What have been common characteristics of effective congressional leaders?
The characteristics that make leaders effective in Congress depend in part on the political conditions of the time. When their parties are divided, congressional leaders need to listen to competing views and persuade or negotiate with groups of members to win their support. When there is agreement within their parties, more aggressive leadership strategies can be effective. In my research, I found that the most consequential congressional leaders were strongly enough committed to political principles or policy ideas to take some political risks with their positions. Leaders who care mostly about being leaders tend to take the temperature of their followers and avoid getting out in front. The other thing I found in my research is that consequential leaders tend to be short-lived in Congress. The institution has limited tolerance for strong direction from leaders. And appropriately so, as its main functions in the constitutional system are representation and deliberation along with lawma
