Leadership In Turbulent Times Book Summary, by Doris Kearns Goodwin

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1-Page Summary of Leadership In Turbulent Times

The Formative Years

Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson were all intelligent people who knew what they wanted to do with their lives from a young age.

Lincoln – Lincoln was born in humble circumstances, but he had a photographic memory and an ambition to rise above his origins. He worked hard at developing his skills as a public speaker. When he was young, people respected him for his strength and athleticism. However, it’s likely that Lincoln gained more respect from people because of the generosity with which he treated them. People who met him said that they liked talking to him because he seemed curious about everything around him and sociable, too. Although Lincoln didn’t have much formal education growing up (his father thought it was unnecessary), he taught himself by reading widely when he wasn’t working on the family farm or splitting wood for extra money. It seems like Lincoln might have been born with compassion and amiability—for example, even though most boys in frontier America grew up hunting animals just for sport, Lincoln felt sorry for the creatures so much that sometimes he would let them go free rather than kill them; however, despite being ridiculed by some of his peers for this behavior, Lincoln never changed how kind-hearted and compassionate towards animals were. Despite setbacks early in life, such as having an abusive father who made fun of him whenever possible, Abraham kept building self-confidence until finally becoming one of our country’s greatest leaders.

Theodore Roosevelt was born into a wealthy family and had a superior mind. Although he was sickly as a child, this gave him the time to read many books and develop his intellect. He admired great characters in these books and looked up to his father, who set the example for him. Lincoln also had an excellent mind but needed to work hard physically because of his physical strength. Both men were able to influence others socially; however, it took Theodore Roosevelt (T.R.) years to learn how to be comfortable with people from all walks of life after growing up in such wealth and privilege.

*Franklin Roosevelt had a near perfect childhood and grew up in love. He took a different path to leadership. At college, he earned middling marks, but was passionate about the campus newspaper Harvard Crimson, which helped him gain confidence and skills. After graduation, he didn’t seem like much of a leader at first. However, he wanted to be like his cousin Theodore Roosevelt (Teddy), so he nurtured an interest in politics. His charm, sociability, adaptability and problem-solving skills proved to be his greatest assets on the road to success as president of the United States during World War II when Hitler threatened America’s freedom with his evil plans for world domination.

__Johnson – __Lyndon Baines Johnson was raised in a political family. His father was a respected Texas legislator, and his mother had an unemotional personality that may have contributed to Johnson’s prickly, unpredictable nature. He also lacked the intellectual curiosity of other presidents; however, he outworked everyone by persevering and attaching himself to powerful people. As principal of a small school near the Texas-Mexico border, Johnson developed an empathetic leadership style with students who became devoted to him because of his demands on them. This taught him how to lead effectively.