One Skill Successful Leaders All Have

Leadership in Turbulent Times had been on my book list for a couple of months. It finally got bumped up to the top of list after I listened to the author on Tim Ferriss. Doris Kearns Goodwin is an incredible story teller, so even if history or presidents have never been interesting for you…give Goodwin a try. I recommend listening to her on TF then reading Leadership in Turbulent Times. She sets up the book well on the podcast.

L to R: Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Teddy Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson.

This book takes a deep dive into the lives of four presidents who had something major happen while they were in office. Abraham Lincoln and the Emancipation Proclamation, Teddy Roosevelt and the coal miners strike, Franklin Roosevelt and the depression, and lastly Lyndon B. Johnson and the civil rights movement. The book is split into four sections, and then again into four sections for each president. The first section is from their childhood all the way to the beginning of their careers in public service. The second section focuses on a hurdle each of them had to overcome before they reached the presidency. Next was a look into their principles and leadership styles while in office. The last section was a look back on each president’s life.

The meat and potatoes are in the third section. DKG keeps up the same setup throughout the book, except for this minor change. In each of the presidents chapters for the third section are split up with a bolded concept that particular person used/followed. That bolded idea is followed with an example of that idea being used. I’ll list each president and their reasons for success during turbulent times-

Lincoln

• Acknowledge your failures and change course.
• Always try compromise first, avoid using your executive power.
• Take responsibility.
• Let go of the past (live and learn).
• Control your emotions.
• Keep your word.

There was one story that stuck with me from Lincoln’s section, specifically on the ‘control your emotions concept’. If he became angry or upset with someone he would leave and go write a letter to that person. Holding nothing back in his letter. Instead of sending it…he would crumple it up and throw the letter away. It made him instantly feel better.

Teddy

• Make sure you understand the cause, facts, and conditions of a situation.
• History provides us with a rough blueprint for the future.
• Be available.
• Share credit where it is due.

Teddy Roosevelt is famously known for ending the 1902 coal mine strike. He took a much more progressive approach to the issue opposed to his predecessor, Grover Cleveland. Cleveland sent in the Army when there was a railroad strike while he was in office. That wasn’t taken very well by the people. Roosevelt instead built a commission to investigate and decide the best course of action. They decided that a 10% increase in wages and a 10% decrease in hours.

FDR

• Let people know what is expected of them.
• Lead by example.
• Tell the story simply and directly.

Franklin Roosevelt was an incredible storyteller, and used it to his advantage to connect with the people. The radio was becoming a thing while he was in office, so he started Fireside Chats. Roosevelt made sure that his speeches could be understood by the largest number of people possible. Making sure to keep things simple, concrete, and straight to the point. He always ended the speeches asking the American people be understanding and patient while they worked through these hard times. These chats were successful in boosting the people’s confidence and Roosevelt’s approval ratings.

Lyndon B. Johnson

• Honor commitments.
• Put ego aside.
• Master storytelling.
• Know when to risk it all and for what.

I’m not gonna lie. I skimmed most of LBJ’s sections just because I’ve never had a massive interest in him. Goodwin has the most interesting perspective of LBJ since she worked directly with him. She talks a lot about him on Tim Ferriss’ podcast, which might be why I skipped most of LBJ’s sections in the book. I think it was more interesting to listen to her talk about live than the edited quick version in the book.

While it is not directly mentioned in the bolded ideas, all of these men have one thing in common. The ability to tell a story and connect with people. This also lead to building trust and sharing their ideas for future America. I personally thought that Lincoln and FDR were the strongest storytellers. Before Lincoln became president, he worked at a general store and was always telling people stories. I am pretty sure FDR’s storytelling skills are the main reason he became president. He made so many connections and met people from all walks of life through this skill. This also might be why Lincoln succeeded in passing (at the time) ground-breaking-life-changing legislation. If you watch Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis you will see the amount of time and effort went into making sure the Emancipation Proclamation passed. It might also explain why Franklin Roosevelt went on to win FOUR terms as president. Sadly, he only served part of his fourth term after suffering a stroke.

*My goal is to post on Sunday and Thursday every week. This blog was ready to go, but all of yesterday I thought was Wednesday. I’m sorry friends!