TLP195: A Look Into Mr. Rogers Leadership Style

Jim and Jan watched Tom Hanks in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which portrayed a real-life friendship between Mr. Fred Rogers and journalist Lloyd Vogel. The leadership, moral and philosophical lessons were many, and Jim & Jan recount their favorites. Listen in to hear what Jim & Jan saw as the most important lesson in the movie for leaders – now more than ever.

Key Takeaways

[3:25] Mr. Rogers had the ability to intently listen and demonstrate true caring for the other person.

[4:25] Leadership is the ability to move people emotionally.

[5:55] Jim is not a big fan of active listening. It involves repeating answers back to people. When it comes to listening, he prefers curiosity and asking great questions.

[6:50] Mr. Rogers had a genuine curiosity and took the time to observe people.

[9:55] It’s a gift to be able to share someone’s burden just by listening to them.

[12:10] William Deresiewicz said, “Introspection means talking to yourself, and one of the best ways of talking to yourself is by talking to another person.”

[13:30] If you forgive a jerk at work, they’re just going to keep doing the same thing again. Jan shares why past guest Dr. Tom Morris believes forgiveness is the highest form or moral leadership.

[15:05] The real test of a leader’s effectiveness is when it does not come from a place of legitimate authority.

[17:25] Mr. Rogers was able to break through to the jaded reporter, Lloyd Vogel, by being incredibly giving, tenacious, and present.

[20:20] Many of the bad behaviors we see in the workplace are due to levels of insecurity.

[24:25] If you want to be great, you have to go to the next level of being really caring and understanding for others.

[28:10] Find the good in others. It’s that simple… and that hard.

[28:35] During this crisis, you might find that you do not like who you are. The good news is, you can manage your responses.

[34:00] Humans are wired to come together in crisis, or else we wouldn’t have survived this long.

[35:35] Jim and Jan are excited to hear from you! Reach out and let them know what your ideas are for future shows!

The Leadership Podcast is sponsored by W.S. Darley & Company.

Founded in 1908, Darley remains a family owned and operated business, providing the highest quality equipment solutions to our country’s warfighters and firefighters.

Learn more at darley.com and darleydefense.com

Quotable Quotes

“One of the greatest gifts we can give is our attention.” Share on X “Good listening is curiosity.” Share on X “Through your actions, you will change that other person. You’re not going to change them by having a conversation with them.” Share on X “Forgiveness is as much for you as it is for the other person.” Share on X “Being good takes work.” Share on X “Anything mentionable is manageable.” Share on X

Additional Resources

The Leadership Podcast is proud to announce a new initiative with thoughtLEADERS to provide very short podcasts called “chalk talks.” They’re “bitesize” hacks on common (but challenging) leadership issues. Interested in learning more?

You can only access the Chalk Talks by subscribing to our newsletter at The Leadership Podcast.

Beyond the Uniform offers over 300 free episodes to help military Veterans succeed in their civilian career. This includes overviews of potential career paths, deep dives on necessary skills to succeed, and reviews of other free services that support the military Veteran community. You can find more info at BeyondTheUniform.org.