What does it look like to rise to the occasion on the most public of stages? How do you inspire those around you to believe in a common cause, or to take steps that benefit the whole even at the expense of the self? In his new book, MEETING THE MOMENT: Inspiring Presidential Leadership that Transformed America (SUNY Press; November 1, 2024) William Haldeman, with experience serving two presidencies (Bush and Obama), looks at six US presidents across party lines and eras, detailing the crucial points in history when their leadership abilities were on full display-the instances when they leveraged their wisdom and lived experience to inspire, memorialize, challenge, dare, or in one case, with recent resonance, simply retire. In the telling, Haldeman explores well-known events and reinvigorates them, looking at them through the lens of courage and leadership. Eight score and one year ago, Lincoln gave a brief speech in rural Pennsylvania, but what led him to that moment? Why was Jefferson confident the US was ready to acquire land from west of the Mississippi to the Rockies? And perhaps most relevant to our current moment, what gave Washington the strength to walk away from power at a time when the founders' archetype of leadership, Kings, would never consider doing so? How do these stories from centuries past show us what leadership looks like in the 21st century? Whether one aspires to political office or simply to improve their ability to lead and serve those around them, MEETING THE MOMENT is an indispensable look at the skills needed to unify and inspire under the most challenging of circumstances.

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