No. 35, February 2011
Learning About Leadership From Pivotal Presidential Decisions
Why did George Washington personally lead the militia that put down the Whiskey Rebellion? What drove Harry Truman to fire Douglas MacArthur at the height of the Korean War? Did Gerald Ford know that his pardon of Richard Nixon could very well end his political career? Why did John F. Kennedy challenge America to reach for the moon? And what can we learn about leading by studying these examples of presidential power in action?
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In Presidential Leadership: 15 Decisions That Changed the Nation, author Nick Ragone--a graduate of the Georgetown University Law Center and the Eagleton Institute of Political Science at Rutgers University--examines major presidential decisions and the stories behind them. Each stands as a study in leadership. Anyone interested in decision-making at the most influential level will find this approach to presidential history illuminating.
Ragone tells the story of these fifteen consequential decisions:
1. Washington puts down the Whiskey Rebellion
2. Jefferson purchases the Louisiana Territory
3. Andrew Jackson rejects nullification
4. Lincoln signs the Emancipation Proclamation
5. Teddy Roosevelt builds the Panama Canal
6. Woodrow Wilson and the League of Nations
7. Franklin Roosevelt and the Lend-Lease Program
8. Truman drops the bomb
9. Truman fires MacArthur
10. Eisenhower, Kennedy, and the race to the moon
11. Lyndon Johnson signs the Civil Rights Act
12. Richard Nixon visits China
13. Ford pardons Nixon
14. Ronald Reagan defines the "Evil Empire"
15. Barack Obama takes on Healthcare Reform
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Understanding the context of these pivotal decisions not only teaches us about our nation's history and how certain presidential choices have affected our course, but they also demonstrate the very nature of leadership. Knowing how to evaluate tough choices, fly in the face of popular opinion, and weigh the complexities of potential outcomes are decision-making skills everyone can use.
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Nick Ragone
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Patricia O'Connell, former management editor for
Businessweek.com says, "In his shrewd analysis of key presidential decisions, Nick Ragone redefines leadership as the ability to distinguish between the easy thing and the right thing, and the courage to act upon that knowledge for the sake of a greater good."
CNBC correspondent Jane Wells says she "expected to learn a few things about Woodrow Wilson" and she did. "What a surprise," she adds, "to gain new respect for George Washington's restraint as he brought the military to bear on his fellow Americans, to newly appreciate Abraham Lincoln's intellect as he sought, and found, a constitutional reason for the Emancipation Proclamation, and to be newly astonished by Ronald Reagan who, as scholar Michael Novak suggested, knew something the rest of us didn't. We think we know these men, but in [this] book you will learn through compelling, succinct storytelling new lessons in leadership."
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 | | At the Presidential Leadership book launch party last week in New York City, from left: Courtney Friel of Fox News; Ragone; Jill Nicolini of WPIX11 Morning News; and CNN's Ali Velshi. |
On President's Day--February 21, 2011--Nick Ragone appeared CNN's "Newsroom" and on MSNBC's "The Dylan Ratigan Show." He was also featured on Bloomberg Radio's "Taking Stock."
The Washington Post's "Political Bookworm" blog ran Ragone's guest post on the two traits in presidential leadership that seem to stand out the most: conviction and persistence.
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Ragone is also the author of The Everything American Government Book; Essential American Government, and President's Most Wanted: The Top Ten Book of Extraordinary Executives; Colorful Campaigns; and White House Oddities. He has written on recent presidential history and current events for US News & World Report and The Star-Ledger, and has appeared on the CBS Early Show, Fox News, CNBC, ABC News, and Fox Business.
History buffs and devotees of politics will enjoy reading the back stories of these fifteen influential historical moments, and anyone who recognizes decision-making as an essential leadership skill will glean valuable insights from Presidential Leadership.
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More books on presidential history:
  
  
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