Leadership Lessons from the Top 10 Presidents

Ten of the 44 presidents of the United States of America are consistently ranked as the best by historians. Each of these ten top-ranked presidents had different leadership styles that offer lessons to leaders today.

George Washington (1789-97) - As the first president, Washington was very sensitive to how his actions shaped the office he held. He knew that every time he bent a rule, he weakened it, and that every time he ceded authority, he made it harder for his successors to reclaim that authority. Washington reminds us that all leaders should think about how their actions will impact their successors' ability to do the job.

Thomas Jefferson (1801-09) - "Here was buried Thomas Jefferson, Author of the Declaration of American Independence, Of the Statute of Virginia for religious freedom & Father of the University of Virginia." - Jefferson dictated his own epitaph (above). Jefferson held virtually all the big political offices in the USA - governor, secretary of state, vice president, and president. But when he wrote his tweet-sized epitaph, he listed only the results he was most proud of. Jefferson realized that great leaders focus on the results they generate, not the job titles they have.

Andrew Jackson (1829-37) - Jackson was known as the first 'populist' president who didn't come from the extended network of Founding Fathers based in Virginia, or named Adams. Jackson showed the importance of staying faithful to his mandate from the voters. He was elected to be a change agent instead of becoming comfortable as part of the system. Jackson not only trusted the judgment of the common people who put him into office; he worked hard to keep their trust. He held firm on his populist, anti-central bank pledge even when it risked his re-election chances. He ended up earning 55 percent of the popular vote in his landslide reelection.

Abraham Lincoln (1861-65) - By exerting extraordinary powers in the name of civil wartime needs (e.g., suspending the writ of habeas corpus), Lincoln may have been the closest thing to a dictator the USA has ever had. Thankfully, Lincoln knew that great leaders wield power out of necessity, not out of desire. He was aware of the potential intoxicating and corrupting effects of power. Lincoln reminds us that good leaders view power as a useful, yet dangerous, tool that should be used for the public good, but never for personal gain.

Theodore Roosevelt (1901-09) - At age 42, Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person ever to serve as president. His death at age 60 made him one of the youngest retired presidents to die too. It was almost like he sensed he had a limited time in life and wanted to get the most out of that time. As president, that meant Roosevelt sometime took risks by acting before he had formal authorization and funding when he believed his actions would eventually be judged to be right. Examples include starting the Panama Canal and launching the Great White Fleet on a tour around the world. Roosevelt's willingness to take risks helped expand the power of the presidency, which had eroded since the Lincoln Administration.

Woodrow Wilson (1913-21) Woodrow Wilson was the most scholarly of all the presidents. He'd earned a Ph.D degree, was a popular professor and writer, and was President of Princeton University before he entered politics. As an academic, Wilson focused on government and social topics and turned his research into popular books and articles. By combining extensive research on topics he cared about, with his superior intellect and communication skills, Wilson turned himself into a formidable president. He pushed an impressive set of progressive legislation through Congress and successfully led the US through World War I..

Franklin Roosevelt - (1933-45) FDR's leadership style was as unique and confusing as it was effective. According to historian James MacGregor Burns, FDR led by "raising goals, creating momentum, inspiring a personal loyalty, getting the best out of people...by deliberately fostering among his aides a sense of competition and a clash of wills that led to disarray, heartbreak, and anger but also set off pulses of executive energy and sparks of creativity...by handing out one job to several men and several jobs to one man, thus strengthening his own position as a court of appeals, as a depository of information, and as a tool of co-ordination; by ignoring or bypassing collective decision-making agencies, such as the Cabinet...and always by persuading, flattering, juggling, improvising, reshuffling, harmonizing, conciliating, manipulating." While FDR's leadership system looked chaotic, he must have been disciplined in fulfilling his duties as the center of the system, keeping it all together.

Harry Truman (1945-53) - Truman's rapid ascent to the presidency shocked him. He may not have seen himself as qualified in the traditional sense, as he had only been vice-president for three months before FDR's death. Truman was also the last president to not have earned a college degree. Once he got the job, however, he dedicated himself fully to doing the best he could. Truman understood his job as the boss was to make the most difficult decisions, and to take personal responsibility for those decisions. Truman kept a sign on his desk that said "The Buck Stops Here" to remind him and visitors of that leadership responsibility.

Dwight Eisenhower (1953-61) - Eisenhower served as a US Army officer for almost 40 years, starting as a West Point cadet and becoming the top Army general before entering politics to run for president. Eisenhower rose slowly through the Army ranks in a series of staff roles focused on planning, not combat. Those roles sharpened his managerial skills while also exposing him to top Army generals. When he rose to top leadership jobs himself, Eisenhower emphasized high-quality, behind-the-scenes planning over dramatic personal leadership theatrics. While criticized as boring, Eisenhower's highly professional management style was also highly effective.

Ronald Reagan (1981-89) - As a leader, Reagan set "big picture" goals and stuck to them fiercely while leaving the administration of details to his team. He focused his own role on connecting with the public so he could effectively communicate his agenda. Reagan understood that effective leadership often means setting simple goals and sticking to them, to provide consistency and clarity in the face of criticism and complexity.

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About the Author: Victor Prince is an author and speaker who teaches strategy, communication and leadership skills to clients around the world. Victor's book, Lead Inside the Box: How Smart Leaders Guide their Teams to Exceptional Results, has been named a Top 20 semi-finalist for 2016 Leadership Book of the Year. He also blogs regularly on LinkedIn, such as "Lessons Dairy Farming Gave me before my MBA" and "7 Keys to Success in First 100 Days: Lessons from FDR." His next book, The Camino Way: Lessons in Leadership from a Walk Across Spain, comes out in July.

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