Special Mom’s blog

What makes a good leader?

This weekend I stumbled onto Lewis and Clark’s westward journey documentary.

America had purchased the Western lands from France.

President Jefferson made an intelligent 29 year old Lewis Merriweather to lead an expedition to the newly purchased lands. Along with his co captain 34 year old Clark, Lewis made it all the way to the Pacific coast. The expedition documented showed just one man was lost. That too, he had died of appendicitis.

This successful young man was then named the Governor of the newly purchased territory Louisiana. Oh, that included all of the midwest portion of the country.

Lewis’s strength was not politics though he could handle a tough expedition the governance of the region took a toll on him and he later committed suicide at a very young age. Unlike him Clark grew up in his career, married settled and died rich.

When the prompt showed up I just could relate to this documentary which I saw. Lewis who was successful as an expedition leader couldn’t survive politics. Maybe politics and governance of a region was not his strength. President Jefferson found a great leader and placed him in a job he could do. But a different task of governance involved entirely different skill sets took a toll on his life. President Jefferson too failed in appointing the right person to govern the new region.

Anyhow it was an interesting documentary. Now that I watched one, I would be suggested more of the same😀! The curiosity is going to make me watch more.

We are getting into an Arctic/polar plunge weather. I am going to be hooked for sure.

Wishing you all a great work week.