery to be somewhat flat and monotone. Combined with his frozen facial expressions and pinched eyebrows, he appeared stiff and uncomfortable. What many of us were looking for was confidence and a conversational style.

Q—But wasn’t it essential that President Bush got in every word exactly the way it was written?

A—No. People respond to passion and conviction. They want to know that you believe deeply in what you are saying. I’m convinced the president believes in his message, but there was no emphasis on any particular point. Everything sounded the same with little if any rhythm or vocal variety. He was too focused on every word and less focused on resonating messages.

Q—You advocate leaders apologizing for their mistakes. The president said, “Where mistakes have been made, the responsibility lies with me.” Is that what you mean?

A—Not really. Apologies must be very specific to have an impact. You must communicate exactly what you are apologizing for and make it clear what you’ve learned. Further, in the “60 Minutes” interview, the president only got specific when pressed by reporter Scott Pelley. Further, it took the president too long to reach this level of candor.

Q—On “60 Minutes” Bush said he intended to move forward with the troop increase even without Congressional and public support. Is that a good leadership approach?

A—Conviction and commitment are important attributes for any leader, however, great leaders must also listen to and engage key stakeholders. If the president is saying he must be the educator/communicator-in-chief, he implies that what he hears in this process matters. Yet, on “60 Minutes”, he implied that no matter what he hears from others, he is going to do what he wants anyway. Why engage an audience if you have no intention of using their feedback? This causes an audience to feel alienated and irrelevant.

As a leader, the president is to be admired for how much he believes in what he is doing. However, ultimately the measure of great leadership is about persuading and motivating others to move in a particular direction—even if they initially resist. It’s a bar President Bush and other leaders in government and corporate America can never forget. When they do, we all pay a heavy price.

Dr. Steve Adubato coaches and speaks on the subjects of communication and leadership and is the author of the book "Speak from the Heart." Write to him at The Star-Ledger, 1 Star-Ledger Plaza, Newark, NJ 07102, or click here to contact him through this web site.