01 Feb FDR: PRESIDENTIAL “TEAMWORK, TONE, TENACITY” (T3) LEADERSHIP

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) was born On This Date in 1882.  He was our 32nd President; and our longest serving one, elected to an historic four terms.  The charismatic FDR was also proud to declare he was an Assistant Secretary of the Navy for seven years and two time Governor of New York.  He led America through the Great Depression and WWII.  FDR promised a “New Deal” and delivered … pulling the country the away from the brink of disaster and laying the foundation for our future stability and prosperity.  When I’m asked about Presidential leadership at keynote presentations, I often comment that if I could put a fifth President for Mount Rushmore it would be him.  FDR’s most inspirational leadership traits were:

• TEAMWORK:  FDR was paralyzed from the chest down with polio at age 39 in 1921.  Previously athletic and fiercely independent,  hewas forced to become reliant on others to help achieve his goals.  His eldest son James provided physical assistance.  His wife Eleanor attended events and provided speeches in his absence.  His Campaign Manager Louis Howe kept the media and donors enthused about FDR’s political future.  Once President, he established a “Brain Trust” of diverse thinkers to develop solutions vs. wicked economic problems.  By every measure, FDR was more effective when operating as part of a team. 

• TONE: “We have nothing to fear but fear itself.”  FDR’s words assuaged fears and inspired confidence during the Depression.  The first of FDR’s 31 “Fireside Chats” was broadcast in 1933.  His message was crisp, clear and comprehensible to our citizens.  Americans responded positively.  He wasn’t afraid to take risks either: “The country needs — and, unless I mistake its temper — the country demands bold, persistent experimentation. It is common sense to take a method and try it: If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”  FDR’s empathy was motivational.  He was particularly happy to boost other paralysis patients’ morale by regularly vacationing with them in Warm Springs, GA, where he sadly passed in 1945. 

• TENACITY:  FDR was our first and only President elected with a known physical disability.  He preferred not to speak of his condition even to his family, as FDR did not want sympathy or pity—what he referred to as “sob stuff.”  According to Eleanor, “Franklin’s illness gave him strength and courage he had not had before.  He had to think out the fundamentals of living and learn the greatest of all lessons—infinite patience and never-ending persistence.”

FDR was a transformational leader. His optimistic vision of the future, and injection of bold new thoughts and actions into American society in time of crisis got people excited and moving again.  He may have done more for America’s future success than any of his predecessors in the White House, except Abraham Lincoln. Through it all, he never wavered in his belief that it was the American people themselves who could overcome any challenge, through out own ”Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity” (T3). 

– Rear Admiral Paul Becker, USN (Ret) is a former Naval Intelligence Officer who led large, diverse teams in peace, crisis and combat.   He is the CEO of The Becker T3 Group, a platform for his motivational and national security keynote speaking. In 2016, The Naval Intelligence Community established “The Rear Admiral Becker ‘Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity Award for Leadership” in his honor