Book Review: Leadership in Turbulent Times
Goodwin, Doris Kearns. Leadership in turbulent times. Simon & Schuster, 2018.
In Leadership in Turbulent Times, Doris Kearns Goodwin sheds light on leadership by analyzing the lives and careers of four US presidents that she has written about previously: Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. If a reader is unfamiliar with the histories of these men, Goodwin’s book provides a pithy introduction and enough information – as well as a solid bibliography – to pique an interest and provide for further study.
By comparing their formative years, their early adult experiences with hardship and failure that formed them as leaders, and their years in the presidency when their skills were put to the test, Goodwin presents detailed case studies in successful leadership. She emphasizes that their ultimate success did not come cheaply or easily. Creating case studies based on historical figures was a refreshing read in contrast to the contemporary focus of many leadership titles.
Goodwin not only writes engagingly about the life of each president, she also makes leadership a topic of interest. Each president is presented as an example of a leadership style that was needed in his moment of history. Goodwin then parses out the unique characteristics of each of these leadership styles and weaves them into the stories of these men. She presents each man as the best leader needed for that exact moment in history in which they lived. Mythologizing these men in this way was one of the few weaknesses of the book.
It was difficult to not make comparisons to current political figures in leadership roles while reading this book. However, one can presume that Goodwin is not offering an oblique critique of current times, but simply case studies on great leadership. Given Goodwin’s long and deep research and writing about these particular presidents and her career as a historian, she could be expected to have a longer perspective, aiming her work more broadly at readers in a future beyond our turbulent times.
Leadership in Turbulent Times is a highly readable collection of case studies on leadership with four presidents, their times, and their success as leaders as its focus. Highly recommended.
Also available on OverDrive as an ebook and audiobook.
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