RONALD REAGAN "The Great Communicator"
ESFP - Performer Artisan
"I've always thought that alot of the trouble in the world would disappear if we talked to each other instead of about each other."
- Ronald Reagan
Born: February 6, 1911
Died: June 5, 2004
Presidency: 1981-1989
Ronald Reagan was a much loved and very popular president. Rather than analyze
the politics of his presidency, this article will explore how his actions
reflected his temperament of Performer Artisan.
Reagan was born in Tampico, Illinois, a small town in which traditions and strong character were important. His family represented the traditional small town philosophy that people should be self-reliant and charitable, and to look after themselves and one another. This would seem to be the perfect backdrop for a Guardian temperament, but as it turns out Ronald Reagan was clearly an Artisan. In fact, an Artisan Performer.
He showed many traits of the Artisan Performer (ESFP) during his presidency and his life. As a child Reagan was able to easily get along with others and he fit in well when he wanted or needed to. He had a resonant and magnetic voice, a winning smile, and displayed proper social behavior. He was well known for his eloquent "communications" both in the form of written communications and speeches.
He was also quick to adapt and embrace the rites, rituals, and traditions of the local culture and was able to capture the interest and admiration of the public through elegant fanfare and ceremonies. In fact with his supportive and refined wife, Nancy, his presidency was said to have "brought glamour back into the White House." Artisans follow these social structures quite unconsciously and spontaneously, not so much because they revere them, but because they are so useful in getting them what they want. Reagan was a splendid Artisan in this regard.
Reagan had a remarkable gift for face-to-face negotiation, in part thanks to the almost magical qualities of his voice and the remarkable appeal of his friendly and unassuming style. He could win the loyalty and admiration of individuals and crowds simply by "being himself". And, though he was very successful in his career, he never became arrogant or self-important about it.
Reagan was also a shrewd negotiator and had a knack for gamesmanship. A key display of his Artisan nature in the presidency was to get tough with the Soviet Union. Nothing is more characteristic of the Artisan than to respond aggressively to the challenge of an aggressor.
Artisans are known for their Tactical Leadership strengths. True to form, Reagan’s handling of the Soviet Union was forceful. Early in his administration the President’s critics faulted him for referring to the Soviet Union as the "evil empire", claiming that his language risked antagonizing the Russians unnecessarily. But Reagan knew how to position the United States into a position of power. He felt this was necessary given that the Soviet Union’s aim was, in Khrushchev’s famous words, to "bury" the United States. With that, Reagan made his first priority the re-arming of America.
The United States military strength steadily increased, and the Soviets increasingly worried about Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars"). This was Reagan’s powerful bluff - the Soviets didn’t know how far or how fast American anti-missile technology was developing. Fearing they were losing the nuclear arms race and couldn’t afford to catch up, they eventually began talks for mutual disarmament. Reagan believed it was American strength, not American weakness that had brought them to the conference table. In this hand with the Soviets, Reagan played his cards masterfully, and many attribute to him the ending of the Cold War.
Reagan was certainly not the first Artisan to take a hand in presidential games. Most of the presidential Artisans were high rollers. For example, Andrew Jackson was gambling when he ousted the U.S. Bank, and he gambled continuously with his own life in his many duels. Then there was Teddy Roosevelt and his numerous ventures, and his nephew, Franklin Roosevelt, may have used the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor as a gambit to trigger U.S. entry into World War II. John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson also played for high stakes, such as in the Cuban missile showdown and the micromanagement of the Viet Nam war. In this same way Reagan faced down the Soviets on the international table.
Ronald Reagan used his tactful leadership skills to lead America into a new time of hope. "What I’d really like to do," he said, "is go down in history as the President who made Americans believe in themselves again." For many he has succeeded.
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