Meeting the Moment
Inspiring Presidential Leadership that Transformed America
Inspiring stories of six US presidents and the distinctive leadership characteristics that set them apart and transformed America.
Description
The histories presented here are of a select group of US presidents, their inspired leadership characteristics, and how they may inspire us today. The traits these presidents possessed were cultivated over a lifetime of lived experience and immortalized through the power of the presidential word—speeches, letters, and addresses—which collectively represent the most transcendent documents in American history. Viewed through the lens of nuance, complication, human emotion, pathos, and drama, William Haldeman sets forth the lives of these presidents in ways to help inform our own lives, from leveraging our experience and instincts to making the right calls when they matter the most. Grounded in an interdisciplinary approach, Haldeman appeals to both scholars and general audience readers alike, offering a refreshing view of presidential leadership that not only elevates leadership as a central part of the scholarly field, but also broadly engages American presidency enthusiasts and readers of history, biography, politics, and leadership development.
William Haldeman is Vice Chancellor and Chief Strategy Officer at the University of Pittsburgh. He has also served the White House Domestic Policy Council, two US secretaries of state, and as a senior staff member to a state governor.
Reviews
"Meeting the Moment should be of interest to both scholars within multiple disciplines as well as general interest readers. Haldeman brings real-world experience within government, along with his academic training, to provide a fascinating assessment of times of crisis and how six presidents rose to meet them. The inclusion of 'traditional' presidents such a Washington and Lincoln as well as 'modern' presidents such as FDR and Reagan enhances the book’s appeal." — Lori Cox Han, coeditor of In the Public Domain: Presidents and the Challenges of Public Leadership