This is the first edition of #WhoIsYourRoleModel and today we are covering President Obama, 44th President of the United States.

Story

Born to a Kenyan Black father and an American white mother on August 4th, 1961, Barack Obama had a tough childhood. As a toddler, he moved to Indonesia and was sent back to the United States in 1951, when he was 10 years old. He suffered a social stigma, born to a black father, spending his childhood in Indonesia, then raised by his maternal grandparents, one could just imagine how that must have been. In his words on how he felt to be an African American student during his high school sends a chill into our nerves today

Despite coming from a multiracial background, he broke grounds wherever he went and in whatever he did. In 1988, Obama was the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review. He won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for the audio-book edition of his best-selling book ‘Dreams from My Father’ in 2006 and later the first African-American to become the president of united states. He also became the first president to voice support for same-sex marriage in May 2012

“Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”

Social Behavior

Social behavior is a key to anyone’s success, irrespective of who they are. Successful people tend to adopt a behavioral pattern that suits their personal brand and stick to the pattern for the rest of their lives. In this section, I will share the research on some of the key social traits of famous personalities.

1. Personality Traits
2. Personality Type
3. Body Language
4. Communication & Vocabulary

Personality Traits

The distinctive personality traits of Barack Obama are integrity, respect, fairness, citizenship, caring, confidence, and mindful decision-making. value of discipline  calm and thoughtful eye toward long-term outcomes  self-control to pay attention

Personality Type (MBTI)

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator test shows the psychological preference of a person. I believe that Obama falls under ENTP. ENTPs like to think big, for instance, “Obamacare” that had a huge vision. They also approach challenging with global problem-solving methodologies. You could relate to his entire campaign message that was based on “hope” and “change”.

Body Language

The science behind body language is vast. Using certain proven techniques, human behaviors can tell tales about a person without any verbal interaction. During his speeches, Obama uses the thumb and index finger to emphasize important points, uses gestures like a wave of the hand to illustrate a spectrum of a time-span. These gestures sync very clearly with his verbal communications making the dialog real, authentic and trustworthy. This way of speaking connects with the people around who seek you.
President Obama smiles just enough, you can observe that all the time. He does not smile when he delivers his speech. This instates that his message is very important, so smiling would not be appropriate in this case.
If you observe his body moment closely, he does only when it’s absolutely necessary. While delivering a speech, he seldom moves in the podium. However while interacting with his fans or subordinates, he makes bold and powerful gestures.

What is your takeaway?
By carefully using the right gestures can make you look charismatic and lively to your audience. It can also make your verbal communication easier to reach your audience. Over Smiling can sometimes be seen as a sign of submission. Laughing loud can make you look aggressive. Leaders don’t over smile. Of course, it’s okay to smile every once in a while so that you don’t look cold. Beware of your body moments. Your audience can figure out if you are overacting or anxious by looking at your body moments. Keeping your moments in check and being casual will help others focus on your presentation rather than a distraction.

Communication & Vocabulary

Have you observed the clarity in Obama’s speech? He comes prepared with the message that he wants to convey to the public. His clarity of speech makes him appear confident, authentic, and credible. Obama makes great use of pauses. He lets his point sink in and to give others the time to consider what he is trying to convey. “Win the future”, “Greater together” “Shared sacrifice” “Make no mistake” “Let me be clear” are some of his favorites frequently used phrases. These phrases are all positive and strong and bold. He also leverages the power of storytelling to inspire people. Using stories as an anecdote deepens the messages someone is trying to spread.

Interested in Obama’s Vocabulary and most used words? Read More

Your Takeaway
Prepare well, Clarity & Context is the key. Try saying your messages with a story, that will have a deeper impact on our audience.

Fashion

President Obama always wears the same gray or blue suit. When asked about his fashion traits here is what he had to say.
“You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits, I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”

Your Takeaway

Make fewer decisions on things that don’t matter. Spend more time on what matters.

Activity & Sport

Former President is a regular basketball player. He hits his personal gym for about an hour every day–doing weights and cardio on alternate days. He’s scheduled for the day begins as early as 7 AM.

Financial Background

Obama is a member of various corporate boards, has written books and paid salary during his presidency. Per Fortune Magazine, OBAMA MADE $20.5M Between 2005 AND 2016

• 130k Corporate Boards.
• $3.1M President’s Salary.
• $610K Senate Salary.
• $760K University of Chicago Hospital.
• $250K Miscellaneous.
• $6.8M from the book Dreams from my father.
• $8.8M from the book Audacity Of Home & Of Thee I Sing”: A letter to my daughters.

Timeline

• • The President
    2008-2014

    On November 4, 2008, Barack Obama defeated Republican presidential nominee John McCain to become the first african-american President of the United States.On November 6, 2012, Obama won a second four-year term as president
    • The Senate
      2002-2008

      He lost a democratic primary in 2000, but won the US senate in 2004 and was swon into office on Jan 2005. In 2007 he announced his run for Presidency.

• • • Marriage, Family & Poltics
      1992-1998

      Obama and Michelle got married on October 3, 1992. They moved to Kenwood, on Chicago’s South Side, and welcomed two daughters Malia and Sasha. He ran as a Democrat and won election for a seat in the Illinois State Senate in 1996. This registered his first poltical victory.

• • • The Graduation
      1980-1988

      Obama graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science. After working in the business sector for two years, Obama moved to Chicago in 1985 where he entered Harvard Law School in 1988.

• • • The Begining
      August 1961

      Born in Honolulu on Aug 4th 1961 to Ann Dunham & Barack Obama Sr