Make Your Mark

<p><b>The award-winning author of <i>Second Acts</i> and <i>The Last Republicans</i> draws on interviews and conversations with seven presidents to identify the essential leadership lessons character and legacy that has defined each of them and the modern American presidency.</b></p><p>Throughout his career as an author journalist television commentator and head of a presidential library and foundation Mark Updegrove has had the privilege of getting to know seven U.S. Presidents from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama. In this insightful work of presidential history <i>Make Your Mark </i> he offers incisive compelling sketches of these modern presidents and the character trait that made each suited to his moment in the Oval Office and underlies his most significant accomplishments.</p><ul><li><b>Gerald Ford's</b> instinct to do the right thing in the wake of Watergate;</li><li><b>Jimmy Carter's</b> mission to do good in the areas of peace and human rights during his presidency and throughout his post-presidency;</li><li><b>Ronald Reagan's</b> optimism restoring the nation's confidence and pride after a sustained period of demoralizing national setbacks;</li><li><b>George H.W. Bush's</b> humility helping to ensure a peaceful end to the Cold War that had seethed between the superpowers for over forty years;</li><li><b>Bill Clinton's</b> resilience and determination to keep working for the good of the American people in the face of political and personal obstacles;</li><li><b>George W. Bush's</b> charge to give back as the deadly AIDS epidemic spread unchecked throughout much of the developing world;</li><li>and <b>Barack Obama's</b> grace as the first African American to hold the country's highest office. </li></ul><p><i>Make Your Mark</i> reveals that there is no one-size-fits-all model for leadership. We all have our own set of strengths and weaknesses. But by drawing on these presidential examples--a masterclass in character and leadership--we can ask ourselves how our character reflects our leadership and be inspired to find the very best in who we are to make own unique marks as leaders. </p>