Franklin D. Roosevelt

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Skin in the Game for Longevity

  Strategy

  Roosevelt insisted on funding social programs through payroll taxes so that contributors would have a legal and moral right to their benefits, making the program politically impossible to dismantle.

  Source Wikipedia: Franklin D. Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize the primary objective

  Focus

  In times of crisis, focus on the single most effective solution to end the problem rather than getting distracted by secondary interventions.

  Source Wikipedia: Franklin D. Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Redefine the Role of Leadership

  Leadership

  A leader should expand the scope of their organization to address systemic challenges and provide security for their constituents during crises.

  Source Wikipedia: Franklin D. Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Explain the 'Why' Simply

  Leadership

  Leaders must translate complex technical or legal jargon into simple language so that the average person can understand the reasoning behind difficult decisions.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I want to tell you what has been done in the last few days, why it was done, and what the next steps are going to be.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Seek Practicality Over Labels

  Mindset

  Do not let critics complicate simple, practical solutions with scary theoretical labels or complex terminology.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I believe in practical explanations and in practical policies. I believe that what we are doing today is a necessary fulfillment of what Americans have always been doing”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Reject the status quo of waste

  Mindset

  Leaders must refuse to accept systemic failures, like mass unemployment, as permanent or necessary conditions.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Step Back for Strategic Perspective

  Leadership

  A leader must occasionally leave the center of action to avoid getting lost in details and to see the 'whole forest' of their organization.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Spend money to save money

  Capital allocation

  Investing in preventive measures and infrastructure prevents the total loss of asset values and future economic collapse.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Iterate through inexperience

  Learning

  Accept that early attempts without a blueprint will involve mistakes, but use those lessons to refine the process over time.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Infuse New Blood Regularly

  Hiring

  An organization stays healthy and efficient by constantly bringing in younger members who have direct experience with modern circumstances.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Maintain Gains While Evolving

  Management

  The immediate task in any crisis is to consolidate and maintain previous gains while adjusting to new problems brought by social evolution.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Broad Distribution of Prosperity

  Wealth

  Economic health depends on distributing buying power across all levels of society to ensure a sustainable cycle of consumption.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Lost working time is lost money. Every day that a workman is unemployed, or a machine is unused, or a business organization is marking time, it is a loss to the nation.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Sail instead of drifting

  Strategy

  A leader must maintain a clear direction and active movement toward a goal rather than waiting for circumstances to change or acting without purpose.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I must never let the greater interest of all the people down, merely because that might be for the moment the easiest personal way out.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Reject the easy coasting path

  Resilience

  Success often brings pressure to stop innovating or reforming; a true leader resists the urge to 'coast' and stays committed to their original platform.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I must never let the greater interest of all the people down, merely because that might be for the moment the easiest personal way out.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Avoid panic and overcorrection

  Resilience

  Do not let a sudden awakening to danger lead to panic or the abandonment of core values in the name of defense.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Strategic Information Delay

  Strategy

  A leader should only release sensitive information after it is officially confirmed and when its disclosure will not provide an advantage to the competition or enemy.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I have no illusions about the gravity of this step. I have not taken it hurriedly or lightly. It is the result of months and months of constant thought and anxiety and prayer.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Establish Stability Through Price Floors

  Strategy

  To prevent market crashes and inflation during transitions, leaders should implement minimum price or wage protections to ensure long-term economic stability.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The American people can also be sure that I shall not hesitate to use every power vested in me to accomplish the defeat of our enemies in any part of the world where our own safety demands such defeat.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Utilize local talent first

  Management

  Avoid unnecessary logistics and costs by hiring and deploying people as close to their homes as possible.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Apply ingenuity to scarcity

  Resilience

  When resources or labor are scarce, use cooperative effort and creative problem-solving to maintain production.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Fireside Chats of Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Radio Addresses to the American People Broadcast Between 1933 and 1944  (opens in a new tab)

• Connect Roles to the Mission

  Leadership

  A leader must show every individual, even those in back-office or support roles, how their specific work directly impacts the lives of those on the front lines.

  Supporting quotes

  • “We will win this war only as we produce and deliver our total American effort on the high seas and on the battle fronts. And that requires unrelenting, uninterrupted effort here on the home front.”

    “A stopping of the coal supply, even for a short time, would involve a gamble with the lives of American soldiers and sailors and the future security of our whole people.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.