​Every leader faces problems. The test isn’t only how we react, but also how we prevent the problem from recurring. Frances Perkins, who witnessed the worst workplace disaster of her time, shows us how to lead in both moments.

​Frances Perkins isn’t a name many will recognize, but the impact of her leadership is woven into every American life. As FDR’s Secretary of Labor—the first woman ever to serve in a U.S. Cabinet—she was directly instrumental in establishing our social security system, unemployment insurance, the 40-hour-workweek, and child labor laws. Affectionately calling her the “architect of the New Deal’s social safety net,” Roosevelt trusted her to map out details, negotiate compromises, and shepherd this legislation through Congress.

But Perkins’s national leadership began long before she entered FDR’s Cabinet. As a young reformer in New York City, she witnessed a tragedy that galvanized her mission and forged in her two types of leadership that define every great leader: responsive leadership and transformative leadership.

​Changing the System. By June, the Legislature created the Factory Investigating Commission and invited Perkins to serve as an expert. She inspected factories across New York, interviewed workers, and presented lawmakers with hard evidence of negligence and danger.

At Triangle, workers were trapped because exits were bolted shut from the outside, and Perkins’s investigations revealed factories across New York engaged in this same practice. She immediately pushed legislation requiring factory doors to remain unlocked while workers were present, and to swing outward for quick escape. She fought for safer fire escapes, multiple emergency exits, limits on room occupancy, and mandatory fire drills.

When she campaigned for sprinkler systems, factory owners argued the water would damage their fabric stock. Using evidence from her inspections, Perkins showed the Commission that many factory owners had already installed sprinklers in their warehouses to protect their inventory, but not in their factories where people worked. When fire experts testified that sprinklers “in all probability would have prevented the loss of life” during the Triangle fire, Perkins made it impossible to deny that human beings deserved at least the same protection as bolts of cloth. Within two years, New York passed a law requiring automatic sprinkler systems in all factories over seven stories.

​What if the real reason people resist change isn’t the change itself, but what they believe it says about them? In the fall of 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt faced a test unlike any before. For five months, over 145,000 Pennsylvania anthracite coal miners had been on strike, seeking better wages, shorter hours, and basic union recognition. Far from a simple commodity, anthracite coal was used almost exclusively for heating homes, schools, hospitals, and factories in the Northeastern states. Without it, the approaching winter would be deadly.

​As the strike dragged on, violence erupted in mining towns, coal prices doubled, then tripled, and public panic mounted. By October, newspapers demanded urgent action, warning the country was on the brink of total chaos if coal shortages weren’t resolved. Roosevelt had no legal authority to intervene. The federal government had never mediated a labor dispute like this, and his predecessors had generally sided with industry owners—even deploying troops to suppress strikes. Roosevelt, however, believed his conscience demanded a different response, so he invited both sides—labor and mine owners—to Washington in an effort to resolve the standoff.

United Mine Workers president John Mitchell arrived ready to negotiate in good faith, offering to end the strike immediately if the owners would agree to allow a commission, appointed by the President, to settle the dispute. But the mine owners, led by George Baer and emboldened by financiers like J.P. Morgan, rejected the compromise, refusing even to acknowledge Mitchell during the negotiation. When Roosevelt asked for the owners’ proposal, Baer angrily charged that if Roosevelt would not send federal troops to quash the strike, his administration was “a contemptible failure.” As the weeks wore on and winter loomed, Roosevelt explored a more drastic option. If the mine owners would not negotiate, he would use the U.S. military—not to break the strike, but to seize and operate the mines in the public’s interest. It was a bold, unprecedented idea, and one Roosevelt kept quiet… but made sure J.P Morgan heard about.

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​What if the secret to breakthrough innovation and productivity isn’t about working harder or smarter, but about how we lead our teams? Thomas Edison, one of history’s most prolific inventors, didn’t rely on his own genius alone to change the world.  Instead, he transformed the very process of innovation by building a collaborative environment that brought together diverse minds, ideas, and expertise. Could Edison’s approach to leadership be the secret to driving creativity and success in your own organization? The answer might just transform the way you lead.

​A Brief History. Edison’s rise to success was anything but conventional. Starting his career as a telegraph operator, his endless curiosity and drive to solve real-world problems quickly led him to experimentation and inventing. By his late twenties, he had already made groundbreaking advancements, including the phonograph, which catapulted him to fame. Turning his attention to developing a long-lasting and safe incandescent light bulb, Edison quickly realized the challenges involved in such a complex project could not be solved by one person alone—no matter how brilliant. 

