Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin highlights four Presidents during some of the most crucial times in American history. She documents the lives of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ. She is able to give ample background on their lives before their Presidency and she sheds light on the respective challenges for each. Doris Kearns Goodwin is in a class of her own when it comes to Presidential history and I highly recommend this book if you want to learn a healthy amount about all four Presidents. You get a little mini-biography on all four wrapped in one book! Here are my takeaways from each person.
Lincoln
He was painted as a natural-born leader. From an early age, not only did he have a strong moral compass for himself and his decisions, he would step up if he saw others acting out of line. This additional step of standing up to others is what separated him from other kids. Most children understand what they should or shouldn’t do, but few have the courage and strength to stand up to others.
Lincoln worked for his intelligence. He would walk many miles to get his hands on a book as a child. He describes his mind as steel. It took a long time for something to get etched in, but when it did, it was there forever.
Lincoln’s height and strong facial features always put eyes on him when he walked into a room. Standing at 6’4, this makes him the tallest President and a full 7 inches taller than an average male during his time. Once people laid their eyes on him, they wouldn’t stop looking. Not just because of his looks, but due to his storytelling ability. He was able to captivate his audiences like no other. His personality and presence took up an even greater amount of space than his 6’4 frame.
He also made a point to fill his cabinet with the best people of his time, even though he didn’t agree with all of their views. I’m sure this is a technique replicated by other leaders today, but it is much easier said than done. Lincoln wanted to have an accurate representation of the country at the time. Despite the differences in opinions and views, he was able to gain their respect by treating them fairly and acknowledging the work they had done. There was mutual admiration between Lincoln and his cabinet because they were all the top achievers of their time. They were there for a reason and everyone at the table recognized it.
Teddy Roosevelt
Teddy Roosevelt absorbed knowledge like a sponge. He was able to remember almost everything he read and reportedly read a book a day. There was a story of him having a guest over for dinner and the guest gave him a book as a gift. Teddy read the book that evening and was able to have a full discussion with his guest in the morning.
Teddy was a quirky individual with a tremendous amount of vigor and energy. Some were put off by his behavior, but most people would gather around him to see what he would do next. I got the general sense it took a while for people to warm up to him, but when they did, they were on his team for good.
He was a very honorable man that genuinely cared about doing his best to improve the area and people around him. He wasn’t clocking into his job and then clocking out at the end of the day. He was a man of action. When he was the police commissioner of New York City, he would go out in the middle of the night to make sure his police officers were doing their jobs. He would punish those who were not doing their jobs and praise those who were. He wanted to end corruption in politics which in some cases cost him his job because he wasn’t playing the political game.
Another instance of him leading by example was him leaving his position as the Assistant Secretary of the Navy in Washington to become second in command of the Rough Riders in Cuba during the Spanish-American war. He wanted to be in battle rather than behind a desk in Washington. He wanted to be where the action took place.
FDR
FDR contracted a paralytic illness in 1929 when he was 39 years old. It was later diagnosed as polio. As part of his rehabilitation process, he went to Warm Springs, Georgia for hydrotherapy. A community was formed at the rehabilitation center and he was known as “Doc Roosevelt” to the other patients. He was able to relate to other polio victims on a personal level and give them hope. The lessons he learned in Warm Springs were brought to the national stage when he was elected as President during the Great Depression.
During his time as President, he would much rather hear about personal accounts rather than stats and figures. He believed he was a better leader using the stories from Americans rather than looking at the unemployment rate. While those numbers are important, his ultimate goal was to relate and help the citizens of the United States.
Another interesting twist to his Presidency was a reliance on others that few other Presidents had. Since he was paralyzed, he had to rely on others to physically get information for him. His team became an extension of him.
LBJ
LBJ grew up around politics. His father was a member of the Texas House of Representatives so he would hear his father talk to other state senators late at night. Due to this, his goal was to become a politician. He achieved this by outworking everyone.
In order to get his name out there, he stopped at little ranches with no more than 5 people. He gave a 5 minute speech and left 15 minutes for conversation while campaigning for state senator. Those 15 minutes were how he won votes. He had the ability to get into a room with a stranger and leave as friends. Speeches weren’t his forte, but talking to individuals one on one was where he thrived.
This work ethic stuck throughout his time as a politician leading to his Presidency. He had the mindset that he would be the first one up and the last one to bed. Due to this attitude, he was very demanding of the people who worked for him, to a point of abuse. Some people are able to work for a person that expects perfection and nothing less, but most can only do that for so long.
He also had a knack for politics. He lived and breathed it. He was able to learn how Washington worked inside and out faster than anyone else did. He knew how to play the game and he played it better than anyone else. That’s how he ended up in the White House in the end. It was hard not to see a striking resemblance between Frank Underwood from House of Cards and LBJ.