Page 191 - Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows

THE LESSONS

missiles and allowed for cross-inspections between the two countries. Four
years later, the Soviet Union collapsed after years of economic hardship
brought on by excessive defense spending.
As a leader, your success depends on your ability to get things done.
Persuasion is an essential proficiency for all leaders, requiring you to move
people toward a position they don’t currently hold. Before you even begin
to articulate your position, consider your proposal from every side. You
must not only make a rational argument but also frame your ideas,
approaches, and solutions in ways that appeal to diverse groups of people
with basic human emotions. Know how your audience will react by trying
to understand things from its position. Like John McGinty, you must go
out and meet the people you are trying to persuade and invite their opin-
ions about the merits of your position and let them offer constructive
feedback so that your final proposal reflects their concerns.
Bud McFarlane was able to convince the U.S. Congress, our allies, and
the American people that President Reagan knew exactly what he was
doing by adopting the Star Wars initiative despite widespread opposition.
He learned that the ability to persuade takes hard work and discipline, and
he demonstrated that to persuade you need to be methodical in following
all the steps necessary to leverage the correct response from different
constituencies.

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