While Edison had already witnessed the power of collaboration in his previous work, his creation of the Menlo Park laboratory (later called “The Invention Factory” because of its successful and prolific output) in 1876 marked a real turning point for his broader vision for innovation. He recognized that to revolutionize industries, like electric lighting, he would need a structured and truly collaborative environment where experts from different disciplines could work together, each contributing to different facets of a shared group project. This groundbreaking approach would soon prove to be the catalyst for many of his most revolutionary inventions.

​Edison’s Leadership Philosophy. Edison cultivated an egalitarian environment where every team member felt empowered to voice ideas, experiment, and respectfully challenge concepts. His belief that an effective team is comprised of individuals with diverse perspectives, educational backgrounds and viewpoints led him to create a melting pot of diverse specialists, including chemists, machinists, glassblowers, mathematicians, and textile workers. Edison’s deliberate assembly of such a varied team demonstrated his belief that the cross-pollination of ideas from different disciplines would lead to inventive solutions that might never emerge from a more homogenous environment. 

Central to Edison’s collaborative success was his emphasis on a peer-like atmosphere. Team members were not afraid to disagree with each other—or with him—and such disagreements were not met with reprimand. This comfortable working atmosphere ensured all information was brought to the table without reservation, and bred genuine respect among team members. This flat-team structure encouraged risk taking, open communication, and the acceptance of constructive criticism, all viewed as necessary steps toward collective success.

​The holidays are here, and we can almost hear the bells jingling and the crunch of cookies. (Is there anything better than a Christmas cookie to bring people together?) Whether you’re loading up the break room with treats to share, or simply enjoying a cookie with your team, sweet treats have a magical way of turning even the toughest co-worker into someone more human. So, in the spirit of the season, we’ve dug through history to find some lighthearted stories about our nation’s Presidents and their favorite desserts.

Imagine it: the storied halls of Mount Vernon, where George Washington, that resolute commander, was caught sneaking a cookie! Martha Washington’s famous jumbals, tiny cookies speckled with caraway seeds, were a Christmas favorite at Mount Vernon, and her husband couldn’t resist their charm. Legend has it that on one winter evening, he caught a whiff of the freshly baked treats and—without a second thought—snatched one off the cooling rack. "These cookies are worth any revolution," he reportedly said with a wink. ​

Martha Washington’s Jumbals:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar (Or Swerve, if you’re sugar free)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp ground caraway seeds
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking powder

Mix ingredients, roll into small balls, and bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes. 
​

​Franklin D. Roosevelt, known for his fireside chats and thoughtful leadership during the Great Depression, had another great love: icebox cookies. These cookies were a simple but comforting treat, made from ingredients most families could afford, even during the Great Depression. Eleanor Roosevelt often caught Franklin sneaking into the kitchen to grab a few for a late-night snack, always with a playful grin.

Recipe for Icebox Cookies:

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar (Or Swerve, if you’re sugar free)
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt

Mix ingredients, shape dough into a log and chill for at least an hour before slicing into rounds. Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.

​Long before Abraham Lincoln saved the Union, gave the Gettysburg Address, or signed the Emancipation Proclamation into law, he had a soft spot for gingerbread men. Back in his Kentucky childhood, his mother baked these spicy, fragrant cookies whenever she had a little extra grocery money, and they became a nostalgic treat for Honest Abe. The story goes that while campaigning, Lincoln joked with a difficult crowd about how much he loved gingerbread cookies, saying, “If I had a choice, I’d choose them over any of the speeches I’ve given!” The joke worked, softening the crowd, and he continued without heckling.

Recipe for Cowboy Cookies:

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup sugar (Or Swerve, if you’re sugar free)
• 1 cup brown sugar (Or brown sugar Swerve)
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Mix and bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes.

​Ronald Reagan didn’t just love jelly beans—he made them famous. So naturally, he had his own special jelly bean cookie, where sweet little jelly beans were folded right into sugar cookie dough. Reagan would serve these cookies to guests, sometimes cracking jokes about how the jelly beans made the cookies “extra presidential.”

​It’s no secret our highly polarized political environment presents a major challenge for today’s leaders; so how do we lead effectively when members of our teams often disagree politically? Let’s see what we can learn from the leadership of Franklin D. Roosevelt during World War II. 

