What are the three most important characteristics and personality traits that a president should have, and why? Consider what the president's job is, and be sure to explain how the characteristics you choose relate to that job.

In a country within which the presidential system is in practice, the president is usually both head of state as well as head of government and in addition to the already enormous responsibility he carries on his shoulders ( even more pertinent with a country like the United States), there are some absolutely crucial characteristics, attributes and aptitudes he/she must have in order to succeed. Here are three of those:
Communication: The president must be an excellent communicator. He/she must be able to listen and properly glean the crux of what whomever is speaking is trying to communicate. They should be able to properly convey the depths of their ideas, emotions, opinions and experience through speech and gestures and must never sound vague or ambiguous. They should also have some form of oratory competence and rhetoric skill.
Leadership: This is said more times than it has to but it is because it is true. Leadership is about more than charisma; it involves sacrifice, the ability to delegate, humility, decisiveness, composure etc.
Patience: This trait is usually understated but patience is an absolutely crucial trait a good president should have in the bag if they are to succeed in office. Passing the simplest bill or policy, however beneficial it is, is always encumbered by heaps of red tape and due process. He has to (especially in the case of a country like the United States) unify people that politically, have views that are fundamentally different from theirs and slowly make them believe in a shared common goal. He/she must be slow to react, calculating and an expert in playing the long game.
These are just three among many. Being a president is hard and perhaps that's why only a few people ever get the job.

What you ultimately choose as the president's most important qualities is up to you, but you should consider the vital role that the president plays in international politics. He or she is faced with situations in which it's necessary to sift through intelligence reports and assess risks to the United States. It's the president's job to decide how to protect the U.S. and how to intervene in world affairs. Not getting involved might result in growing dangers to the U.S., but intervening through military strikes or economic sanctions might also result in dangerous repercussions. To assess these types of threats, a president must be thorough, cautious, and detail oriented.
In addition, when making decisions about domestic situations, a president must consider not only the current-day reality and his or her standing in the nation but also must consider the effect of his or her decision on the future. What qualities do you think a president must have to make these types of decisions? Clearly, a good president is thoughtful and respectful not only of the past and present but also about the future of the country. A president must be appreciative of the different constituents not only in his or her party but also in the nation as a whole and must rise above partisanship to represent the entire country. Therefore, a president should be fair and respectful of the diversity of the citizens of the United States.