After the events of the Second World War, there was a sense of uniformity in American society as a series of socially accepted patterns of behavior were introduced during this time due to the war. As a result, Conformity, which is the behavior of acting according to the prevailing standards set by society appeared. Regarding the economy, the country was going through an important stage of growth which increased the wealth of the common American citizen, leading attitudes like materialism. As a conclusion, it was very hard to just "being yourself" during the 1950s.
It did not end in 1980, it got worse in the early 80s under Regan and ended in 1989 with the collapse of the soviet union and opening up of east germany.
hmm thats a tough one because an effective leader would need a little of both to know what to do in the times of crisis and then follow through with his plan.