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How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents
How the Best Did It is an accessible and insightful explanation of how the most important leadership traits from America’s eight greatest presidents can be implemented by today’s leaders.
“A discerning examination of what all of us can learn from some of our most effective leaders who have held—and wielded—ultimate power at the highest level.” —Jon Meacham
David O. Stewart (author of George The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father) on the George Washington
“In How the Best Did It, Talmage Boston demonstrates rare gifts in sifting gold nuggets from the endless gravel beds of known facts about eight leading presidents, then delivering them concisely and persuasively. In his insightful study of George Washington, he finds the core of America’s first great leader without exaggerating his talents, and makes him someone from whom we can learn and cherish.”
Annette Gordon-Reed (Pulitzer-winning historian and coauthor of Most Blessed of the Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination) on the Thomas Jefferson
“Thomas Jefferson was one the most effective American leaders of his time, creating a political party that dominated American politics for more than a quarter of a century. With great insight and clear writing, Talmage Boston brings Jefferson to life as the talented leader who shaped the course of early American society.”
Ronald C. White Jr. (author of A. Lincoln and three other notable books on Lincoln) on the Abraham Lincoln
“Talmage Boston offers a wise and wide-ranging understanding of Lincoln’s leadership qualities. What makes Boston’s chapter distinct is the personal questions that challenge the reader to apply Lincoln’s values to their lives today.”
“A discerning examination of what all of us can learn from some of our most effective leaders who have held—and wielded—ultimate power at the highest level.” —Jon Meacham
David O. Stewart (author of George The Political Rise of America’s Founding Father) on the George Washington
“In How the Best Did It, Talmage Boston demonstrates rare gifts in sifting gold nuggets from the endless gravel beds of known facts about eight leading presidents, then delivering them concisely and persuasively. In his insightful study of George Washington, he finds the core of America’s first great leader without exaggerating his talents, and makes him someone from whom we can learn and cherish.”
Annette Gordon-Reed (Pulitzer-winning historian and coauthor of Most Blessed of the Thomas Jefferson and the Empire of the Imagination) on the Thomas Jefferson
“Thomas Jefferson was one the most effective American leaders of his time, creating a political party that dominated American politics for more than a quarter of a century. With great insight and clear writing, Talmage Boston brings Jefferson to life as the talented leader who shaped the course of early American society.”
Ronald C. White Jr. (author of A. Lincoln and three other notable books on Lincoln) on the Abraham Lincoln
“Talmage Boston offers a wise and wide-ranging understanding of Lincoln’s leadership qualities. What makes Boston’s chapter distinct is the personal questions that challenge the reader to apply Lincoln’s values to their lives today.”
- GenresNonfiction
411 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 2, 2024
37 people are currently reading
136 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 17, 2024
This is an uneven book with too many downsides to recommend. I bought it because I am a sucker for presidential biographies and I saw the author give a talk. It is clearly a book written by an older man who never veers away from presidential biographies. As such, it has serious limitations.
More positively, it's well-written and has a fun premise and there is some good insight in here about leadership, based on the specific qualities of selected presidents. Sometimes that's tough to parse or even tautological. Act decisively, except in those times when you should gather more consensus. In other cases, presidents show qualities we cannot emulate, like having an eidetic memory. For the average leader, that's not useful advice. But you can't go wrong reading the leadership lessons themselves, with presidential examples along with them.
As someone who is well into middle age but younger than Boomer, I winced at generic references to leaders as "he" (p. 12). How did an editor not catch that? Yes, all presidents have been male but the book is aimed at leaders of all types. I also winced at referring to sex with a 14 year old slave as "presumably non-consensual." It also loaded with hyperbole. How do we know Washington had certain attitudes "even when no one was looking" (p. 10) or that he "went through life making fewer mistakes than most people" (p. 4)?
The author's own perspective comes through most with JFK and Reagan. For JFK, he does a good job of laying his flaws, especially with Cuba, but labels him great anyway. He clearly had trouble getting legislation passed (indeed, he rarely got things passed when he was in Congress!). JFK screwed up Cuba completely, creating a problem (the missile crisis) that didn't need to happen. He bungled the Bay of Pigs, unable to be decisive. His Iran policy has a direct link to the revolution there. His foreign policy--put in Vietnam too--helped create serious national security problems for future presidents to deal with. But Boston doesn't see this, perhaps in no small part because he didn't read anything except biographies for each president, and those authors don't have foreign policy/international relations expertise.
