Stephen H Baum Leadership

One of the moderators of the Texas debate between Obama and Clinton wanted to hear about the toughest setback in their lives. It is a question I have been waiting for since the debates began. If only it had been answered.

The adult we see is shaped and formed in childhood and in school. And then the tempering of real life takes its toll on their  beliefs, behaviors and instinctive reactions to situations. Don’t you want to know what is inside Hillary or Barack that is now hard-wired and drives their thoughts, emotions and behaviors? It is not just policy papers or positions on issues that will determine who is the best candidate when the unexpected surely happens. 

What experience deepened their appetite to lead (and to put up with the costs of being under such scrutiny)?

What were the motivations for being a leader? 

Whose voice do they hear when they must make a moral choice? What was the toughest moral choice they have had to make?

What gave them the confidence to embrace the risks in their lives and get back up after getting knocked down?

What setback challenged them the most in terms of the resilience to go on? What did they learn in the process?

What process do they go through when they try to solve a difficult puzzle? And when do they ask for help? How do they make sure the input they get does not have a hidden agenda?

How did they learn to engage and inspire others to follow them and what do they believe is the key to doing it.

These are the personal history questions that shed light on the person inside the persona who shows up in front of the cameras.  I know because I have asked these questions of more than two dozen corporate CEOs and presidents of universities. 

Hillary ducked the question with a sympathy-generating response to public knowledge of her setbacks (involving her husband). Obama made a brief reference to his father leaving him and his mother in Kenya. 

The media could us all a service by persistence in getting answers to such questions before it is too late — not accepting the glib and superficial replies, but digging for the formative impacts on their mental and emotional intelligence.

That is just my view.