Editors Reads Verdict
Goodwin's comparative study of four presidents in crisis draws on decades of research into Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and Johnson to produce a readable, substantive account of how leadership is developed, tested, and either redeemed or revealed to be wanting.
What We Loved
- Four decades of research on these presidents gives Goodwin's comparisons genuine depth and authority
- The structure — early development, crisis, resolution — is clearly organized and accessible
- The treatment of LBJ alongside Lincoln and the Roosevelts is illuminating and somewhat unusual
Minor Drawbacks
- Readers already deeply familiar with all four presidents may find the broad treatment less satisfying than focused biographies
- The leadership lessons drawn can feel somewhat schematic compared to the biographical richness
Key Takeaways
- → Leadership qualities are developed through adversity and setback, not through smooth ascent
- → The ability to acknowledge and learn from mistakes distinguishes great leaders from merely successful ones
- → Empathy — the capacity to understand how policies affect ordinary people — is a prerequisite for democratic leadership
| Author | Doris Kearns Goodwin |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Simon & Schuster |
| Pages | 473 |
| Published | September 18, 2018 |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Biography, Leadership, American History |
Four Presidents, One Question
Doris Kearns Goodwin has spent her career in close proximity to American presidents — she knew Lyndon Johnson personally, and has written landmark biographies of Lincoln, the Roosevelts, and the Kennedy era. Leadership: In Turbulent Times is her synthesis: a comparative study of four presidents who faced crises that tested everything they were, asking how they developed the leadership qualities that rose — or failed — to meet those crises.
The four presidents are Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, and Lyndon Johnson. Each is examined in three phases: the formative years in which their character was shaped, the specific crisis each faced at the height of their power, and what their response to that crisis revealed about the nature of leadership. Lincoln and the Civil War; Theodore Roosevelt and the coal strike of 1902; FDR and the first hundred days of the New Deal; LBJ and the Civil Rights Act.
The Development of Leaders
Goodwin’s most interesting argument is about how leaders are made. None of the four men were the products of smooth, uninterrupted ascent. Lincoln endured profound depression, repeated political failure, and the deaths of people he loved. Theodore Roosevelt remade himself after childhood illness and his wife’s death on the same day as his mother. FDR was transformed by polio. LBJ’s ambition was shaped by the poverty and humiliation he witnessed growing up in the Texas Hill Country.
The crises that shaped them — and the resources they developed in response — became the foundations on which their presidential leadership was built. This developmental argument is Goodwin’s most substantive contribution: leaders are not born but made, and the making happens in the difficult years before the great stage.
The Value of Comparison
The comparative structure allows Goodwin to identify what the four men shared across very different personalities and eras: the willingness to acknowledge mistakes and course-correct, the capacity to communicate directly with ordinary people, the ability to attract and manage talented subordinates, the skill of knowing when to push and when to wait. These are not abstract virtues but specific capabilities illustrated through specific historical episodes.
Our rating: 4.5/5 — A readable, substantive distillation of Goodwin’s career-long engagement with American presidential leadership — essential for anyone interested in how leadership is developed and tested.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is "Leadership: In Turbulent Times" about?
Doris Kearns Goodwin examines four American presidents — Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ — asking how they developed the qualities of leadership and how they deployed those qualities in moments of crisis.
What are the key takeaways from "Leadership: In Turbulent Times"?
Leadership qualities are developed through adversity and setback, not through smooth ascent The ability to acknowledge and learn from mistakes distinguishes great leaders from merely successful ones Empathy — the capacity to understand how policies affect ordinary people — is a prerequisite for democratic leadership
Is "Leadership: In Turbulent Times" worth reading?
Goodwin's comparative study of four presidents in crisis draws on decades of research into Lincoln, both Roosevelts, and Johnson to produce a readable, substantive account of how leadership is developed, tested, and either redeemed or revealed to be wanting.
Ready to Read Leadership: In Turbulent Times?
Check the current price on Amazon.
Check Price on Amazon (paid link)Prices and availability are subject to change. See Amazon for current price.
Review last updated: