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The Great Communicator

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The Great Communicator

The great communicator – is the phrase coined to describe Ronald Reagan by both his supporters and his critics. His approach to leadership was truly charismatic. John D Rockefeller said, “The ability to deal with people is as purchasable as a commodity as sugar or coffee and I will pay more for that ability than for anything under the sun”. Reagan had the ability to get others to conform to his version of what a nation really should be. Ronald Reagan continually developed his leadership ability from his early years, while he was governor of California, and during his presidency.

It was during his early years when Reagan first began to stand above his peers. He got his first taste of office when he became involved with his high school student body. By his senior year he had become the student council president. While he attended college, Reagan continued to hone his leadership abilities by getting involved in the student government, eventually working his way up to the student body president. However, it was after college while working for NBC as a play by play announcer that he was able to find his voice. With his new found fame, he was able to acquire a screen test with Warner Brothers, which he won and was signed to a seven-year contract. It was at some point during his movie carrier while acting as the president of the screen actor’s guild that Reagan got involved in politics.

Reagan was convinced by a group of prominent business men to try to run for Governor of California. It was a landslide victory over a two- term incumbent. During his first two years in office, he struggles to get anything accomplished. Reagan was a Republican governor with a Democratic legislature. It was during this time that his leadership continued to develop as he mastered the art of compromise. Now armed with his new skills, he tackled tough topics like

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