The political climate today is contentious and honestly, like you I’m sure, I have a hard time making sense of it. So when I share stories and lessons from my experience with President Ronald Reagan, I do not share from a place of propping up a political party or a particular political figure. Rather, I share about Ronald Reagan as a person and as a leader, in life, and not just because he was once president of the United States.

I believe, even if Ronald Reagan never became a household name, even if he wasn’t elected President of the United States, even if he never made it into the history books, that he would still be a legacy leader because fundamentally, at his core, he saw people as individuals and he was good to them.

What I appreciated most about my time with President Reagan was being able to observe him behind the scenes, when no one else was watching.

In reality though, there is always someone watching, especially if you find yourself in a leadership position.

While I served in the post-presidential office of Ronald Reagan, everyday I would get the President’s schedule and upon seeing each day’s visitor list, I would try to act very normal.

Nonchalantly, I would saunter over to my office, shut the door behind me, ensure I was alone, then call my mom in a state of panic and excitement, and scream through the phone, “Mom! You have no idea who is coming in today!”

The visitor list would include people like Queen Elizabeth, Wayne Gretzky, Bo Derek, and Tom Selleck. The list of visitors was a crazy mix of world leaders, athletes, thought leaders, etc.

Upon reflection and now in thinking about my own leadership legacy, the hallmark leadership attribute of Ronald Reagan is that he treated every individual exactly the same, no matter their clout. He extended goodness to every individual he encountered.

Beyond working in the post-presidential office, I was fortunate enough to keep the relationship with President Reagan going and eventually was able to introduce him to my family.

One of my favorite pictures is of my son, playing on the floor of President Reagan’s office. We have that picture in our home, with a letter written by President Reagan to Justin on the day Justin was born. The letter to Justin reads:

Dear Justin, Welcome. Your arrival is cause for great joy.

Trust in God. Believe in our Constitution. You will have a special life.

Ronald Reagan’s outlook—the reverence he had for each individual, the fact that he saw each and every person as special, unique, and that their life and story mattered—is what makes him a legacy leader, regardless of the presidential title.

President Reagan taught me, in real-life and in real-time, that the individual matters.

Today, as leaders we are busy. We have full schedules. That is to be expected and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. In the midst of the hustle, if we are to cultivate our leadership legacy, we need to think about two things when approaching all people:

1. See Them – See people as individuals, not as a collective group, not as a commodity, and not as what they can do for you. See them for who they are as individuals; this will positively impact the way you interact with people in your life.

2. Treat Them with Goodness – Be good to people no matter their clout. Treat them with goodness, as individuals, no matter if their title is CEO, Prime Minister, or doorman. Treat them exactly the same way you want to be treated even if you have no clout in someone else’s life.

Seeing and treating people as individuals is one way of practicing legacy leadership.

Lead well,

 

p.s. – Thanks for listening! Please rate, review, and subscribe to my leadership podcast on iTunesSpotify, and/or SoundCloud.