The Ambition of Theodore Roosevelt

1. The Ambition of Theodore Roosevelt

In chapter 2 of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, Leadership: In Turbulent Times, Goodwin asks the question “what attracted this abundantly privileged, sheltered young man to the alien and contemptible world of local politics?”

This question has great relevance for all of us who are reading and writing this “Three Things” post. I venture to say that most of us live quite comfortably, isolated geographically, physically, mentally, and emotionally from people who occupy society's lowest socioeconomic rungs. What can we learn from a wealthy “aristocrat” such as Theodore Roosevelt, and his motivation to serve others? The highlights of Goodwin’s findings include the following:

Roosevelt believed in the ability of man to change through determination and willpower: Theodore Roosevelt's innate drive is seen in his youth. Given his sickly build, his struggle with severe asthma, and his poor eyesight, he is the classic “98 pound weakling.” That Roosevelt was able to transform his body through sheer willpower led to his statement that “self-made success is open to the man of sound body and fair mind who has no remarkable attribute, but enlarges his, or her, personal attributes to a maximum degree.” Roosevelt felt that with determination, anyone, “can, if he chooses, find out how to win a similar success himself.” The drive that Roosevelt displayed in overcoming his youthful frailties and chronic asthma was mirrored in nearly every aspect of his life.
He was motivated to live up to the example set by his father: While Roosevelt read voraciously about the great men of history, the example he followed most was that of his father. “My father was the best man I have ever known,” Roosevelt later said. “He combined strength and courage with gentleness, tenderness and great unselfishness.” The elder Roosevelt was a public figure of great accomplishment in the philanthropic world, committed to “every social reform movement;” yet Teddy Roosevelt “never knew anyone who got greater joy out of living than did my father.” “Oh, how little worthy I am of such a father,” Teddy wrote in his diary, following his father's death, which came when the younger Roosevelt was 18. “How I wish I could ever do something to keep up his name.”
Roosevelt realized that we are all the same and meet the same fate: Following his father's death, a mentor to Teddy Roosevelt arranged for him to go on three expeditions deep into the woods of Maine. The guide for Roosevelt's expedition, Bill Sewell, observed in Teddy the making of a leader. “He was different from anyone I had ever met” Sewell said. “Wherever he went, he got right in with the people,” connecting with them, talking with them, enjoying them, without the least trace of condescension. Roosevelt thrived among the woodsmen, trappers, and lumberjacks, and it is believed that this experience marked the beginning of the evaporation of Roosevelt's elitism of his privileged background. Sewell stated that Teddy Roosevelt was learning what it meant to be an American, the idea that “no man is superior, unless it is by merit, and no man is inferior, unless by his demerit.” Roosevelt's appreciation of the “common man” lays the foundation for his developing sense of empathy – where he took up the cause of the powerless against the powerful. Roosevelt argued that, “a very large part of the rancor of political and social strife” springs from the fact that different classes, or sections, of society “are so cut off from each other that neither appreciates the other's passions, prejudices, and, indeed, point of view.”

2. The "Who" of Public Company Board Service

My Caldwell Partners colleague, Kelly Blair, and I are preparing for an upcoming presentation where we will be speaking on the topic of “preparing for board service.” In preparing my comments on preparing for board service, I am prepared to share my thoughts on this topic with you.

Question: Who is asked to serve on public company boards today?

The range of talents and backgrounds sought for company boards today are more diverse and multifaceted than ever. While the services of sitting CEOs remain highly sought after, other skill sets which are in demand include:

Strategic acumen in the domain of the client company.
P&L expertise, of a scale equal to or greater than that of the client company today.
Digital expertise, across all facets of the business.
Technological expertise, with an emphasis on cybersecurity.
Financial expertise, with an emphasis on Sarbanes-Oxley compliance.
Risk expertise, as mandated by Dodd-Frank in the banking world.
Regulatory expertise, combined with a knowledge of the regulatory relationships.
Relevant social and environmental expertise, especially as it relates to sustainability.

COVID, the technological revolution and pressure from institutional investors have changed the ways board members interact with each other and management, and has changed the skills desired by corporate boards. That a broader set of perspectives and experiences are being sought for public company boards is both healthy and appropriate.

3. In Remembrance: Martin Luther King

Read Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech in its entirety