BOOK REVIEW – Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin (2018)
Book Review by: Michael S. Hildebrand, President, Yvorra Leadership Development Foundation
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explores the question: Are great leaders born, or are they made? This excellent book analyzes and contrasts the lives and leadership styles of four American presidents—Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Lyndon B. Johnson. Goodwin explores how each president recognized their own ambitions, and how deep personal adversity shaped their ultimate capacity to guide a nation through fractured and historic moments.
The final chapter uses case studies of the four presidents to identify four distinct leadership abilities: These are:
- Transformational Leadership – Abraham Lincoln used his cabinet of diverse political viewpoints and public anxiety about the war and slavery to leverage his goal of issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
- Crisis Management – Theodore Roosevelt acted as a mediator to resolve the paralyzing Great Coal Strike of 1902.
- Turnaround Leadership – Franklin D. Roosevelt restored national trust during the First Hundred Days of the Great Depression.
- Visionary Leadership – All four leaders possessed very different temperaments, but they were all universally anchored by a deep sense of moral purpose, resilience, and an ability to use their talents to elevate the lives of others.
As a History Buff, one of the many things that I enjoyed about this book is how Goodwin weaves the viewpoints of the four presidents into how these presidents’ behaviors reflect the teachings of modern-day experts on leadership and productivity—and how you can apply these lessons to your own life.
YLD Key Takeaways:
1) Crucibles of Adversity Build Resilience – Resilience and the ability to recover from major setbacks and move forward are forged through intense personal trauma. Each of the four presidents suffered a catastrophic reversal that threatened to destroy their ambitions, but ultimately transformed how they led.
2) Unique Styles of Crisis Leadership – Each president deployed a distinct leadership style to match the specific historical crisis they inherited. These leadership styles are: Transformational, Crisis Management, Turnaround, and Visionary.
3) Essential Shared Leadership Traits – Goodwin identified a core “family of resemblance” of traits shared by all four presidents. They are Moral Purpose, Humility, Self-Reflection, Emotional Regulation, and Narrative Communication.
4) Principles for Building Effective Teams – They include – Assemble Diverse Perspectives, Take Full Responsibility, Prevent Grievances from Festering, and Create Space to Think.
ISBN-10: 1476795924