Bill Haldeman on Presidential Leadership and Transformative Leadership Qualities That Allowed Presidents to Meet the Moment Before Them

Election Day is on Tuesday, November 5, and I could think of no better book to tee that up than Bill Haldeman’s new book Meeting the Moment: Inspiring Presidential Leadership That Transformed America, which is out November 1. This book about presidential leadership takes a specific leadership quality of a certain president and shows readers how the combination of that quality and that president transformed America. Case in point? Bill writes that for Thomas Jefferson, his transformative leadership quality was ingenuity; for George Washington, it was his judgment; for Teddy Roosevelt, his courage and fearless, daring spirit; for Franklin D. Roosevelt, his confidence; for Ronald Reagan, his optimism. As Bill writes, when a president’s defining leadership quality met their action, America was advanced. We talk today about how presidential leadership has transformed America, as Bill writes, “it was not one leadership quality that made America stronger and better—it was many.” Bill, like me, has long been interested in the American presidency, and this is a fresh, compelling take on presidential leadership that inspired me to ask myself the question, “What is my transformative leadership quality that I might be remembered by?” Bill also talks about speeches of import and tells us about a powerful one in today’s episode, which presidents maybe didn’t meet the moment, and about the “second term curse” for presidents. I love studying the presidency and I love studying leadership, and this book combined both subject matters brilliantly. Let me introduce you to our fantastic guest today: Bill Haldeman is a veteran public servant and is the Vice Chancellor and Chief Strategy Officer at the University of Pittsburgh. He has also served the White House Domestic Policy Council, two U.S. Secretaries of State, and is a senior staff member to a state governor. I’m excited for you to hear our conversation.

Meeting the Moment: Inspiring Presidential Leadership That Transformed America by Bill Haldeman