Stew Bolno: Is Trump a rare bird?

Donald Trump is bottom line oriented and charismatic; he’s also a guy who is a careful planner and trusted enough by others that he’s increased his vote total each subsequent time he’s run for President since 2016. 

Because he seems so definable, he attracts a growing list of supporters, while repelling those who don’t buy what he’s selling. Everyone thinks they understand him as a fan or foe; few people are neutral about him.

Whether or not you appreciate his “act”, you’ll be wiser if you’re willing to dispassionately perceive his temperament, personality style, and tactical behavioral shifts. 

All of us are subject to our own preferences and political leanings. This human trait, however, decreases the possibility we’ll be objective in appreciating anyone in the position of President, especially when it’s a man like Trump; one who’s more concerned with results than being loved by all. He earned his bones as a businessman. As President, he understands he’s the Commander-in-Chief and “Leader of the free world”. He appears quite comfortable in those roles. 

Just like you, Donald Trump also has a personality. It’s clear and present for everyone to witness. He’s less difficult to define without bias, if we’re willing to take the advice of Merrick Rosenberg. Merrick’s been an entrepreneur for over 30 years. He’s a consultant, seminar leader, speaker, author, as well as sought-after celebrity in his specialized fields of Team Building, Personality Style, and Personal Leadership.

Merrick’s diligence and creativity enabled him to build upon a proven behavioral theory, developed almost 100 years ago by William Marston. Merrick categorized the successful four-quadrant DISC model, created by Marston, into a simple and memorable personality system; it’s composed of four birds. Yeah, that’s right: birds. I’ve listed a simple baseline description below: Hint; think stereotypically.

• The Eagle – Result Oriented, Big Picture, Authoritative
• The Parrot – Group Oriented, Optimistic, Motivational 
• The Dove – Relationship Oriented, Helpful, Empathetic 
• The Owl – Detail Oriented, Analytical, Accurate 

If you’re not categorizing the core attributes of President Donald Trump as an Eagle-type personality, your opinion varies from about 99 percent of thousands of Merrick’s seminar participants 

Each of us has a personality type. However, healthy people recognize there are environments in which they are called upon to do less of what comes naturally and more of another “bird-style”. If you’re a spouse, a parent, an employee, or friend I hope you’ve learned people are different from each other. Therefore, you’ve likely calibrated your core personality to your range of associates and situations. That’s healthy. Civil engineers create swaying suspension bridges to be more durable to temperature and weather changes; if they were inflexible, they’d snap. So, it is with human beings. Don’t let your “personality” be an excuse for harmful or ineffective behavior. 

Like those who preceded him, Trump has multiple roles. He is required to deal with shifting environments, constant change, and the personalities of good friends, foes, and everyone in between. If he was a one-trick pony as it relates to personality, he’d be ineffective; he wouldn’t be able to adapt and fine-tune himself to challenging circumstances. He would be easily played by sycophants, competitors, and enemies. Perhaps that’s why he’s been able to develop win-win situations with many leaders of countries with whom America previously maintained an arms-length relationship. It’s also why he’s willing and able to defeat authoritarians who once imposed their tyrannical tendencies in countries like Venezuela and Iran.

Trump possess the soul of the Eagle; but over time, and especially in his current position, he’s demonstrated high levels of skill at focusing on details (Owl), enthusing loyalists (Parrot), and gaining the trust of others (Doves) who possess a different personality, sphere of influence, and preferred agenda than he. These personality types, as well as people who share Trump’s eagle preference exist as citizens, voters, cabinet members, congressional leaders, and bosses of entities around the world. If the President was a slave to his go-to natural style, he’d try to roll over everyone with a power move. This would, often, be perceived as negative when communicating over the airwaves, within large gatherings, or small rooms where confidential conversations of consequence occur.

A short list of President Trump’s demonstrated behavioral range and how it helps him as a leader:

• Eagle – Visibly bold and determined, taking on big projects while working his way through challenges. He’s prepared to “pull the trigger”. People will follow a leader who demonstrates valiance and resilience. 
• Parrot – Communicates a vision and motivates others. People inside and outside the military will follow a leader and commit to the plan, when the leader is loyal to them in word and deed.
• Dove – Engages others with humility and patience, when appropriate. People will agree to trust a leader who is a master negotiator; one who is willing to make deals by understanding their fears, needs, and desires.
• Owl – Demonstrates logic and judgement. People will follow a leader who is focused on excellence and performance, through every step of a complicated project. 

On page 60 of his first book, “Trump: The Art of the Deal”, written in 1987, the developer labeled a section called “Deliver the Goods”. In the first paragraph he communicated a key thought, which I suspect has guided him and helped him succeed in three careers over 50+ years: “You can’t con people, at least not for long. You can create excitement, you can do wonderful promotions and get all kinds of press, and you can throw in a little hyperbole. But if you don’t deliver the goods, people will eventually catch on.”

Most older Americans have been familiar with Donald Trump for over four decades. He’s impacted the political world for over ten years. He’s sat in the Oval Office for over five years. Obviously, his performance outcomes, enthusiasm, trustworthiness, and capability have enabled him “to deliver the goods” to a very high degree. Otherwise, he would have faded from view a long time ago. 

Perhaps all of us could learn a little something from this ever-present visual example of a fellow human who is often required to perform well, under pressure and imperfect circumstances — just like you. 

Stew Bolno is a chronological peer of Donald Trump. He’s been a student, college professor, and consultant on leadership during his 50-year career. He’s followed politics longer than that time. His recent book is “Leadership Lessons And You: From A to Z – featuring Donald Trump” and he’s written scores of essays about him since he descended the Trump Tower staircase. Read more at LeadershipLessonsAndYou.com.