Lesson 1: Diverse Voices Strengthen Your Team. With World War II looming, Roosevelt made the bold move of installing Republican Henry Stimson—an ideological opponent of much of Roosevelt’s Democratic administration—as Secretary of War. Roosevelt recognized that for the U.S. war effort to succeed, our nation needed to be as united as possible, and that meant bringing respected and experienced leaders from both parties into his administration. By recruiting Stimson, an outspoken critic of the New Deal, but a committed champion of military preparedness, Roosevelt signaled that our nation’s security is more important than party politics. Together they oversaw one of the most significant military expansions in history, which included our nation’s first peacetime draft under the Selective Service Act. With Congress deeply divided along party lines, however, their strategic teamwork was essential to getting the Act passed. 

Roosevelt used his public speaking abilities to shift the national conversation surrounding the war. Highlighting the dangers posed by Nazi Germany, he skillfully presented the peacetime draft as a defensive measure that would protect Americans against this growing threat. He emphasized the necessity to strengthen the U.S. military in case of involvement in global conflict, and argued that military preparedness was an American patriotic duty.    Stimson used his influence and reputation to engage with reticent lawmakers, arguing that a robust military would serve as a powerful deterrent against foreign aggressors. His deep knowledge of military affairs and prior experience as Secretary of War under President Taft gave his voice authority in matters of military defense, and helped convince Republicans of the non-partisan nature of military preparedness. 

Key Takeaway: While Roosevelt’s speeches had a remarkable impact on our nation’s Democratic lawmakers and public, many Republican lawmakers would have been much more reticent to pass the Act without Stimson’s efforts, and the obvious trust he placed in Roosevelt to prioritize our nation’s interests over party politics. Today’s leaders can earn the trust of their teams by identifying and appointing individuals with expertise, even if they don’t see eye-to-eye on every issue. Respectful differences of opinion can be discussed and honored, but commonality of purpose must remain the important point

​Lesson 2: Maintain Respect While Navigating Disagreement. Roosevelt and Stimson disagreed on several of Roosevelt’s major domestic policy initiatives. Yet both leaders understood that such divergent views did not need to create a barrier to their cooperation on matters of national importance. An historic example of this dynamic is their collaboration on the 1941 Lend-Lease Act, which allowed the United States to send military aid to Britain and other Allies without directly entering the war.

The policy faced significant resistance from many in Congress, who feared sending aid would drag the United States into war with Germany. Working together, Roosevelt and Stimson framed the issue as one of national defense, rather than foreign intervention. Roosevelt employed public relations techniques, such as his famous “garden hose” analogy, which depicted Lend-Lease as lending a garden hose to a neighbor whose house was on fire—meant to simplify the idea that helping Britain fight Nazi Germany was in our nation’s best interests. 

Stimson, meanwhile, sought to assure lawmakers and business leaders the policy was necessary to protect the United States’ interests across several fronts. He highlighted the role unresolved war debt after World War I played in the Great Depression, and argued focusing on immediate military aid (rather than loans) could prevent history’s repeating itself. His persuasive testimony before Congress not only convinced many that failure to pass Lend-Lease would allow the war to spread to American shores, but that it was necessary to prevent another depression. Ultimately, their joint efforts secured cross-party support, and the Lend-Lease Act was passed, allowing the United States to supply crucial resources to the Allied Forces. 

Key Takeaway: Roosevelt’s unwavering and public trust in Stimson’s military expertise, despite their policy disagreements, was instrumental in gaining bipartisan support. By publicly backing Stimson, Roosevelt signaled to both Democrats and Republicans they were united in prioritizing our nation's best interests. Today’s leaders can follow this example by fostering mutual respect and trust, even across ideological differences. When we, as leaders, show respect for the knowledge and experience of those we disagree with, we demonstrate how to work together toward common goals, even amidst differing ideas. 

Roosevelt and Stimson’s remarkable World War II partnership truly underlines the power we, as leaders, have in setting a tone for cooperation and respect. Roosevelt's willingness to bring a political rival into his administration, and their ability to focus on shared goals without compromising their beliefs are examples of how leaders can navigate deep divides without sacrificing principles—on either side. In today's polarized political and social climate, it is so important to remember our behavior sets the bar for how differences of opinion are managed. By keeping the big picture in mind, and fostering mutual respect, we can point our teams and organizations in the direction of successful results even when our team members hold diametrically opposing beliefs.

