When I was a boy, I wasn’t interested in politics. Political parties were a foreign subject to me. I did, however, always like to read about our presidents. I was an avid reader of biographies. United States presidents were my favorite.

The first president I remember as a live person was Dwight David Eisenhower. He was a military hero and leader of men. I vividly recall the “I like Ike” button and the call to vote. Although too young to vote for Ike, I remember figuring out the presidential election in which I would first be allowed to vote.

Some time ago, Investor’s Business Daily ran a series of articles that profiled our greatest presidents. Ike was featured and it reminded me of the reasons Ike was a good general and so beloved as a president.

Phillip Michaels wrote the IBD piece and he quoted a letter Ike wrote to his son, John. “My ambition in the Army was to make everybody I worked for regretful when I was ordered to other duty.”

What an admirable goal. If every leader, whether in business, education, government, or the military, could adopt it, how life would change!

Ike’s family struggled during his childhood. He said, “I found out in later years we were poor, but the glory of America is that we didn’t know it then. All that we knew was that our parents, of great courage, could say to us, ‘Opportunity is all about you. Reach out and take it.’”

One could ask, “Are you poor if you don’t know it?” To some degree “poor” is just a state of mind. I recognize that poverty is a reality for many, but being poor need not create a poverty mentality. It can be temporary. It can be a fact for the moment, but not necessarily for a lifetime.

It is also not just about money or economic status. To paraphrase that noted scholar, Forrest Gump, “Poor is, as poor does.”

We live in a community of abundance. Wealth is not a requirement to partake of the abundance of our society. Participation is the primary prerequisite. Eisenhower understood it and it treated him well.

Ike was acknowledged as a great manager. His biographer, Stephen Ambrose, points out that he used committees to filter information and never got bogged down in too much detail. Great managers absorb the information, delegate authority and take decisive action on information at hand. Not a bad model for everyday living.

People are much more important than things, projects, deadlines or results. If treated with respect, kindness and equality, the people will make sure the projects, deadlines and results are accomplished. People responded to Ike as they would any great leader — with exceptional performance.

It has been nearly four decades since Dwight David Eisenhower died. However, the example he set and the lessons he taught are still having an impact today. We still like Ike. To be like Ike isn’t such a bad maxim, either.

Contact Tom at 1030 Seminary St. Ste D, Napa CA 94559, 254-0155, fax 254-0158 or e-mail suntrm@aol.com