A very good effort!

In a recent interview with President Obama, Oprah Winfrey asked the US President if he was to grade himself for an end of year report card, what grade will he give himself? He replied; a good solid B plus!

A solid B plus is a hairline away from an A. The question some might ask is does this grade include the official 10% and rising unemployment rate, the slow jobless recovery, and the increasing number of homeowners defaulting on mortgage payments? Does it factor in the high and rapidly growing numbers of foreclosures? How about the ‘throw your allies under the bus’ foreign policies and apologising to the world for America and the US efforts, if these issues are built-in then many Americans might not agree with this grade.

But if the ranking is based on vigorously and rapidly attempting to radicalise the US and pushing a time bomb health care bill that will disaffect the weakest and neediest in the long run. Building a bridge and extending a friendly hand to socialist dictators and changing the definition of bipartisan from “involving two political parties” to “we’ll go it alone but call it bipartisan anyway” then he is being very modest and short changing his efforts.

At any rate, it is never a good idea for anyone in leadership to self rank, no matter how tempting that might be. More so when opinions and ratings of their management and stewardship are not favourable, but if the allure to self rate is so strong and compelling, then, it is best to aim for an average or lower grade. The public always prefer their own rating and ranking and they tend to be more sympathetic to those who undervalue themselves. Confidence is great; it is an admirable and very attractive trait to have but the same can not be said about over confidence.