Theodore Roosevelt’s Principles During His Leadership
Theodore Roosevelt is one of the greatest leaders in American history. He ascended to power in the year 1901 and ruled until 1908 (Brinkley, np). He rose to power was because of the assassination of William Mckinley. Theodore Roosevelt is known for the establishment of a strong army and navy and also his leadership principles. This paper will discuss the principles of Theodore Roosevelt as displayed during his time of presidency.
One of the principles of Theodore Roosevelt was that he put teamwork first ahead of yourself. During the war between the United States of America and Spain, Theodore led his army. His was in the frontline during the war despite being the president. He put himself in great danger which shows that he placed those people he was serving before himself. Theodore’s act of risking his life proved that he cared more about his army and the security of the country more than he did care for his life. His actions won the commitment from the military, which survived the war for the rest of their lives.
Theodore also acknowledged that leaders are learners and used it as his belief. During his project of self-creation as a leader, Theodore used his life ideas experiences and actions to learn. He never stopped reading and learning through reading since he believed that the classroom is not the only place of learning. He also had a belief in learning that if a man stops learning, then he becomes a useless teacher since nobody can longer learn from him. This shows that learning was one of the principles of his leadership and helped him achieve a lot during his administration.
Theodore Roosevelt also believed that courage was one of quality of moral excellence. Apart from being the president, Theodore was also a warrior (Cooper, np). He led his armies during wars and was always in the frontline during the war. This was an act of courage since he never feared the danger of the battlefields. His convention that before he was afraid of several things such as the gunfighters but underwent a transformation and later became courageous about shows that he took courage as one of his principles. When he overcame his weakness of fear, he wants his personal experience to be emulated by the nation and be courageous.
Another principle of Theodore Roosevelt was also always to act. According to him, the action was still to be consistent and that it should never cease. He was always in work by himself and not rely on other people to do it. During the war, he was still present in the battlefields to fight alongside his armies. During the construction of the Panama Canal, Theodore was present and was in action of constructing it. His reason for being in work of every activity taking place was to ensure that there were no risks of inaction or any delay. This helped him in several achievements during his leadership since it helps to make sure that activities were done and without any delays.
Theodore also had a principle that the leaders are not born but are created. His life put an example that proved that leaders are developed through his project of self-creation as a leader. His own efforts which made him a great leader gives anyone a way to make himself or herself a good leader too. Theodore’s great achievements despite not having great gifts as a leader show that his self-creation worked for him. This encourages anyone that they can be good leaders, too through learning and self-development.
Work Cited
Brinkley, Douglas, and Dennis Holland. The wilderness warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the crusade for America. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.
Cooper, John Milton. The warrior and the priest: Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt. Harvard University Press, 1983.
