Desvcription Your Role Model John H. Stroger,

¶ … Desvcription Your Role Model John H. Stroger, Former President Cook County Board Commissioners, Chicago, Illinois. My relationship President I Police Bodyguard (Commander Security Detail) 4 years stroke february 2006 Description Your Role Model's Communication Behaviors 1. Organization essay Working close with a person, every day for four years, allows one to get to know the person next to them; to come to understand and admire their strengths and to also come to understand and help limit their weaknesses. At least this is how my relationship with John Stroger was.

I was part of his security staff and activated as Commander of his Security Detail. As occupant of this position, I was in charge of all measures that protected the President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. I was in charge of protecting the Commissioner from threats such as assaults, stalking or even kidnapping. A special task was that of the planning of the routes and the inspection of buildings and automobiles in order to ensure safety (Education Portal, 2011).

As part of Stroger's team, I interacted with him on constant basis and came to observe the nature of his character, his ethics and his communications. John Stroger was an honest and ambitious man. He is memorable in American history for being the first African-American President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Stroger was born in 1929 in Helena, Arkansas. He gradated from the Xavier University in New Orleans with a degree in business administration and worked as a teacher and coach.

He also closely collaborated with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. His relationship with the institution represented the commencement of his political career and revealed the commitments of the man. "At his mother's urging, Stroger moved to Chicago in 1953 where he became involved in Chicago's South Side Democratic Party. There, he met Congressman William L. Dawson, Ralph Metcalfe, and Harold Washington. Stroger was appointed as an assistant auditor with the Municipal Court of Chicago in 1954 and served as personnel director for the Cook County Jail from 1955 to 1961.

He then worked for the financial director of the State of Illinois while earning a law degree from DePaul University Law School in 1965. In 1968, Stroger was elected 8th Ward Committeeman. After his election to the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1970, Stroger went on to chair every major committee including finance, health, building and zoning. […] In 1994, he became the first African-American to be elected president of the Cook County Board and Forest Preserve District" (The History Makers, 2008). Throughout his political career, Stroger remained true to his beliefs and values.

He continually militated for the rights of women and minorities and a particular emphasis was placed on the creation and development of legislations which assisted women and minorities owning and operating small businesses. In his function as President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, John Stroger focused on improving the living standards for the population in the lowest income group.

"As board president, he has balanced the county's $2.9 billion dollar budget, instituted a Juvenile Drug Court, appointed a Commission on Women's Issues and opened a new AIDS treatment and research facility. Dedicated to health care, Stroger serve[d] on the Chicago Metropolitan Healthcare Council and the board of South Shore Hospital" (The History Makers, 2008). The communication skills of John H. Stroger have developed in time, as he advanced in his political career. Like many other African-American politicians, young Stroger had strong beliefs and would clearly state them.

Gradually however, he learned how to be more diplomatic and how to promote his arguments in a constructive manner. The biggest challenge for Stroger, even in his final years of mandate, was that of controlling his emotions. John Stroger was a firm believer in the political desires to help the African-Americans, the women and the less economically advantaged categories of the population. His goals were not part of a political path or campaign, but were core values in which he firmly believed.

This subsequently meant that he would become emotionally involved in his efforts, successes and failures. And in politics, as well as in communication, it is necessary to remain objective and not get personal about the argument. Throughout his communication efforts, he always placed emphasis on honesty. He did not use mistruths nor did he misrepresent himself in order to get ahead. He would speak his mind and he would be responsible and own up to his statements. From an ethical standpoint, John Stroger is a disputed man.

Throughout the final years of his presidency, the opposition forwarded accusations of patronage that fueled scandal surrounding Stroger (Chicago Tribune). Nonetheless, the people in his entourage and his supporters claimed that the accusations were fabricated and that Stroger had in fact dedicated his life to improving the lives of the poor in the Cook County. The political man John Stroger gained the respect and support of millions of people, but it was not his political career that turned him into my personal role model.

It was the man he was, the convictions he had and the means in which he cared and interacted with others. And parts of this whole are also his communications and ethical traits. Off cameras, John Stroger was a simple man; a man aware of his cultural past, who embraced it and who fought to give others a better chance in life.

He would not always be vocal about his intentions, thoughts or desires and this is probably due to the fact that he was always busy and did not have the time and the energy to share everything or micromanage all details. This turned him into a great leader, who could delegate responsibilities and motivate the people around him to enhance their performances. Stroger would be mostly vocal with the political staffs, who needed to be informed and better delegated directly by him.

In his relationship with other people, namely the people occupying adjacent positions, such as safety and security, Stroger would be less vocal. Most of his communications with these people would be non-verbal, but we would always.