For sake of comparison, I looked up the leadership style of Sam Rayburn (from Brittanica.com):
Although the office of speaker at that time lacked great formal powers, Rayburn used the limited influence of the office to maximum advantage. He also relied heavily on his personal prestige, his skill at persuasion, and personal friendships built up over decades in the House to bridge the regional differences within the Democratic Party and to forge a working majority in the House.
He referred to himself as "Mr. Democrat".
So how did Boehner win the job in the first place?
Good question. You could say the same thing about Lyndon Johnson. The guy wielded a lot of power in Congress, only to fritter it away under John and (yes even) Robert Kennedy.
Tip O’Neil was a powerful guy in his day too.
Boehner is a light-weight. I picture him with a bent-neck Boy-Scout flashlight trying to find the Men’s room in the daytime.