Ladies and Gentlemen, We are Experiencing 'Turbulence'

Review by Bill Doughty

People who say Americans have never been more divided must not be aware of the history of the United States. We were more divided many times in our history, including in my lifetime during the late 1960s and early 70s.

Obviously, we were more split apart during the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln, arguably our greatest president, brought a divided nation together, arguing against a wall between North and South. 

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.

In "Leadership in Turbulent Times" (Simon & Schuster, 2018) Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin shows how Lincoln was the bridge from George Washington to Theodore Roosevelt and into the 20th century and key presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Lyndon Baines Johnson.

"From childhood, Theodore Roosevelt's great hero was Abraham Lincoln, whose patient resolve sought to follow all his life. And for Abraham Lincoln, the closest he fond to an ideal leader was George Washington, whom he invoked when he bade farewell to his home in 1861, drawing strength from the first president as he left Illinois to assume a task 'greater than that which rested upon Washington.' If George Washington was the father of his country, then by affiliation and affinity, Abraham Lincoln was his prodigious son. These four men form a family tree, a lineage of leadership that spans the entirety of our country's history."

In the case of the Roosevelts, Navy readers will see TR's and FDR's roles as part of the Navy's lineage.

FDR as Assistant Secretary of the Navy.

Working as assistant secretary of the Navy under Secretary Josephus Daniels proved challenging at first for the young Franklin Delano Roosevelt, "who, despite his unfolding leadership skills, remained deficient in one essential quality – humility."

Yet he learned to harness his ego and focus his energies in collaborative and constructive efforts to strengthen the Navy.

"Those who witnessed young Roosevelt in the Navy Department, however, clearly understood that they were in the presence of a striking intelligence. 'A man with a flashing mind,' was how one rear admiral described him. 'It took my breath away,' he said, 'to see how rapidly he grasped the essentials of a situation,' how thoroughly he absorbed 'the details of the most complicated subjects.'To gain a dynamic up-to-date picture of the size and capacity of the current fleet and the disposition of the 65,000 military and civilian personnel, Franklin had fixed to his office wall a large map of the world. Colored pins denoted the position of every ship in the fleet. Whenever a ship moved, the pins were moved. Other pins indicated the numbers of people employed at various navy yards, docks and supply centers, allowing him to see what was transpiring. From the start, he formed a mental image of the Navy as a living organism rather than a moribund bureaucracy filled with 'dead wood'; he envisioned a vast organization comprised of people working in places and working in jobs that could be grown into a Navy 'second to none.'With a glance at his wall map, Roosevelt noted dozens of useless navy yards, originally designed for the maintenance of sailing vessels presently operating at great loss due to patronage and political pressure. Rather than closing these obsolete yards, he conceived of a new plan. He would convert each one into a specialized industrial plant for the manufacture of vessels and equipment needed for an expanded modern manufacture of vessels and equipment needed for an expanded modern navy. The old Brooklyn Navy Yard would specialize in radios to outfit the fleet. Ropes and anchors and chains for battleships would become the province of the Boston yard, Cruisers would be built in Philadelphia, submarines and destroyers in Norfolk. This new mode of reorganization gave Roosevelt a reputation as an 'economizer.' More importantly, such consolidation was a necessary step to ready a peacetime navy for a potential war."

When that war came, Kearns notes – two years after the German navy sank the Lusitania in 1915 – President Wilson was grateful for the "visionary" FDR, who "was certain that his insistence on preparedness would ultimately save his countrymen's lives."

FDR's commitment to readiness mirrored that of his cousin Theodore Roosevelt, who prior to becoming the 26th president, also served as assistant secretary of the Navy.

Kearns reminds readers of TR's remarks at the Naval War College in which "he drew from the wisdom of the country's first president. 'A century has passed since Washington wrote, 'To be prepared for war is the most effectual means to promote peace,''' he began. 'In all our history there has never been a time when preparedness for war was any menace to peace.' The speech garnered widespread praise, making Roosevelt a leading proponent of preparedness and war-readiness.'"

Kearns evaluates the leadership qualities and ties of both Roosevelts as well as those of Abraham Lincoln and Lyndon Baines Johnson, observing them "through the exclusive lens of leadership." She notes that Lincoln, TR and FDR "rank among our greatest presidents," despite their flaws. "The case of Lyndon Johnson is more problematic."

Young DKG with President LBJ.

She writes, "While Johnson's conduct during the (Vietnam) war will continue to tarnish his legacy, the passing years have made clear that his leadership in civil rights and his domestic vision in the Great Society will stand the test of time."

Kearns begins and ends her examination of leadership in turbulent times with the importance of leaders who learn humility and the importance of support of a majority of the people they were elected to lead. "'With public sentiment, nothing can fail,' Abraham Lincoln said, 'without it, nothing can succeed.' Such a leader is inseparably linked to the people. Such leadership is a mirror in which people see their collective reflection."

Kearns masterfully uses history to bring out key qualities found in good leaders. These include, among others:

• Lead by example.
• Keep temper in check.
• Keep your word.
• Forge a team aligned with action and change.
• Shield colleagues from blame.
• Set forth a compelling picture of the future.
• Use history to provide perspective.
• Refuse to let past resentments fester; transcend personal vendettas.
• Set a standard of mutual respect and dignity; control anger.
• Identify the key to success. Put ego aside.
• Be open to experiment. Design flexible agencies to deal with new problems.
• Address systemic problems. Launch lasting reforms.
• Tell the story simply, directly to the people.
• Be accessible, easy to approach.
• Bring all stakeholders aboard.
• Infuse a sense of shared purpose and direction.
• Restore confidence to the spirit and morale of the people.
• Strike the right balance of realism and optimism.
• Honor commitments.
• Master the power of narrative.
• Share credit for the successful resolution.
• Leave a record behind for the future.
• The readiness is all.

Although we may not be as divided as we've been in the past, history shows divisions can grow. Yet in a real national emergency, even in the most turbulent times – including the Civil War, World Wars I and II, and Vietnam – Americans can come together in the aftermath under the right leadership. We can thank the founders and the Constitution for creating a system of government with checks and balances as a protection from tyranny.



(Kearns dedicates her book in part to her late husband Richard Goodwin, who we featured last year on Navy Reads.)