Let us equip you with effective leadership strategies from the world’s most successful leaders. You bring the team members, and we’ll create an immersive program, linking real-life examples with your individual workplace issues. ​

Today’s leaders are challenged to navigate complex power dynamics, work to build meaningful connections, while maintaining professionalism under constant pressure. How can we learn these skills? Dr. Alexander Augusta, a ceiling-breaker who overcame extraordinary odds to become the first Black physician commissioned in the Union Army during the Civil War, offers three powerful lessons. 

A Brief History: Born in 1825 to free parents of color, Alexander Thomas Augusta grew up in an America deeply entrenched in racial inequality and prejudice. Determined from a young age to pursue a career in medicine—a field virtually inaccessible to African Americans at the time—Augusta began secretly studying under a sympathetic professor from the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school. When it became clear no American college would grant admission to a Black man, Augusta relocated to Canada, where he earned his medical degree from Trinity College in Toronto in 1856. After graduation, Augusta established a successful medial practice, where he treated patients without regard to race or ability to pay, and was so well respected in his field, he was appointed as head of the Toronto City Hospital. His success in Canada, however, never diminished his desire to help his fellow Black Americans. Within a week of Lincoln’s signing the Emancipation Proclamation, which allowed for the recruitment of Blacks to the Union Army, Augusta wrote directly to the president, offering his medical services to Black regiments and Freedman. 

Lesson #1: Cultivate Strategic Alliances – Appointed to the rank of Major as a surgeon in the Union Army, Augusta reported to his first duty station, Camp Stanton, in Maryland, outranking the team of white surgeons already serving in the hospital. Despite facing racial hostility from many of his colleagues, Augusta maintained a dignified and respectful demeanor, focusing on his duties as a surgeon and treating his subordinates fairly as an officer. He quickly developed a reputation for excellence and dependability, which opened opportunities for him to create relationships with his superior officers and Surgeon General William Hammond. When a group of lower ranked surgeons, outraged by having to report to a Black officer, wrote letters of complaint to the White House demanding Augusta be removed from his position, he had staunch defenders in the network he created for himself. Rather than demotion, Hammond recommended he be transferred to Camp Barker, in Washington DC, where he was promoted to head the newly created hospital for Black soldiers and Freedman. Once Augusta took command, becoming the first African American in the United States to lead a medical facility, he was granted the authority to hire his own staff, giving medically trained Black professionals—almost always passed over in favor of white servicemen—an opportunity to serve their country alongside him.
Key Takeaway: By carefully cultivating relationships with influential figures, whether within an organization or across an industry, leaders can ensure their voice—and, by extension, the voices of those they lead—are heard and respected. 

Lesson #2: Work Within Existing Power Structures to Create Change – When Augusta was first commissioned to the Union Army, he was given a salary of $169 per month, which equaled the pay of other surgeons with the rank of Major. When the paymaster discovered Augusta was Black, however, he slashed his pay to $7 per month, which was the standard pay for all Black soldiers, regardless of rank. Augusta understood that simply challenging the practice as unfair wasn’t enough to create lasting change, so when he took his complaint to Senator Henry Wilson, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Military Affairs, he strategically framed his argument to resonate with those in power. Augusta didn't focus on the personal injustice; he, instead, emphasized how the disparity in pay between White and Black soldiers undermined national honor and the very principles the Union was fighting for. By connecting the issue to the broader goals of the war effort, he made it clear that addressing this inequality was in the best interest of the nation as a whole. Rather than confronting the system solely from the outside, he used his respected positions within the military and medical communities to engage with leaders within their existing power structure, and in a way that aligned with their values. Augusta’s approach worked, and his efforts contributed to the passage of legislation in 1864 that mandated equal pay for Black soldiers—a significant victory for the Union cause and a powerful testament to Augusta's strategic approach. 
Key Takeaway: By understanding and engaging with the power dynamics in our organizations and industries, we can reduce the friction necessary to drive meaningful and sustainable change. 

​Lesson #3: Maintain Professionalism Under Pressure – On a rainy day in February 1864, Augusta—in full military uniform—was denied entry to a streetcar by the conductor, who demanded he ride outside due to his race. When Augusta refused, explaining he was on his way to testify in court and needed to protect his uniform from the elements, he was forcibly pushed into the muddy street before the car departed. Rather than responding with anger, Augusta penned a remarkably composed letter to the D.C. Judge Advocate, detailing his mistreatment, yet refraining from making personal attacks against the conductor. Augusta’s letter was not only delivered to the appropriate military authorities, but also found its way into the hands of the press. Newspapers throughout Washington D.C. and New York printed Augusta’s words, sparking public outrage that a Union Officer, regardless of race, would be treated with such disrespect. The letter eventually came to the attention of Senator Charles Sumner, a prominent civil rights advocate, who was so impressed by Augusta’s measured, professional tone, he used Augusta’s letter in a Senate session to successfully push for the desegregation of Washington’s public transportation system.  
Key Takeaway: When leaders remain calm and measured under pressure, they build trust with those they lead, garner respect from their network, and ensure their words are taken seriously. 

