Maureen Dowd, "But Can They Eat 50 Eggs?": Hoping Obama Does Not Lay an Egg

Query: Can leadership be learned, and if so, why is it not being taught at universities around the world?

My belief? Although I think leadership can be studied and improved, this does not mean that it can be practiced on a virtuoso level by everyone. What are leadership's components? Certainly charisma, which cannot be taught. Add to the list, a willingness to accept risk - again something for which we are not all wired. Abundant confidence and an ability to make snap decisions? Absolutely, but once again, owing to genetic factors and the manner in which we have been raised, this is not present in all of us.

What about intelligence? I'm sure it's helpful for any prospective leader, but in and of itself, cleverness does not make for leaders. Perhaps someone out there can tell me the average IQ of an NFL quarterback - I am certain it is not inordinately high - but this does not prevent them taking command and guiding their teams to touchdowns. Also, although I was never impressed with the raw intelligence of Ronald Reagan, he was certainly a leader.

In her latest New York Times op-ed entitled "But Can They Eat 50 Eggs?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/25/opinion/sunday/dowd-but-can-they-eat-50-eggs.html), Maureen Dowd observes the leadership qualities of Robert Griffin III, who has revived the Washington Redskins:

"His passes thrill, and his partnership with another unpretentious rookie, the compact but fierce running back Alfred Morris, dazzles. But what is really endearing is his spirit: a zeal to make every play count, a work ethic and self-effacing charm that has everyone rooting for him, a leadership style that causes teammates to lift their games. You can see RGIII going up and down the sidelines patting his teammates for encouragement."

Dowd compares Griffin with Obama:

"While Obama prefers to preen as the man alone in the arena — keeping other pols at a distance on stage, parsimoniously handing out thanks and failing to mention his party or top surrogate Bill Clinton in his last victory speech — RGIII never passes up a chance to share credit.

While Obama — who has had a failure to communicate — finds media a bother, Griffin has an easy charm with the press. He never shows aggrievement.

While Obama gets tangled up in his head — trying to decide if he’s too noble to play politics or if spending some evenings schmoozing with pols and flattering them to further his agenda will leave him too depleted — RGIII keeps the joy, intensity and bonhomie in his game."

Or in other words, Obama is the antithesis of a leader: Although intelligent, he is slow to make decisions and reluctant to rule by fiat. In two separate occurrences involving Libya, Obama has demonstrated "leadership from behind."

However, Obama's true day of reckoning is fast approaching. He informed Iran's mullahs that he would not allow them to build an atomic weapon and also declared that he does not bluff. Here's hoping that he was able to learn something from the Libyan crises and does not lay an egg.