Imagine you’re Ronald Reagan when he was 65 years old. You have just dedicated the last 20 years of your life implementing a policy of political leadership you hope will help your country and the world. All of your efforts to touch hearts and garner support comes down to a single vote at the national convention in 1976. The vote is 1,187 to 1,070 … and you lose.

Losing the primary at 65

Reagan had just lost the convention vote to be the presidential nominee to Gerald Ford. Reagan was 65 years old and had the financial security to retire in style. He had a large family, lots of friends, good health and many interests. He loved to spend time on his beautiful Rancho del Cielo in California, riding horses and working chores.  Ronald Reagan must have been tempted to ride off into the sunset and spend the rest of his days in well-earned retirement. Instead, he summoned the energy to put forth yet another campaign, and 4 years later became the oldest person elected President of the United States of America. Why did he keep leading? And why should we?

Why did he keep leading? And why should we?

Why should we put forth the effort to:

• Establish one more relationship,
• Begin one more project, or
• Create one more company?

For Reagan, he was motivated by the notion of fulfilling the reason he was put on earth. In May of 1988 at Moscow State University he said, “Freedom is the recognition that no single person, no single authority or government has a monopoly on truth, but that every individual life is infinitely precious, that every one of us put on this world has been put there for a reason and has something to offer.”

Reagan believed that we make a living by what we get – and a life by what we give. And he respected those who served others. Both he and Mother Theresa were 74 years old when he presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. At the White House in 1985, he said, “This is the first time I’ve given the Medal of Freedom with the intuition that the recipient might take it home, melt it down and turn it into something that can be sold to help the poor.” Mother Theresa would go on to live another 12 years, accomplishing incredible things throughout the world.

Smile when they say you’re too old to lead

At the Annual Salute to Congress Dinner in February 1981, Reagan said, “One of my favorite quotes from Thomas Jefferson is when he said, ‘We should never judge a president by his age, but by his acts.’ And ever since he told me that…”   By poking fun at his own age, he was poking fun in general, at our notion of age.

Smile when they say you’re too young.

Reagan did not associate maturity with age. At his commencement address to the young college graduates at Eureka College in 1982, he said, “Maturity is a matter of becoming comfortable with yourself, with the world around you, as time moves on and circumstances change.” Despite his very humble beginnings, Reagan was tremendously successful in his early twenties, becoming one of the top sports announcers in the country for college football and major league baseball.

Poking fun at 75

Reagan liked to poke fun of his age, as he did on his birthday in 1986: “I did turn seventy-five today, but remember, that’s only twenty-four Celsius.”

And when he signed into law the Alternative Motor Fuels Act of 1988 Reagan said, “This bill is a landmark in the quest for alternative forms of energy. And believe me, when you’re my age, you just love hearing about alternative sources of energy.”

Contrary to his own self-efacing humor, Reagan had an enormous amount of energy. Many people half his age were unable to keep up with his physical regimen. Contrary to media reports, Reagan never felt the need for taking naps. (On a side note, also contrary to media reports, Reagan never wore makeup – even during his acting days.) But he did stay physically active each day, whether doing physical work-outs in the White House or working hard at his ranch.

In his 70’s Ronald Reagan seemed a young man, both physically and mentally. And, when the matter of age came up, he promised not to make a campaign issue out of his opponent’s youth and inexperience. After that, nobody else did either.

Leadership is for kids from one to ninety two

Into his late 70s, Ronald Reagan remained one of the greatest leaders of the 20th Century. So, if you are someone who legendary singer Nat King Cole described as a kid from one to ninety two, it’s time for you to remain one of the greatest leaders of the 21st Century!

For more of my articles on President Reagan, click here.    

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Rawhide! President Ronald Reagan loved working with his hands, and being outdoors. And, you can see from this photo, taken at Camp David in November of 1981, that he loved to ride horses.

Photo Courtesy of Ronald Reagan Library

 – Ronald Reagan on many occasions.

Rancho del Cielo

This picture of Reagan was taken 7 months after the 70-year old entered George Washington University Hospital to have a would-be-assassin’s bullet removed from his chest. Horseback riding at Camp David was therapeutic for Ronald Reagan. But, Rancho del Cielo was his true sanctuary.

He called it his “Cathedral in the Sky” (Rancho del Cielo is Spanish for Sky’s Ranch, or Heaven’s Ranch).  It is where he could sort out problems while riding his favorite seventeen-hands-high thoroughbred for hours at a time. He could enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory.

He kept his ranch simple, sturdy and rugged.

Riding with Reagan

According to Secret Servive Agent John R. Barletta, in his book Riding With Reagan, “When President Reagan was elected, he became the first modern president who enjoyed horseback riding, and I was tasked with establishing a Secret Service detail on horseback to protect him on his rides.”

