LEADERSHIP - Summarized for Busy People: In Turbulent Times: Based on the Book by Doris Kearns Goodwin

Are leaders born or made? Where does ambition come from? How does adversity affect the growth of leadership? Does the leader make the times or do the times make the leader?

Leadership: In Turbulent Times is a detailed account of four presidents: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson as Goodwin studied their different leadership qualities and styles which allowed others to recognize them as leaders. Looking into their early personal lives, we are shown a picture of a time when their lives were filled with confusion, fear, and hope.

Goodwin shows a story of how they all experienced adversities which disrupted their lives and even threatened to destroy their ambitions. But they all emerged perfectly capable of addressing the dilemmas of their times.

There is no one path toward proper leadership. Each man had differing backgrounds, abilities, and temperament, yet they shared a fierce determination and extreme resilience that allowed them to overcome even the most difficult adversities. They were all guided by a sense of moral purpose and even during moments of great challenge, they were able to use their talents to enrich the opportunities and lives of the American people.

This masterpiece provides an essential roadmap for leaders, both aspiring and established, in their fields. In today’s polarized world, these stories of genuine leadership can take on a singular urgency.