Don’t Believe Your Own Propaganda

The people to keep on side can vary: in a democracy, leaders need to worry about who's important in their context.

Bismarck sought to keep a stable relationship with Wilhelm of Germany above all, while the Democratic Party in the USA rose to power by seeking the support of different ...

Often leaders have chosen to stay on when they should have bowed out. Without intending to, they often undo much of their own work and cause problems for their successors.

An increasingly frail Winston Churchill should not have tried to be prime minister again in 1951. His government...

Choosing good and independent subordinates and listening to them is a safeguard against making bad decisions.

In the Cuban Missile Crisis, President John F. Kennedy insisted on hearing his advisers’ different points of view before deciding how to deal with the Soviet challenge in Cub...

That means above all understanding your audience and targeting your speech.

Winston Churchill and Pres. Roosevelt masterfully used their communication skills to prepare and keep their nations in a war that at times seemed hopeless.

Leading can be gratifying but also lonely. Ambition and the determination to succeed may mean sacrificing friends and family.

Think of how many children of great men have had unhappy lives. That loneliness is why statesmen like summits: they meet those rare others who face the same p...

Effective leaders are able to manage both the day-to-day issues that press in on them and the bigger picture. A knowledge of history shows patterns amidst all the noise of current events and reminds of unusual possibilities.

Bismarck famously said that a statesman “must wait until he...