The award-wining author of Second Acts and The Last Republicans draws on interviews and conversations with seven presidents to identify the essence of character, leadership and legacy that has defined each of them and the modern American presidency.
Throughout his career as an author, journalist, television commentator, and head of a presidential library and foundation, Mark Updegrove has had the privilege of getting to know seven U.S.
Presidents, from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama.
In Make Your Mark, he offers incisive, compelling sketches of these modern presidents and the character trait that made each suited to his moment in the Oval Office and underlies his most significant accomplishments.
Gerald Ford’s instinct to do the right thing in the wake of Watergate;Jimmy Carter’s mission to do good in the areas of peace and human rights during his presidency and throughout his post-presidency;Ronald Reagan’s optimism, restoring the nation’s confidence and pride after a sustained period of demoralizing national setbacks;George H.W.
Bush’s humility, helping to ensure a peaceful end to the Cold War that had seethed between the superpowers for over forty years;Bill Clinton’s resilience and determination to keep working for the good of the American people in the face of political and personal obstacles;George W.
Bush’s charge to give back as the deadly AIDS epidemic spread unchecked throughout much of the developing world;and Barack Obama’s grace as the first African American to hold the country’s highest office.
Make Your Mark reveals that there is no one-size-fits-all model for leadership.
We all have our own set of strengths and weaknesses.
But drawing on these presidential examples, we can ask ourselves how our character reflects our leadership, and be inspired to find the very best in who we are to make own unique marks as leaders.
The award-wining author of Second Acts and The Last Republicans draws on interviews and conversations with seven presidents to identify the essence of character, leadership and legacy that has defined each of them and the modern American presidency.
The American writer, politician, and ambassador Clare Boothe Luce used to lecture the presidents she knew—from Herbert Hoover to Ronald Reagan.
“A great man is one sentence,” she would say.
Then, she would challenge them: “What is your sentence?”Throughout his career as an author, journalist, television commentator, and head of a presidential library and foundation, Mark Updegrove has had the privilege of getting to know seven U.S.
Presidents, from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama.
In Make Your Mark, he offers incisive, compelling sketches of these modern presidents and the character trait that made each suited to his moment in the Oval Office and shaped the sentence that defined their destiny:Gerald R.
Ford/Doing Right “He healed the nation from the nightmare of Watergate.”Jimmy Carter/Doing Good “He brokered the Camp David Accords and continued to fight for peace and human rights in his post-presidency.”Ronald Reagan/Optimism “He restored our faith in America and strengthened democracy abroad.”George H.W.
Bush/Humility “He ensured a peaceful end to the Cold War and ushered in a New World Order.”Barack Obama/Grace “He made real our most sacred promise of equality for all Americans.”Make Your Mark reveals that there is no one-size-fits-all model for leadership.
We all have our own set of strengths and weaknesses.
Drawing on these presidential examples, we can be inspired to find the very best in who we are, discover how we can make our own unique marks as leaders, and ultimately shape what we want our own sentences to be.
