I attended an event in NYC called TableTalks produced by HedgeConnection, an established platform that connects hedge funds and investors.   The Keynote Speaker at the event was James Rosebush who was a Deputy Assistant to President Reagan, the Chief of Staff to First Lady Nancy Reagan, and a Senior Advisor at the White House.   His recently published book, “True Reagan: What Made Ronald Reagan Great and Why It Matters” talks about the secret to Reagan’s greatness, the source of his influence, the key to his character and the strength behind his leadership.  And why does it matter to the nation today?

Here are three valuable leadership traits Mr. Rosebush shared with the audience:

  • A great leader builds a trusted network

Reagan was the type of leader who hired the best people to work for him and then expected them to perform to their highest capacity.

  • A great leader communicates with conviction and poise

Jim spoke about a question he posed to President Reagan about the right way to address an audience, President Reagan instructed him this way “Find one imaginary or real person in the audience and speak directly to him while letting your eyes scan the whole audience with a broad sweep, not alighting on any one specific person, so that no one feels excluded from your verbal grasp and no one feels targeted with a fixed gaze.  Don’t get caught up in the feeling or fear of being overwhelmed that you are communicating with a mass of people.  Imagine just speaking to one person who needs to hear what you have to say and respects it.  Don’t get caught up in guessing what your critics might be saying.”

Great leadership and communication carry and deliver a message and moral energy.  The ability to achieve positive change is fundamentally dependent upon the values and character of the leader.  Reagan has become a standard against which other leaders are now compared—that is, he set a standard, in some categories, of an ideal American President.

  • What a person does in one area of their life, they do in all areas of their life.

Reagan’s life and his values are inseparable from what he was able to accomplish in public office, and that is the greatest Reagan leadership lesson of all.


Kelly Newsome is the founder of ConnectRoot.  ConnectRoot’s Speakers Bureau represents professional speakers, trainers, and entertainers for regional, national and international events, seminars, workshops, leadership and executive training, as well as sales training and team building.

Our speakers share with ConnectRoot the universal values of generosity, compassion, and truth. Our speakers’ overall mission is to instill positive lessons, teachings, stories, and passion into the hearts of audiences worldwide.

If you are interested in booking James Rosebush for your next event, contact Kelly@ConnectRoot.com or 732-619-4506