I Like Mike Huckabee: What Is He Really Like?

Mike Huckabee on bass guitar

Photo Credit: The DreamerNo man is a hero to his valet, Mme. A.M. Bigot de Cornuel.

It is a cliche that the closer the staff works with the principal, the easier his sub-clinical flaws are to spot. Close proximity, like sitting in a six-seat plane, makes shortcomings harder to hide.

Familiarity breeds contempt.

But not with Mike Huckabee. Everyone likes The Everyman who is utterly transparent in his likability. He is not perfect, but he does not seem to have many of the common failings that heroes often have behind closed doors.

Huckabee really is a good-guy. He was good to us.

Alert Readers will recall that we are educating the Penta-Posse on life lessons and algebra and Mandarin Chinese while aboard the Hucka-homeschool-truck. Your Business Blogger is reviewing with my young students the building blocks of leadership of large organizations and the qualities the leader needs.

Mike Huckabee is my case study. Here’s a few of his leadership characteristics:

Temperament Huckabee is slow to anger — Charmaine never saw him really angry or lose his temper. There is no raging wrath. Even when he was fatigued; even when some may have deserved it.

Continuous Learning. He has written four books. He asks questions to learn why, to learn more, to learn what moves and motivates people. And after getting answers and advice, he would process the experience.

Discipline. Nobody — but no body — loses 110 pounds. And he manages to keep the weight off, even on the campaign trail. Charmaine gained five an unknown number of pounds… Huckabee gets by on (too) little sleep.

Honesty “If the campaign doesn’t make it all the way, we want to be able to walk away completely in the black,” Huckabee said in the Washington Post. This is not how campaigns are typically run. They always end up in the red: in debt. (It is a rule of political campaigns to never chance losing a race…with money still in the bank.)

We will continue to watch and cheer Mike Huckabee on. He can truly build coalitions.

Baby Boo and Your Business Blogger

Credit: The Dreamer

Fox producers Jenna Gibson and Alex Finland

Credit: The Dreamer

Janet Huckabee and Dick Morris in Makeup at the FoxBox

Credit: The Dreamer

Thank you (foot)notes:

See Huckabee Adopts New Southern State Strategy as Funds Get Tight

Your Business Blogger is also an adjunct professor of business management at Northern Virginia Community College and runs Management Training of DC, LLC.

The Dude on his cell phone on the phone bank calling voters —

Credit: The Dreamer

But if one really wants to know about Mike Huckabee, see the words to the country song (of course) Small Town Southern Man, by Alan Jackson, at the jump.

Watch Small Town Southern Man

Artist: Alan Jackson

Song: Small Town Southern Man

Album: Popular Songs

[ Buy “Popular Songs” CD ]

[ Alan Jackson CDs ]

[ Alan Jackson Sheet Music ]

Born the middle son of a farmer

And a small town Southern man

Like his daddy’s daddy before him

Brought up workin’ on the land

Fell in love with a small town woman

And they married up and settled down

Natural way of life if you’re lucky

For a small town Southern man

First there came four pretty daughters

For this small town Southern man

Then a few years later came another

A boy, he wasn’t planned

Seven people livin’ all together

In a house built with his own hands

Little words with love and understandin’

From a small town Southern man

Chorus:

And he bowed his head to Jesus

And he stood for Uncle Sam

And he only loved one woman

(He) was always proud of what he had

He said his greatest contribution

Is the ones you leave behind

Raised on the ways and gentle kindness

Of a small town Southern man

(Raised on the ways and gentle kindness)

(Of a small town Southern man)

Callous hands told the story

For this small town Southern man

He gave it all to keep it all together

And keep his family on his land

Like his daddy, years wore out his body

Made it hard just to walk and stand

You can break the back

But you can’t break the spirit

Of a small town Southern man

(Repeat Chorus)

Finally death came callin’

For this small town Southern man

He said it’s alright ’cause I see angels

And they got me by the hand

Don’t you cry, and don’t you worry

I’m blessed, and I know I am

‘Cause God has a place in Heaven

For a small town Southern man