Episode 174 - Jason Voiovich | Leadership Lessons From Presidential History: What the Presidents Can Teach Us About Leadership and Innovation

Are you intrigued by what history can teach us about leadership? Do you wonder how different Presidents would navigate today’s challenges? Are you committed to more deeply understanding leadership and history?

Our special guest Jason Voiovich answers these and other questions about leadership, Presidential history, and leadership lessons from our Presidents.

In a career that spans more than 25 years, Jason Voiovich has launched hundreds of new products – everything from medical devices, to virtual healthcare systems, to non-dairy consumer cheese, to next-generation alternatives to the dreaded “cone of shame” for pets, to sex aides for cows (really!).

He’s a graduate of both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Minnesota, and he has completed post-graduate studies at the MIT Sloan School of Management. His formal training has been invaluable, but he credits his true success to growing up in a family of artists, immigrants, and entrepreneurs. They taught him how to carefully observe the world, see patterns before others notice them, and use those insights to create new innovations.

History is Jason’s favorite way to observe the world. No surprise that Jason’s book is titled Marketer in Chief: How Each President Sold the American Idea. He believes that the people from the past have plenty to teach us about the challenges and opportunities we face today.

The Leadership Junkies Podcast is brought to you by Cardivera.com.

Show Notes

Episode highlights…

Connecting the dots between history, history lessons and leadership
Risk tolerance, innovation and leadership
Understanding the context of historical leadership relative to today
Best leaders are curious about everything including people
Curiosity – innate or developed
Curiosity is the foundation of empathy
Modern day leadership lessons from Napoleon
Realities of situational leadership
Separating success from great leadership
Understanding the evolving role of the President of the United States including as Chief Communicator
Understanding the leadership of Abraham Lincoln in the context of the times
Role of empathy in leadership
Examples of innovation and creativity by Presidents
Leadership lessons of Ben Franklin
Realities of trust issues in the Presidency
Importance of reading history based upon historical scholarship
Best leaders ask the best / better questions to inspire others to action