Arete Coach: The Art & Science of Executive Coaching

Arete Coach 1209 Talmage Boston "How the Best Led: Presidential Lessons for Today’s Leaders"

Feb 17, 2025

57:35

In this episode of the Arete Coach Podcast, host Severin Sorensen sits down with Talmage Boston, a distinguished attorney, author, speaker, and presidential historian. With over four decades of experience in commercial litigation and a deep passion for history, Talmage shares invaluable insights from his latest book, How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents.

This episode, recorded on November 27, 2024, via Zoom, explores the leadership principles of America’s most impactful presidents and how their lessons can be applied to modern leadership and executive coaching.

Talmage Boston is a partner at Shackelford, Bowen, McKinley, and Norton, LLP, and has been honored as a Texas Super Lawyer since 2003. Beyond his legal career, he is an esteemed historian and author endorsed by Pulitzer Prize-winning historians like David McCullough and Jon Meacham. His previous books, including Cross-Examining History and Raising the Bar, provide thought-provoking analyses of leadership and historical narratives.

In How the Best Did It, Talmage identifies 24 leadership traits exhibited by eight U.S. presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan. Each chapter includes interactive questions to help readers apply these insights to their leadership journey.

Boston identifies three overarching traits that all eight presidents shared:

Persuasion – Ability to inspire and unify diverse groups.
Self-Awareness – Recognizing strengths and delegating weaknesses.
Big-Picture Focus – Aligning leadership efforts with the needs of the broad middle rather than extremes.

Boston stresses that history should be remembered accurately and used to inspire positive change. He encourages leaders to apply historical lessons to modern challenges and maintain a commitment to integrity and unity.

This episode offers a powerful blend of history and leadership, making it an essential listen for executive coaches, business leaders, and history enthusiasts alike.

The Arete Coach Podcast explores the art and science of executive coaching. You can find more about this podcast at aretecoach.io.

This episode was recorded on November 27, 2024.