John F. Kennedy

President, United States of America

About The Leader

Kennedy was instrumental in forming United States's response to international relations of the US post WWII, advocating peace and harmony and driving the country towards innovation and growth.

John F.Kennedy served as the 35th President of the United States from 1961 until his assassination at the end of 3rd year.
He served the country at the height of the Cold War with difficult relations with the Soviets and Cuba.
Born into a rich political family & graduating from Harvard, Kennedy served in the US naval reserve. He published a book, “Profiles in Courage,” which won a Pulitzer Prize.

His Purpose

Kennedy's basic approach was to shun aggressive strategies, taking leadership to make a difference in the world and embark upon a path towards peace, growth, and innovation.

Kennedy took office in the midst of the Cold War between US and the Soviet Union and Cuba. At the time, many nations around the world believed that the US was aiming to achieve world supremacy and to subdue the Soviet Union. Kennedy took the bold step to advocate peace and regional stability instead and advocated that the world to focus on growth and innovation.

A visionary leader, he advocated that the US should look to support a space mission and look to innovate in science and technology to advance and grow as a country.

He remained the president of the United States untill his assassination and would always be remembered as a strong and charismatic global leader.

Case for Change

“… no nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space."
Invest in emerging new technologies; otherwise, the Soviet Union will dominate.

Growth Gap

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade …"

Investment Portfolio

" [If we are to] do all this, and do it right, and do it first before this decade is out, then we must be bold … This year's space budget is three times what it was in January 1961.”

His Leadership Qualities

While Kennedy was highly action-oriented, he also strongly advocated looking inwards to reflect upon one's own actions and their impact before expecting others to follow. He strongly believed in driving growth and innovation through peace and stability.

Action-Oriented

Kennedy was known to be a man of action. He not only promoted taking risks around a strong vision, but also promoted taking action with a strong sense of purpose and dedication. At the peak of Cold War he was responsible for some key decisions (like US to take up space explorations).

Key Actions

Kennedy strongly believed that great achievements are achieved by people who are willing to take action. When Kennedy advocated the goal of conducting missions to the moon, he motivated others by conveying a strong sense of urgency while pledging support and funding to ensure success

Leadership Behaviors

Long term-planning
Conveying urgency & Taking action

Lesson Learned

Kennedy understood that to maintain a strong leadership position after World War II the US needed to act on a bold mission and plan with urgency
He became the president of the US during the peak of the Cold War. He understood the need to unite the country behind inspiring goals to maintain its leadership position in the world.

Self-Reflection

Kennedy often opined that the nation, as well its citizens, should carefully reflect upon its own history and actions before preaching to others to follow the US to pursue a demanding course of action to better the world. He believed that diplomacy started with each individual reflecting upon his or her role in promoting peace and stability.

Key Actions

In the post-war era, Kennedy's key focus was to create stability between the US and the USSR because of the catastrophic consequences of a potential nuclear conflict. To promote world peace & stability, he suggested that the US reduce its own military posture before expecting the USSR or other countries to follow.

Leadership Behaviors

Self reflection & responsibility
Community & World welfare

Lesson Learned

Kennedy understood that peace and stability was critical for the world and humanity to progress
He understood that one's own actions and beliefs -- whether those actions be of an individual or those of a nation -- were a critical foundation of building trust in individuals as well as nations. He believed that for the world to follow the US on the path of peace and progress he needed first to reflect upon US policy and make any necessary adjustments to encourage trust.

Giving up hate

Kennedy became the President of the country in the tough times after World War II. During this time external propaganda driven by the negative press information would form the basis for suspicion, mistrust, and aggressive strategies. In a time when any match of aggression would be devastating for the world, Kennedy openly communicated to the world of resolving issues and not trusting the commentary which breeds hate

Key Actions

Around the time of Kennedy's tenure, the Soviet military published a paper excoriating the US for its ambitions to power and its desire to crush the USSR as a step to obtaining world supremacy. Kennedy responded directly through a press conference asserting that such aggressive propaganda was a threat. By influencing both the US and USSR to maintain and even increase their threatening postures towards one another it had the potential to complicate their relations further.

Leadership Behaviors

Problem-solving
Culture & Collaboration
Communication

Lesson Learned

Kennedy understood the power of words and language to influence behavior, which influenced him to craft his public pronounements with great care.
He advocated that countries and individuals to communicate freely and transparently and that they also terminate hateful propaganda. He emphasized that poor communication can result in suspicion, which can deteriorate relationships and undercut stability

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