Theodore Roosevelt

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Fair Play and Firmness

  Negotiation

  One should act with courtesy and fairness toward others but remain prepared to fight hard and defend one's rights when necessary.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Merit Over Identity

  Hiring

  Opportunities should be open to all based on their character and ability, regardless of race, color, or creed.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Learn from historical leaders

  Learning

  Study how past leaders faced their challenges to better navigate current issues and avoid the traps of immorality or inefficiency.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Combine Civility With Strength

  Negotiation

  Always speak respectfully and avoid boasting, but ensure you possess the underlying power to protect your interests. Politeness without strength is ineffective, and strength without civility is obnoxious.

  Supporting quotes

  • “If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble; and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.”

    “Let us further make it evident that we use no words which we are not prepared to back up with deeds, and that while our speech is always moderate, we are ready and willing to make it good.”

    “We shall make mistakes; and if we let these mistakes frighten us from our work we shall show ourselves weaklings.”

• Maintain Stability and Reciprocity

  Strategy

  Seek long-term stability in policy while remaining flexible enough to adopt reciprocal benefits when dealing with others. Justice is best secured by doing justice to others.

  Supporting quotes

  • “If a man continually blusters, if he lacks civility, a big stick will not save him from trouble; and neither will speaking softly avail, if back of the softness there does not lie strength, power.”

    “Let us further make it evident that we use no words which we are not prepared to back up with deeds, and that while our speech is always moderate, we are ready and willing to make it good.”

    “We shall make mistakes; and if we let these mistakes frighten us from our work we shall show ourselves weaklings.”

• Update rules for scale

  Strategy

  When organizations or markets grow beyond local boundaries, oversight must also scale to ensure uniformity and prevent exploitation of fragmented rules.

  Supporting quotes

  • “We must show that the law is adequate to deal with crime by freeing it from every vestige of technicality and delay.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Master the Ordinary Qualities

  Learning

  Great success often comes from developing common qualities like courage and perseverance to an uncommon degree through patient effort.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Happiness can not come to any man capable of enjoying true happiness unless it comes as the sequel to duty well and honestly done.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Prioritize Earned Value Over Privilege

  Management

  A healthy system ensures that power, wealth, and position are only granted to those who have earned them through service to others.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid Extremes in Reform

  Leadership

  Effective leadership requires seeing both sides of an issue and avoiding the wild-eyed excesses of both reactionaries and radical reformers.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Prioritize Long-Term Social Welfare

  Decisions

  Do not let emotional pleas for individuals override the long-term safety and welfare of the broader community.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Wikiquote: Theodore Roosevelt  (opens in a new tab)

• Invest in Human Efficiency

  Productivity

  Training and conserving the labor supply leads to higher efficiency, which benefits both the organization and the individuals involved.

  Supporting quotes

  • “No man can be a good citizen if he is not at least in process of learning to speak the language of his fellow-citizens.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Value Shrewd Good Sense

  Mindset

  Practical success in the workaday world often depends more on shrewd common sense and the ability to pivot than on noble theories.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Just so far as this mediæval element obtained, the movement failed. All that there was of good and of permanence in it was due to the new elements.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Beware of Self-Righteous Passion

  Mindset

  Sincere leaders must be careful not to mistake their own passions, prejudices, and vanities for universal truths or divine will.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Cromwell was far more concerned in righting specific cases of oppression than in advancing the great principles of constitutional government which alone make possible that orderly liberty which is the bar to such individual acts of wrong-doing.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Weed Out the Weak Early

  Management

  A team becomes elite only after active service has weeded out the weak and allowed the strong to master their duties through real-world pressure.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Oliver Cromwell  (opens in a new tab)

• Information Advantage

  Strategy

  Success depends on keeping constant touch with the environment and gaining intelligence through dedicated scouting and observation.

  Supporting quotes

  • “He soon saw that the true weapon of the cavalryman was the horse; and, discarding the carbines with which his troop had first been armed, he taught them to rely upon the shock of a charging, close-knit mass”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Maintain a Strategic Reserve

  Strategy

  A leader should not commit all resources to the initial attack but keep a disciplined reserve to counter unexpected moves or deliver the final blow.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Oliver Cromwell  (opens in a new tab)

• Lead the Forces You Cannot Stop

  Leadership

  A leader must sometimes be directed by the forces around them, but once a path is inevitable, they must step to the front and lead with firmness.

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Oliver Cromwell  (opens in a new tab)

• Balance faith with practical preparation

  Strategy

  Success requires both a strong inner conviction and meticulous attention to practical details like logistics and fortifications.

  Source Oliver Cromwell  (opens in a new tab)

• Hire for Reliable Execution

  Hiring

  When faced with constant dissent from peers, a leader may be forced to hire those who will execute their will without question to maintain order.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Oliver Cromwell  (opens in a new tab)

• Align with Progress

  Decisions

  When choosing between two imperfect partners, choose the one that is more advanced and less reactionary to ensure long-term stability.

  Supporting quotes

  • “What was actually done, however, combined cruelty with ultimate inefficiency; it caused great immediate suffering, while perpetuating exactly the conditions against which it was supposed to provide.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.