His Excellency by Joseph Ellis

Here is a short list of characteristics of George Washington that stood out to me from the book. I will probably go into much more depth as I read other books, and reread this book in order to get a better understanding of the characteristics that led these leaders to make the choices they made.

1) Self Control
a. Washington displayed a lot of control over his emotions and feelings. A great example is the control he displayed when he developed feelings for his best friend’s wife. Instead of acting on them he chose to ignore them and court the woman he later married.
b. One of Washington’s greatest strengths was his ability to be silent. Instead of speaking in the heat of the moment he chose to be silent, which allowed him to think out his stance and thus how to act.
2) Integrity towards principles
a. Washington always stood by his principles despite the personal sacrifice and the cost. At the same time he was open to change when he knew that he was in the wrong (his stance towards slavery).
3) Never giving up
a. Faith to see beyond the present circumstances, and beyond the horizon
b. Courage to act and not be on the sidelines of history
c. Tenacious enough to never give up on what he wanted to achieve (even when the odds were stacked against him)
4) Ability to step down from power
a. Washington, it seemed, loved power but also had the integrity and self-control to pass the baton when he had completed his role (instead of becoming a dictator).
5) Seizing opportunities and riding the wave
a. Washington had the uncanny gift of seeing opportunity around him, seizing them, and riding these opportune waves to their end before catching the next wave.
6) Life of service
a. While he was a wealthy land owner, Washington is known not for the plantations he owned but for the service he rendered (where he did not earn a fortune) for his country when it was difficult and not expedient to do so.
7) Life of labor
a. While Washington was a wealthy land owner, he worked very hard to maintain his plantations. Even in retirement, and his old age, he was known to ride his horse and supervise the work on his plantations.
b. As the leader over the military, and later as the president of the new republic Washington never took a back seat allowing his subordinates to do the work. Washington took an active role in the work that he took upon himself.
8) Choosing exceptional leaders as support staff
a. Washington was never threatened by having exceptional people help him fulfill his work and mission. He had the amazing ability to seek out great leaders and surrounded himself with them, mentoring and teaching them, while also providing them opportunities to shine and show off their talents.