Daily Leadership Thought #94 – George Washington: The Man Who Wouldn’t Be King

In America, we have a president, not a king, which changed the arc of history when one man made this decision.

We celebrate two exceptional presidents on Monday (2/21) in America: George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. As a fan of history and leadership, it’s hard to overstate my respect and admiration for both men. I have referenced them in my work for many years. In this Leadership Thought piece, I would like to focus on George Washington and his refusal to become our king.

At a time when he could have grabbed as much power as he wanted, he resisted this temptation. When our new nation was still finding its way politically and philosophically and yearning for decisive leadership, he preferred to share power and work collaboratively with his contemporaries. Rather than profiting personally from his power and influence, he chose to forgo financial gain to fulfill his leadership roles. Even though he had the full weight of a battle-tested military behind him, he voluntarily gave up command of these forces at the end of the Revolutionary War. And, as president, he discouraged the use of the military as a political tool.

George Washington truly was a legendary leader. The annals of history will forever inscribe his leadership character. There is much to study and learn from the man and his actions (or lack thereof). Up until that point in human history, no individual had ever walked away (he did it more than once, by the way) from such power and influence. He could have been our king, but he willingly chose not to be. The world was never the same after that.