Qualities of Leadership

It is near impossible to put the character of Eleanor Roosevelt in a box when it comes to leadership characteristics. She strongly qualifies as a promoter, as she was deeply involved in the lives of people she worked with and those who she served. She was very forceful and aggressive when pursuing a cause which she believed in, and many described Eleanor as being warm and friendly, as well as persuasive and enthusiastic. She always strived to please others, frequently putting her own needs and desires on the back burner. This is an attribute of Eleanor’s secondary characteristic, supporter, which also describers her very well. Eleanor was an excellent listener. When she visited VA hospitals, she took the time to speak with every patient, asking for their name and story, and making each feel they were important. She was willing to take charge when needed, but was happy to acquiesce to the leadership of others. It was through the close, personal friendships Eleanor developed throughout her life that she gained the courage and self-confidence to be a leader. The combination of promoter and supporter attributes, along with many characteristics of a controller, helped mold Eleanor in the successful and influential leader she became.

There were a number of major turning points in Eleanor’s life. Her interest in helping those in need started when as a young child she helped to serve Thanksgiving dinner to homeless boys in New York. This passion grew when as a young woman she worked as a Red Cross volunteer at a canteen for American soldiers. Her interest in American government developed when she was traveling in Scotland and realized she could not answer questions about American government or politics. When she moved with her husband, Franklin, to Washington after his appointment as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Eleanor had an opportunity to join the political realm. Other turning points were more directly related to family. When Eleanor’s grandmother, Mary Hall, died in 1919, Eleanor, then 34, in considering Mary’s life, realized that a full life required doing much more than being just a wife and mother. This inspired her to follow her own political ambitions in addition to assisting her husband’s. She was further strengthened through the experience of helping her husband overcome polio and infantile paralysis (Fleming, 2005).

Failure and disappointments also helped to strengthen Eleanor and contribute to her growth as a woman and as a leader. The death of her second son gave Eleanor an increased desire to be a better mother to her children. When Franklin contracted polio, Eleanor seized the opportunity to both be both mother and father to her children and also to continue relationships with Franklin’s political contacts. I believe that her inability to secure visas for WWII refugees from Europe influenced Eleanor later to fight for the Jewish state of Israel. The many political battles they lost did not dissuade them but provided both Franklin and Eleanor incentive to keep working to forward their ideals (Freedman, 1993).
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References:

Fleming, C (2005). Our Eleanor; A scrapbook look at Eleanor Roosevelt's remarkable life. New York City, NY: Simon & Schuster.

Freedman, R (1993). Eleanor Roosevelt: A life of discovery. New York City, NY: Scholastic, Inc.