Every job needs and benefits from a job description. Including the office of the President of the United States (POTUS). Without a job description people don’t fully know what is expected of them in the position they hold; don’t know what their managers are measuring against. A job description provides clarity, direction, and measures for success.
Early 2019 book club discussion led to “what we want to see in candidates running for President of the United States.” Out of hours of discussion, the following job description for the President of the United States was born. And, why should there be a position description for the largest job in the world? All jobs, large and small, have descriptions of minimum skills, characteristics, desired traits and competencies. Presidents of every country should have a job description to live up to. See what you think!
Position Duration: Four (4) years, with possible extension to eight (8) years if re-elected. Job will terminate permanently if candidate fulfills two consecutive four-year terms, dies, or is impeached and removed from office.
Position Duties:
· Assume the role of Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces. This involves authorizing the dispatch of American troops into combat and exercising sole discretion regarding the use of nuclear weapons
· Support the enforcement of, and abide by the, United States laws, treaties and court rulings
· Uphold the Constitution as written, in its entirety
· Develop Federal policies
- Guide and oversee Federal Agencies
· Prepare the national budget
· Appoint Federal officials
· Approve or veto acts of Congress
· Grant pardons per personal discretion
- Work long hours while maintaining energy and intelligence.
Minimum Required Qualifications (per United States Constitution, Article 2):
· Be at least 35 years of age
· Be a natural born citizen
· Have lived in the U.S. as your primary residence for at least 14 years.
Candidates for serious consideration will also possess the following traits, qualities and qualifications:
· Demonstrated ability to exercise both collaborative/facilitative and “command and control” leadership styles, with the ability to discern which situations require which leadership method
· Able to inspire and lead
- Strong sense of personal responsibility
· Strong knowledge of self. Insightful and honest with self
· Superior speaking, writing and active listening skills in English
· Excellent mental and physical health. Capable of meeting the physical demands of holding office and free of evidence of addictions, serious chronic disease, or questionable psychiatric/emotional traits.
· Ability to remain steady in the face of aggressive and prolonged, sometimes undeserved, attacks from opponents and detractors
· Ability to empathize and treat others with compassion, but without losing sight of the greater good or becoming co-dependent
· Must take pride in being American, and encourage a balanced sense of belief in, and support for American ideals within our borders
· Significant overall life experience that demonstrates personal maturity, sound judgement, the willingness to honor social contracts, and the ability to interact positively and productively with self and others. Evidence of these qualities will vary from individual to individual and may include (but not be limited to) the following examples:
o Purposeful world travel that results in deeper understanding of other people and
cultures
o Successfully running a legitimate business for more than 5 years
o Respect and praise from colleagues and peers
o Recovery from and demonstrated learning from serious mistakes/adversities
· Supportive family/significant other(s)
· “Low drama” personality and lifestyle; able to inspire others without “drama”
· Practical understanding of how the Federal government functions
· Solid grounding in basic economic theory and understanding of how both the domestic and global economies function
· Able to make difficult decisions in the face of both support and opposition
· Demonstrated tendencies to uphold high moral standards and associate primarily with others of integrity and high moral character
· Demonstrated ability to fundraise
· Committed to upholding the concept of “separation of Church and State”
· Must dress professionally and show well on camera/television
· Must support the rule of law
· Must be more interested in the opportunities for service than in the perks of office; be focused on the greater good of our nation than on personal benefits.
Ideal candidates will possess these additional skills and qualifications:
· Fluency in one or more foreign languages; science literacy; cultural awareness
· Ability to function financially in personal life without support from government largesse, ties to big business, or a wealthy donor base
· Family that is free of “lightning rod” issues or characteristics
· Be a member in good standing of one or more professional societies (NOT including religious, fraternal, or private organizations)
· Support adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment, so that the female population of the United States can finally obtain guaranteed legal parity under the Constitution (i.e., agree to specification that the meaning of the word “man” is understood as meaning “human”)
· Verifiable track record of meaningful experience in government (for example, has held office at a state or federal level, or been a top advisor)
· No history of taking advantage of the system for personal gain, especially while in government service
· Be a lifelong learner who actively seeks out new ways of thinking and doing, especially when the status quo isn’t promoting the greater good
Documentation required to accompany candidate application for this position:
· Two forms of government-issued ID: birth certificate and one piece of documentation featuring a photo ID with full facial photograph for positive identification
· Income tax records dating back eight years
- Proof of passing a drug test, just as federal employees must be able to do
· Full physical exam from licensed physician
· Evaluation by licensed psychiatrist
Please note: these documents will be made available for public inspection via FOIA request processes.
Disqualifying criteria:
- Physical and/or mental health diagnosis(es) that prevent the fulfillment of this position’s duties, demands, and daily schedules.
- Evidence of income that comes from sources that are difficult to trace, verify or publicly explain, or financial accounting that is structured in a deliberately complicated way to possibly hide illegal income, tax evasion, or fraud.
· Verifiable evidence of felonies and/or animal, child, spouse or elder abuse.
- Current drug/alcohol/substance abuse, or past abuse that is not admitted to and shown to be successfully treated without relapse for at least fifteen years.
· Inability or unwillingness to abide by established United States laws, customs and codes.
- Prior work as a lobbyist, attorney, corporate officer or publicity agent for a major industry, a major bank, a multinational corporation, or any business that has been considered “too big to fail”.
- Expressed or documented desire to replace current representative Republic with other forms of government such as socialism, communism, religious theocracy, etc.
This template for job descriptions might work in your organization. At the very least, consider whether your position descriptions really describe the duties you expect to be fulfilled by each job-holder.
Workplace: Managing the moments of our day-to-day business lives takes work. Together, let’s explore what issues and activities affect us every day (or some days) that we go to work. – Jana