Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership by James M. Strock

Author:James M. Strock [Strock, James M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-56057-5
Publisher: Crown
Published: 2001-10-15T00:00:00+00:00

FROM THE COMFORTABLE distance of a century, hearing that congressmen “turned handsprings in their wrath” elicits a smile. Picturing J. P. Morgan in full anger is entertaining. Such things are far from us now. We know how things turned out, who was proved right, at least by our lights. But then it was different.

A leader who takes the initiative not only has the advantages of the first mover; he must also accept the likelihood of greater controversy and criticism. Roosevelt recognized this reality. He wrote in his Autobiography:

If I were on a sail boat, I should not ordinarily meddle with any of the gear; but if a sudden squall struck us, and the main sheet jammed, so that the boat threatened to capsize, I would unhesitatingly cut the main sheet, even though I were sure that the owner, no matter how grateful to me at the moment for having saved his life, would a few weeks later, when he had forgotten the danger and his fear, decide to sue me for the value of the cut rope. But I would feel hearty contempt for the owner who had so acted.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.