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

5Taking ActionTurning Ideas into Achievement

Let it never be said of this generation of Americans that we became so obsessed with failure that we refused to take the risks that could further the cause of peace and freedom in the world.

—Ronald Reagan¹

President Reagan came to office with a vision of expanding freedom, both domestically and abroad. He wanted to get government off the backs of American businesses and unleash the American entrepreneurial spirit. He also wanted to expand freedom and liberty worldwide. Anything that didn't fit into this simple framework would not be a top priority for him or his administration.

Ronald Reagan's faith and core beliefs were essential to providing him, and the country, with direction and guidance throughout the 1980s. He believed that America was unique in the world and that it was the role of limited government to serve its citizens, not the other way around. To President Reagan this meant helping those who truly needed it and getting government out of the way for the vast majority who just wanted the freedom and liberty to pursue their own unique American dream.

In many ways, the economic challenges of the Reagan presidency had been over a decade in the making. Some blame the policies of Richard Nixon, including wage and price controls. Others trace it back even farther. Either way, by the time President Carter led the country, we had a misery index (inflation plus unemployment) of more than 20 percent. The country was dejected and ...