Leadership and legacy tend to be how we look back at past United States presidents and the character they exhibited in the Oval Office.
Whether it's Gerald Ford’s choosing of what was right over what was popular as he guided a nation through Watergate with integrity, Jimmy Carter’s conviction to do good in the areas of human rights and peace, to Barack Obama’s grace as the first African American leading the nation — their character reflected how they led and inspired.
In his newest book, presidential historian and author Mark Updegrove explores the dominant character traits of the most recent presidents from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama in "Make Your Mark: Lessons in Character from Seven Presidents."
Updegrove has written six books on the presidency and is the president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation. He draws on his decades of access to U.S. presidents as he guides readers through lessons in leadership that underlie the most significant accomplishments of presidents.
We speak to Mark Updegrove about what these lessons reveal about leadership today, how character shapes decision making in moments of crisis and how we can all “make our mark” in our own careers and community.
GUEST:
Mark K. Updegrove, presidential historian and author; president and CEO of the LBJ Foundation