Dr. Alexander Augusta’s life and career offer rich lessons for today’s leaders. His success was not just a product of his personal talents and determination, but also of his ability to strategically navigate the social and political landscape of his time. By cultivating alliances, maintaining professionalism under pressure, and strategically engaging with existing power structures, Augusta was able to advocate effectively for the rights of Black Americans. When we, as leaders, face our own set of challenges—from navigating complex organizational dynamics to advocating for social justice—Augusta’s leadership principles remain as relevant as ever. 
How will you apply these principles in your leadership journey?

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​New research shows there is a direct correlation between diversity and innovation. But how effective are you at leveraging the diverse strengths of those you lead, and where can you find an example of this principle in action?
 
During World War II, the United States faced significant challenges securing military communications from enemy interception. As the technology for secure lines had yet to be invented, all communication went over open, public airwaves. Enemy codebreakers regularly intercepted and deciphered sensitive military communication, and the Japanese had begun using English-speaking soldiers to send false orders to American troops using our military’s own coded language.
 
In 1942, after several devastating cryptographic failures, a retired U.S. Marine who had grown up as a missionary on a Navajo reservation, suggested using the Navajo language to develop a new miliary communication code. Since the Navajo language had no existing alphabet, and had never been written down or translated into any other language, its potential to serve as the basis for an unbreakable code was unmatched.
 
The Marine Corps quickly recruited 29 Navajo men, fluent in both the Navajo and English languages, to create this new code. Stationed at Camp Elliott in San Diego, California, the “Code Talkers” began by creating an alphabet based on the Navajo language, assigning Navajo words to represent letters in the English alphabet. (For example, the Navajo word for ant, “wol-la-chee,” represented the letter A, and the word for bear, “shush,” represented the letter B.) This created a phonetic alphabet that could be used to spell out words much faster than traditional cryptographic methods, which involved manual or mechanical encryption and decryption.
 
In addition to creating a phonetic alphabet, the Code Talkers also created a special glossary of Navajo words to represent common military terms. (For instance, the Navajo word for mud, “has-clish-nih,” was used for platoon, and the word for humming bird, “da-he-tih-hi,” was used for a fighter plane.) Once the Code Talkers perfected the initial code, they put it through rigorous testing until the error rate was zero, even during extreme battle simulations. The Marine Corps immediately expanded the Code Talking program, recruiting hundreds of Navajo men to train under the original team, who became known as the “First Twenty-Nine.”  The new recruits, along with the First Twenty-Nine, were then deployed to units across the Pacific Theater, where they served as radio operators. On the battlefield, this elite team would receive messages in English, encode them using the Navajo code, then transmit them over the radio. The recipient, another Navajo Code Talker, would then decode the message, and relay it in English to the appropriate military personnel.
 
One of the key advantages of the Navajo code was its speed. While traditional cryptographic methods could take hours to encode and decode messages, the Navajo code developed by the First Twenty-Nine reduced this process to minutes. This was crucial during combat situations, where timely communication could make the difference between life and death.
 
During the Battle of Iwo Jima, Navajo Code Talkers transmitted more than 800 messages without a single encoding or decoding error. Their ability to quickly and accurately transmit vital information allowed for real-time coordination of troop movements and artillery support – a feat that had never been achieved by any other method of coded communication. Major Howard Connor, the 5th Marine Division’s Signal Officer, stated, “Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never have taken Iwo Jima.”
 
Today’s leaders can learn much from this story. The Navajo Code Talkers took immense pride in their unique cultural heritage, and used it as a strength to help their country. While the United States struggled to create a secure code using traditional cryptographic methods, the Navajo Code Talkers brought a fresh perspective to this critical challenge. By drawing on their unique linguistic and cultural knowledge, they developed an unbreakable code that ensured secure communication in the heat of battle, and ultimately, saved millions of American lives. Their legacy serves as a timeless reminder of how diverse perspectives can lead to groundbreaking solutions, if only we’re willing to listen.
 
Let us equip you with effective leadership strategies from the world’s most successful leaders. You bring the team members, and we’ll create an immersive program, linking real-life examples with your individual workplace issues.