Doris Kearns Goodwin

Leadership in Turbulent Times      This event is sold out.

Author Doris Kearns Goodwin writes in her newest book of the qualities that defined her four “vastly different” subjects, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and Lyndon Johnson. While she discovered no “master key” of leadership, there is a “familial resemblance” among the traits they share, the ability to lead by example; to set a standard of mutual respect; to share credit; to openly acknowledge errors quickly; to find ways to release anger; and to know when to hold back, move forward, and when to risk it all.  And perhaps most importantly, she speaks of how each of her subjects had the confidence to “surround themselves with strong-minded people, who could provide diverse perspectives, argue with (the presidents), and question their assumptions.”  Referring to our own rather turbulent times, Goodwin points back to the monumental struggles faced by “her guys.” Their “times must have seemed even more perilous,” she notes about the struggles these presidents faced, “and America got through it. There’s something about the strength of this country that should give us hope.”  Presented in partnership with the Ivy Bookshop. Tickets required.