How to Lead Like Franklin D. Roosevelt

culled from:wikihow.com

Leaders who face significant challenges will meet the situation head on, conquering insurmountable challenges with finesse. Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) is one leader who is remembered as being one who brought the country together during its darkest days. FDR guided the US through the Great Depression, fought for reform and led the country through one of the most significant wars in history. How did FDR meet these challenges head on? He leveraged specific leadership qualities, which can still be applied to a variety of scenarios.

Steps

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Think on your feet and be a quick study. Great leaders know how to quickly become entangled from a sticky situation or can turn a treacherous encounter into a noble cause.

• Allow curiosity to get the best of you. FDR was a curious man, which allowed him to open his mind to new ideas and pursue thoughts based on his propensity for being curious.
  
• Expand your communication skills in order to gain more knowledge. Unlike other leaders like Thomas Jefferson, FDR wasn’t much of a reader. Instead he would glean knowledge from talking and interacting with others. His ability to ask questions and gain information was uncanny, which he often used to his advantage.
  
• Stay focused on conversations and your surroundings. FDR didn’t allow external distractions to derail him from gaining information and knowledge. He insatiable craving for knowledge and information, forced him to stay focused on the conversation at hand, absorbing numerous facts and information from a simple discussion.
  

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   Learn how to connect and reach out to large groups of people. Being able to bring bands of people together in harmony is a signature characteristic of a potent leader. FDR’s overall charismatic presence and imposing character made people take note.
   • Massage your public speaking abilities. FDR’s imposing; powerful voice made him a compelling and passionate speaker. If you struggle in front of groups or find public speaking to be difficult, consider consulting with a professional public speaking coach or take a class on ways to improve your presence. Use FDR’s first speech in 1933 about the reopening of banks as an example. Following that fireside chat, an unprecedented 500,000 letters arrived at the White House from citizens who expressed how comforted the felt following his radio address.
     
   • Understand how to work the system. Part of being an effective public speaker is understanding your audience and knowing how turn your words into action. By the time FDR became the President he had a strong understanding of how Washington operated and what needed to happen and/or be said in order to get anything accomplished.
     
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   Tap into your inner self confidence and strong character. A self confident leader is never arrogant or closed off to new ideas. A confident leader passionately believes in his/her goals and visions no matter the circumstance. When facing major decisions, FDR would sometimes disagree with his advisors as he stuck to his guns on his stance and support of Great Britain.
   • Stay true to your sense of duty. An unwavering commitment to the greater good and values will support your level of confidence and character. Even as a young boy studying at Groton, FDR knew that he wanted to spend his career as a public servant.
     
   • Draw from your inner strength during times of crisis. FDR had to confront the largest economic collapse in the country and war by bringing on reforms during the Great Depression. He drew from strengths he built from dealing with paralysis at a young age, which he faced with hope, tenacity, strength and courage.
     
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   Stick to your goals and vision. FDR saw America as a global society. In the 1930’s the country was isolated from the rest of the world, however, FDR’s vision was to transform America into a haven for foreign affairs.
   • Stay true to the notion of achieving for the greater good. Before Pearl Harbor FDR was stubborn in his stance persuading the British to steer clear of the Nazis, despite American opposition. He knew his position, while sometimes unpopular was important to seeing the country through tough times.
     
   • Stay the course until you’ve reached your goal. FDR had a specific way and vision of America. He viewed the Great Depression as a crisis that didn’t occur overnight but something that had been brewing for quite some time. For example, he knew that managing unregulated the state of Capitalism in the 1930’s was one aspect that would help him save the country.