by Tim Traudt, 2022, self-published

This book is written by a former executive who worked in the bank where I once worked. I know Tim as an acquaintance, but I really didn’t have any dealings with him.

Tim has had quite a lot of experience as a successful leader in his organization. This book is his attempt to impart some of what he learned over a long career by applying his knowledge to a review of 47 U.S. Presidents to determine which of them utilized effective leadership characteristics to enable them to be considered successful presidents.

He first outlines what he considers ten principles of leadership. He then divides 42 ex-presidents into the top twelve (through the lens of leadership), the bottom twelve, and the rest in “The Big Middle.” The book is interesting in that it provides information on the accomplishments of the various presidents, but it seems to be lacking in depth. There was a great deal of value judgement in assessing each of the presidents’ successes and failures and attributing it to “leadership.” If the individual president seemed to have values that correlated with the author’s, his leadership was rated more highly. If, on the other hand, a president didn’t care as much about the common people, his leadership was considered less effective. Another essential attribute of a leader that Tim cites is humility. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of examples in the book where humility necessarily translates to accomplishments.

I believe this type of analysis tends to overlook the element of charisma that we tend to consider so essential in our leaders. Can a charismatic leader who lacks many of the other qualities that Tim claims are essential to effective leadership, accomplish his or her goals? If those goals are not “worthy”, is the individual still an effective leader? This is a key issue when we see a demagogue leading his flock down a dangerous path. Most demagogues eventually fail, but not without doing a considerable amount of damage along the way. While they are riding high, are they not considered effective leaders as they seem to be able to create a large following?