Heroes provide an important guiding light to help us live a fulfilling life and build a meaningful legacy. They inspire us and stretch us to be better. I am blessed with such a hero—it’s my best friend Talmage Boston, my law school roommate going back almost 50 years now. In my post of June 7, 2022, I explained how Talmage’s example and encouragement gave me the confidence to expand my horizons. Talmage’s leadership skills became a lesson in leadership for me. Now Talmage has written a book on this very topic. In How the Best Did It, Talmage Boston examines 24 leadership skills of our eight best Presidents and shows how we can apply the traits of those heroes to become better leaders in our own lives.
We are in the midst of a down and dirty Presidential campaign that has many of us longing for the days of exemplary Presidential leadership. Talmage restores hope that we’ve had that kind of leadership before, and by learning from their greatness, we can once again achieve greatness. Beyond following their example to become a great President, Talmage shows us how to apply the lessons of history to become a better leader in any field, be it business, government, academia, non-profit, or volunteerism. Each of the eight chapters ends with a mini workbook that serves as a practical checklist to assess: How am I doing? How can I improve? Speaking from personal experience, Talmage’s book is helping me become a better managing partner of my law firm.
Who made Talmage’s Top Eight? It’s the four on Mount Rushmore (Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, and Teddy Roosevelt), plus four more since then: Franklin Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan. Talmage defends his selections by highlighting each one’s formula for effective and ethical leadership. Though each brings unique skills, there are three traits held in common by all eight featured Presidents. First, they were self-aware, recognizing any gaps in their toolkit and filling that void by teaming up with those who could enhance them where they had some weakness. Second, each was a great persuader who could bring the country around, though some did it through eloquent oratory prowess (Lincoln, FDR, JFK, and Reagan) and others did it more one-on-one (Washington, Jefferson, TR, and Ike). Third, all eight prioritized appealing to the American middle (where the majority of us reside) and resisted pressure from the far left and far right extremes.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book for me is that Talmage not only reveals each one’s strengths; he also candidly discloses each one’s flaws. No leader is perfect. By pulling back the curtain on their weaknesses, we realize that we too can overcome our own deficiencies and rise to greatness. For example, Washington was a slave owner who saw the light and revised his Will to free his slaves upon his death. Jefferson was painfully shy and a lackluster speaker (giving only two speeches in his eight years—his first and second inaugural addresses), yet he was a master at hosting small dinner gatherings to break down barriers with his Federalist adversaries. Lincoln’s wife Mary was a notoriously difficult woman, but Lincoln powered through his difficult marriage and stayed focused on winning the Civil War and reuniting the country. FDR could’ve succumbed to his polio paralysis at age 39, but steadfastly refused to let it dampen his confidence. Reagan overcame his deficient upbringing with an undependable alcoholic father, living in suitcases as they moved from one rental home to another, yet emerged with an optimism that was so contagious that he could heal the country from the malaise that pervaded the end of Carter’s presidency.
I won’t give away any more, so go read it for yourself and find out the rest. You’ll enjoy Talmage’s “snap, crackle, pop” writing style and skillful storytelling. Suffice to say How the Best Did It is a masterclass in leadership.
I am a member of TIGER 21, an international peer-to-peer learning organization with monthly group meetings. At the beginning of each meeting, each member contributes to a “Tip Jar” by recommending a book, show, or other tip. I was gratified in my last meeting when a fellow TIGER member’s tip was a glowing recommendation of Talmage’s How the Best Did It. He had no idea of my friendship with Talmage. He was just objectively giving praise. I was also gratified when I sent the book to my longtime friend Bob Schieffer, regarded as one of the greatest American journalists of the 20th and 21st centuries, and, upon reading it, Bob Schieffer declared: “I was just waiting for someone to write this book!” Now that’s some endorsement. So don’t just take my word for it. These assessments, as well as a multitude of other reviews, are declaring Talmage’s book to be stellar.
In writing this weekly estate planning blog, my mission is to help others build a rich legacy that will inspire future generations. We leave behind more than money. Ideally, we bequeath to our heirs an example they can follow to help them live a fulfilling life. Talmage Boston’s How the Best Did It is a roadmap to help us live such an exemplary life and inspire our heirs to likewise become leaders with the skills to carry on our family legacy. One final tip: this book would make a perfect Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift!
1– Marvin Blum and Talmage Boston, best friends for 49 years (and counting), celebrate Talmage’s sixth book How the Best Did It, lessons in leadership from our eight best Presidents. 2– Book cover for How the Best Did It by Talmage Boston.