Authentic presidential leadership: Americans know it when they see it

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Toward the end of his presidency, Ronald Reagan was doing the standard round of exit interviews, one with Tom Brokaw of NBC. During the taping, Brokaw asked Reagan a rather brilliant question, namely, was there anything from Reagan’s Hollywood days that helped him become a better president?

The Gipper thought for a moment and finally replied, "I don’t know how you can do this job and not be an actor." There was great wisdom in what Reagan had to say.

Shakespeare was right. "All the world is a stage." The great leaders of the world all knew about presentation. Think about it.

Julius Caesar in his finest armor. Napoleon insisted on his own uniform, and that of his men be presentable. George Washington understood that what one looks like is a part of leadership. He never went before his men without being dressed in his finest, his horse brushed, and the leather well-tended. He said little publicly, which only added to his aura. When he went before the Constitutional Convention, he was always dressed in his finest uniform. Same with Robert E. Lee. When he went to surrender to Gen. U.S. Grant, the Confederate leader put on his best uniform.

REAGAN'S ENDURING MESSAGE FOR REPUBLICANS AS THEY DO BATTLE IN THE 2024 CAMPAIGN

Sun Tzu once said that "victorious warriors win first then go to war." By that, he meant winners