The Reagan chapter is also too much hagiography. Giving Reagan credit for destroying the Soviet Union ignores the Soviets' own agency in its disintegration, which started (especially with the invasion of Afghanistan) before Reagan took office. The invasion of a tiny Caribbean island cannot seriously be called a reassertion of U.S. strength. For whatever reason, Boston doesn't mention one of Reagan's greatest accomplishments, the passing of the Immigration Reform & Control Act, which is the last major immigration reform passed in the U.S.
More positively, it's well-written and has a fun premise and there is some good insight in here about leadership, based on the specific qualities of selected presidents. Sometimes that's tough to parse or even tautological. Act decisively, except in those times when you should gather more consensus. In other cases, presidents show qualities we cannot emulate, like having an eidetic memory. For the average leader, that's not useful advice. But you can't go wrong reading the leadership lessons themselves, with presidential examples along with them.
As someone who is well into middle age but younger than Boomer, I winced at generic references to leaders as "he" (p. 12). How did an editor not catch that? Yes, all presidents have been male but the book is aimed at leaders of all types. I also winced at referring to sex with a 14 year old slave as "presumably non-consensual." It also loaded with hyperbole. How do we know Washington had certain attitudes "even when no one was looking" (p. 10) or that he "went through life making fewer mistakes than most people" (p. 4)?
The author's own perspective comes through most with JFK and Reagan. For JFK, he does a good job of laying his flaws, especially with Cuba, but labels him great anyway. He clearly had trouble getting legislation passed (indeed, he rarely got things passed when he was in Congress!). JFK screwed up Cuba completely, creating a problem (the missile crisis) that didn't need to happen. He bungled the Bay of Pigs, unable to be decisive. His Iran policy has a direct link to the revolution there. His foreign policy--put in Vietnam too--helped create serious national security problems for future presidents to deal with. But Boston doesn't see this, perhaps in no small part because he didn't read anything except biographies for each president, and those authors don't have foreign policy/international relations expertise.
The Reagan chapter is also too much hagiography. Giving Reagan credit for destroying the Soviet Union ignores the Soviets' own agency in its disintegration, which started (especially with the invasion of Afghanistan) before Reagan took office. The invasion of a tiny Caribbean island cannot seriously be called a reassertion of U.S. strength. For whatever reason, Boston doesn't mention one of Reagan's greatest accomplishments, the passing of the Immigration Reform & Control Act, which is the last major immigration reform passed in the U.S.
September 24, 2025
“How the Best Did It: Leadership Lessons from Our Top Presidents” was an exceptionally researched book and the bibliography will provide the reader an outstanding resource for a further reading reference source. The book is a composition of history, text, commentary, and leaders self-help read. I experienced this book as an audio book narrated by the author. The author did not do justice to the book by narrating it and should find a professional narrator. As an audio book it does not flow well with “quates”, “close Quotes”, Parentheses Close parentheses”, “Paragraph a…., Paragraph b….” and the questions at the end of each chapter for leaders gives the book a “text” and “self-help” persona. In my opinion this book would be a fantastic historical perspective of great Americans but what I heard left me somewhat confused with the personal “Parentheses, close parentheses” opinion comments and other distractions. Also, JFK is not the equal of George Washington and Abram Lincoln and should not be at the same level. Otherwise after climbing over the distractions and poor narrative the basic historical information and bibliography are worth the investment in time to read or listen to. (Experienced as an AUDIO book)
September 15, 2025
A snappy distillation of the leadership traits of eight of our greatest presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, the Roosevelts, Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Reagan. It's a quick history of their presidencies. And with a point: to train and inspire aspiring leaders. Boston builds his case in each chapter, as the trained lawyer that he is, using some of the best biographies on his subjects as the material. Particularly useful are the chapters on Eisenhower (often less remembered) and Reagan (as he moves from memory to history). How the Best Did It is short, insightful, and full of wisdom.
December 24, 2024
Outstanding book and important insights into our important leaders. Points out there are different ways to political leadership and success but each have a greater purpose and belief in American unique culture and purpose.
March 9, 2025
This was a very informative and interesting read on the best presidents America has ever had. It discussed the strengths and weaknesses of each of them as well as insight into their personal lives. JFK was not a very faithful husband 😬
May 15, 2025
I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to others with an interest in presidents.
June 13, 2025
Excellent book, combining history with leadership lessons.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews