Lessons from past presidents

20 Feb Lessons from past presidents

By Joe McLeod

Since 1776, the Office of the President of the United States has been sought by thousands, yet the exclusive fraternity only consists of 45 men who have led the country through times of peace and peril. Some chief executives, like Lincoln and Kennedy, have been seared into the centerpiece of our nation’s identity. While others, like Millard Fillmore and Benjamin Harrison, are practically unknown.

Presidential legcies, in part, are defined by events, such as the Civil War, the Great Depression, the Cold War and the race to the moon. Presidents are remembered not only by events or the policies they upheld but by the manner in which they connected with the nation through the spoken and written word.

Leaders of any organization can learn to practice powerful and meaningful communication from those who occupied the Oval Office. The great communicators of the past mastered the art of language, connected to people in a personal way and inspired others to take action.

Many of our past presidents were refined speakers and writers. Jefferson, who crafted most of the language in the Declaration of Independence, came to political prominence largely because of his ability to write. James Garfield could write in Latin with one hand and Greek in the other hand, simultaneously. He was also the first president to run a bilingual campaign, speaking in English and German. Woodrow Wilson, former Princeton University President, was a published author who wrote essays on topics ranging from international relations to the role of Congress, before he sought public office.

But perhaps the most artful and memorable wordsmith was Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln’s legacy rests on the preservation of the Union and his push to expel slavery, but words he spoke have resounded throughout the generations. The short, 270-word Gettysburg Address has been recited more than any other presidential speech in history. Lincoln was well versed in Shakespeare and the Bible, and he used the power of language as his instrument to mend a fractured nation and to preserve the memory of those who never returned from the battlefield.

Throughout the Great Depression and World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt gave nearly 30 radio addresses, which became known as the “fireside chats.” People faced crippling hardships and were burdened by an uncertain future, yet many found a sense of hope in the voice of their president, reassuring them that better days were ahead. FDR spoke casually, like he was having a conversation with families in their living rooms. Instead of saying “the American people,” he simply said, “you.” He connected.

In 1961, John F. Kennedy gave a speech before a joint session of Congress and announced his goal of landing a man on the moon within 10 years. It was a bold declaration that challenged NASA to move forward with Project Apollo. Eight years later, the small steps of Neil Armstrong fulfilled the large vision casted by the words in Kennedy’s speech.

During the Cold War, Ronald Reagan spoke with unmitigated candor when describing the plight of the Soviet Union. The phrases, “evil empire” and “trust but verify,” occasionally resurface as part of the lexicon in today’s political conversations. One of Reagan’s monumental moments came in 1987 when he uttered the famous line, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall,” while speaking at the Brandenburg Gate in front of the Berlin Wall. Reagan wasn’t just speaking to Gorbachev or the crowd in West Germany. He was speaking to the world. Nearly every advisor who previewed the speech suggested Regan omit those provocative four words. But he didn’t. And two years later, the wall fell.

Undoubtedly, there were many external factors that influenced the Apollo Moon landing and the fall of the Berlin Wall, other than lines in a speech. But the words spoken with conviction and authority galvanized the masses and propelled people to action. Not every president was a great leader, nor were they all proficient communicators. However, those who led from the lectern, as well as the Oval Office, are the ones we tend to remember. Although time has passed, their words have remained etched in history.

Joe McLeod is the co-owner and managing partner of McLeod Communications. A version of this column first appeared in the Orlando Sentinel.