Barletta writes:

“He loved physical labor, which was something the press could never quite understand. Every year, the President hosted a party for the traveling press at Barney Clinger’s estate in Santa Barbara. At the party, Sam Donaldson once said,

‘Now, Mr. President, I hear you like to go out and trim trees and cut wood.’

‘Yes, yes I do,’ the President responded.

Donaldson went on. ‘Now just how big is the ranch?’

‘Six hundred and eighty-eight acres.’

‘Well, Mr. President, at that rate you’ll never be through trimming.’

‘I hope not, Sam.’ He said.”

His love of the ranch was one of the reasons why the Secret Service’s code name for Reagan was Rawhide.

Where is your Rancho del Cielo? Connecting with Mother Nature

Do you have a passion that gets you outdoors to ride horses, or ski, or mountain bike? Do you enjoy hiking, or boating, or bird-watching, or hunting, or fishing, or walking the beach?

How do you connect with Mother Nature on a regular basis? Breath the fresh air, walk the land, and surf the water? Reagan believed that it was energizing to do physical activity outdoors. It made him more effective when he was at work in the White House. It kept him in a positive frame of mind.

He wasn’t one to spend vacation time relaxing all day on a beach chair. He worked hard, broke a sweat, worked with his hands. He loved the physical activity, and it kept him in outstanding physical condition.

Be intentional and identify your Rancho del Cielo!

The post Have You Discoverd Your Rancho del Cielo? appeared first on Walking and Talking.

Photo courtesy of Ronald Reagan Library

Be Described a Gentleman is an excerpt from Lead Like Reagan, Principles of Dynamic Leadership …
In doing research for my book on the leadership style of Ronald Reagan, time and time again I recognized in Reagan some of the same strengths and attributes I saw in my father, James Scanlon. They were both gentlemen.

Those who were closest to Ronald Reagan are very consistent in the words they choose to describe the type of person he was, and the type of person he was not. There seems to be a wide consensus of what Ronald Reagan was not, by those who worked with him, wrote about him, protected him, fought for him, and lived with him. Ronald Reagan was:

• Not condescending to others,
• Not arrogant,
• Not rude,
• Not ungracious,
• Not disrespectful to his wife,
• Not egotistical,
• Not boastful,
• Not quick to anger.
• He was not one to use foul language, or be ill-mannered.
• He was not impolite or disrespectful of others.
• He was not prone to put on airs.
• He was not one to complain about personal setbacks or physical ailments.
• He did not treat people differently because they were rich or poor, powerful or not powerful, of a different color, race, or creed.
• And, like my father, Ronald Reagan did not like to gossip about others.

Therefore, it was no surprise to discover that, at his funeral, so many people used the same words to describe Ronald Reagan as they did my father; a true gentleman.

You know the same people

As you read this, I am sure you have known people who fit the same bill. And, you know how unique they are. What a wonderful way to lead their life, and to lead others.

Are you slow to anger, do you avoid coarse language, have you stopped complaining about the small stuff? Do your friends, family, and coworkers see you as a gentleman or a gentlelady?

Maybe we would all benefit from working on the “nots.” learn more about the book, Lead Like Reagan here.

Queston: Are you working the ‘nots’ out of your life?

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As cabinet members and advisors debated various issues, there was a reason why Ronald Reagan reached for the jellybeans.

It was Reagan’s management style to listen to his advisors argue all sides of an issue. With no shortage of egos among these strong-willed and talented people, things could sometimes get heated during these discussions and debates. At these moments, Reagan was likely to sift through the assorted jellybeans searching for his favorite flavor, licorice.

Collecting Opinions from the Non-Specialists

Reagan encouraged comments from all of his advisors, even if the issue at hand did not fall within the boundaries of their particular specialty. And, he welcomed dissent from anyone who had reservations about particular policies. He wanted any concerns to be voiced.

During these discussions, Reagan would largely keep his own opinions to himself, being very careful to avoid stifling or curtailing the perspectives of other people in the room. He just kept working those jellybeans!

Decision Time!

After that, as Reagan said in his autobiography, An American Life, “We never took a vote. Everyone pitched in and was involved in the give and take of debate, but when the discussion was over, they all knew it was up to me and me alone to make the decision.”

Some might have taken Reagan’s interest in the jellybeans as a sign that he was detached from the conversation. On the contrary, his method of remaining silent and listening closely to the various ideas of everyone at the table, allowed him to discern all of the information needed to make good decisions. And it created good morale amongst his troops, who knew that their opinions were being carefully considered.

So get yourself a jar of jellybeans!

To learn more about the leadership style of Ronald Reagan, visit my website.

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