????5. 掌控全局：正如大衛(wèi)?葛根在《見證權(quán)力》（Eyewitness to Power）一書中所說，有時候，我們似乎以為所有總統(tǒng)唯一需要做的就是獲得公眾的支持。實際上，一位稱職的總統(tǒng)需要解決各種問題，而贏得公眾支持只是其中一點。此外還包括國會、媒體、利益集團(tuán)和其他國家等。在這個瞬息萬變、前途未卜的時代，沒有任何一方有能力給出正確的答案，解決美國面臨的全部問題。所以，不論歇斯底里的時評人拋出什么樣的觀點來引導(dǎo)選民，作為總統(tǒng)，最重要的是傾聽各方的觀點，尋求折中辦法。而要實現(xiàn)這一點，候選人必須知道如何掌控整個政治體系。奧巴馬與羅姆尼是否具備這方面的能力？

????德懷特?艾森豪威爾在美國軍隊中擔(dān)任過高級將領(lǐng)，并率領(lǐng)盟軍取得了二戰(zhàn)的勝利，這些經(jīng)歷讓他成為掌控大型組織體系的大師。而且，他把這種能力帶到了總統(tǒng)職位上。當(dāng)選總統(tǒng)后，他招募了一批精英顧問，他們各持己見，經(jīng)常激烈爭論，而艾森豪威爾通常會坐在一旁，聽他們辯論。據(jù)學(xué)者弗雷德?格林斯坦回憶，在制定國家安全政策時，艾森豪威爾會讓下屬機構(gòu)起草針鋒相對的政策建議，結(jié)果引發(fā)了激烈的爭論。通過這種做法，他樹立了自己的聲譽，不僅與各方保持著良好的關(guān)系，而且能夠坦誠接受不同意見，最終讓來自不同陣營的人們共同為美國效力。

????5. Working the system: As David Gergen notes in his book Eyewitness to Power, we sometimes act as if making a good public case is all presidents need to do. In reality, the public is just one piece of a very complex puzzle that must be solved to get things done. There's also Congress, the media, interest groups, and other countries. In this time of great volatility and uncertainty, neither party has all the right answers to our country's challenges. So, despite what hysterical pundits would lead us to believe, hearing from all sides and going with compromise is necessary -- and achieving that means knowing how to navigate the political system. Is there evidence that Obama and Romney can do that?

????From his years of holding top leadership positions in the U.S. Army and leading Allied forces to victory in World War II, Dwight Eisenhower became a master of working large organizational systems. He carried those skills into his presidency. There, he would gather exceptionally bright advisers with a wide array of viewpoints. They debated vigorously while he sat and listened. In developing national security policy, as scholar Fred Greenstein has recounted, Eisenhower had agencies draft competing policy recommendations that would then be subjected to extensive, no-holds-barred debate. In doing so, he built a reputation for reaching out to different sides, being comfortable with disagreement and ultimately getting disparate groups of people to work together.

????With all the smoke and mirrors every presidential campaign brings, it can be tough to sort out the truth. But by focusing on the five key skills outlined here, you should have a good sense of who you think the better leader is come Election Day.

????John Ryan is president and CEO of the Center for Creative Leadership. He previously served as chancellor of the State University of New York and superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Md. He was a pilot during a 35-year career in the Navy, retiring as a vice-admiral.