Lead Like Reagan: Strategies to Motivate, Communicate, and Inspire

3Communicating a MessageConnecting Others to Your Vision

I won a nickname, The Great Communicator. But I never thought it was my style or the words I used that made a difference: It was the content. I wasn't a great communicator, but I communicated great things, and they didn't spring full-bloom from my brow—they came from the heart of a great nation—from our experience, our wisdom, and our belief in the principles that have guided us for two centuries.

—Ronald Reagan^*

With predictable humility, Ronald Reagan talked about his nickname the Great Communicator—and attributed greatness to the American people, not to himself. Ronald Reagan truly never saw himself as better or as more important than anyone else, and regularly gave credit to others. He understood the importance of effective communication and consistently and masterfully displayed what it looks like at its very best.

A clear and expansive vision was the essential foundation for all that was accomplished during the Reagan presidency and is the fundamental component to all achievement and accomplishment. Yet without a way to communicate and articulate your vision, it will never be built upon or develop into a reality. It requires the support, the enthusiasm, and the efforts of those who are affected by its direction and will be affected by the fulfillment of it. Articulating and communicating vision in inspiring ways can make the difference between overall success and utter failure.

Ronald Reagan had an intuitive way ...