Last Sunday, February 6, 2011, America celebrated President Ronald Reagan’s 100th birthday. The media was full of tributes to our 40th President. It was awe-inspiring to watch and read the many stories and celebrations of Reagan’s life and leadership. He is my favorite modern president, so I found myself wanting to honor him appropriately.
I came of age during the Reagan presidency. The presidential race of 1984 was the first in which I was eligible to vote. The assassination attempt in 1981shocked me and remains a vivid memory. The amount of attention Reagan is receiving reflects the impact that his life and leadership had on America and the world. He led America through one of its most challenging times. His leadership restored our faith and confidence in ourselves. He led us to victory in the Cold War and helped reduce the threat of nuclear holocaust.
While Reagan’s accomplishments and achievements were impressive, they are not what made him great. His greatness came from the attribute that defined him and his leadership – his character. Reagan knew who he was. He knew what mattered to him, and he understood the beliefs and values that formed his character. These beliefs and values did not influence or inform his actions; they drove and compelled them.
Reagan has become an icon to many. He has become the quintessential conservative. Whether it is leveled as a compliment or an insult, this label implies a dogmatic and rigid adherence to a political agenda. It gives the impression that Reagan was uncompromising. However, a close, objective review of Reagan’s presidency reveals an important truth about his leadership. It shows that he understood the importance of compromise.
Reagan knew that leadership meant having the wisdom and courage to find common ground with his adversaries, but he also knew that there are different types of compromise. He knew that leadership meant compromising on issues without violating one’s values and beliefs. Reagan demonstrated this distinction during the budget battles of his first term. His budget advocated three top priorities: increased defense spending, tax cuts, and reductions in domestic spending. Ultimately, he convinced Congress to pass a budget that achieved the first two but not the third.
Reagan compromised. Rebuilding America’s defenses and cutting taxes were matters of principle on which he would not compromise. The domestic spending cuts, while important, were issues on which he was flexible. This type of leadership required Reagan to both know his principles and to prioritize them. Reagan’s most fundamental value was protecting and preserving human freedom. He believed that communism was the greatest threat to that freedom. Reagan argued that unless America strengthened its military, communism would continue to spread. He called his strategy “Peace through Strength.”
Reagan’s next priority was restoring America’s economy. He believed that America’s greatness was built on its robust free-market economy. He felt the economic crisis of the 1970s and early 1980s was undermining America. Reagan also believed passionately that the federal government had grown far too large. Throughout his public life, he had declared his belief in shrinking the size and scope of government.
In 1981, Reagan recognized that he would not achieve all three of his budget priorities, so he compromised. He fought for what mattered most to him – defense and tax cuts. He accepted freezing the growth of domestic spending, but he acknowledged that the domestic cuts were unattainable.
Whether today’s leaders are lionizing Reagan or criticizing him, they can all learn important lessons from his leadership. They have the opportunity to define their characters in terms of what they truly value and believe. Great leadership is rarely a matter of choosing between good and bad or right and wrong. More often, leadership means choosing between good and good or bad and bad. Leaders like Reagan use their self-awareness and strong character to make these hard choices. Reagan believed in and valued the principle of limited government, but he valued freedom and economic stability more. His willingness to forego shrinking government was a compromise on policy. Had he allowed his political adversaries to grow the size of government, it would have been a compromise of character.
President Reagan taught us that compromise is not a dirty word. He showed that compromise that is rooted in our values is what makes a leader truly great.
