How to Lead (and Evaluate Good Leadership) with David Gergen (SB1733)
The Stacking Benjamins Show
Joe Saul-Sehy and Josh ‘OG’ Bannerman, CFP
4.4 • 2K Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2025
⏱️ 71 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
What can you learn about leadership from someone who’s served four U.S. Presidents, navigated some of the most intense moments in American politics, and still believes the future depends on building more leaders, not fewer? In this Greatest Hits Week replay, Joe Saul-Sehy, OG, and Neighbor Doug welcome David Gergen—former White House advisor, Harvard professor, and author—to the basement for a masterclass on leadership that applies as much to your career and investments as it does to running a country.
Gergen pulls back the curtain on life inside the White House, from the early lessons he learned in the Navy to the behind-the-scenes moments that revealed the human side of Presidents. Along the way, he shares what separates great leaders from the rest, how to evaluate leadership in others (and yourself), and why service and responsibility are the cornerstones of lasting influence. Whether you’re leading a team at work, managing your family’s financial future, or just trying to be the kind of person others trust, you’ll find plenty here to sharpen your approach.
And because no visit to the basement is complete without some SB-style surprises, you’ll also hear stories of presidential humor gone sideways, a White House prank or two, and reflections on how good leadership isn’t about perfection—it’s about purpose. Plus, the guys tackle a listener question on investing without specific goals, and Doug tests the panel’s trivia chops with a leadership twist.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
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How David Gergen defines real leadership (and how it’s changed over time)
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The telltale signs you’re working with—or for—a great leader
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Lessons from the Navy, the West Wing, and history’s most memorable leaders
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Why building leaders is just as important as being one
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Practical ways to evaluate leadership in politics, business, and investing
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How a clear sense of service can make you a better investor and decision-maker
Questions for you while you listen (share with our Facebook group!):
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Who’s the best leader you’ve ever worked for, and what made them stand out?
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How do you evaluate whether someone is worth following—whether in politics, business, or life?
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What’s one leadership skill you wish more people would develop?
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Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This just in. Breaking news from stacking Benjamins. |
| 0:04.5 | Recently, a man who was not only a Harvard professor, speechwriter, but he also served four presidents died. |
| 0:13.5 | David Gergen served Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton. |
| 0:19.2 | Because he served presidents in both parties, you can imagine how people thought about him. |
| 0:24.2 | He was called left by right-wing people and right-by-left-wingers like it's some kind of football game. |
| 0:29.9 | But I'll tell you, in my view, he was incredibly focused on one thing, building leaders and serving his country. So, Joe, wait a minute. This is this |
| 0:40.3 | greatest this week, politics on stacking bedgments? Not at all. The reason I wanted so |
| 0:47.2 | badly to talk to David was because of this topic we're going to share with you today. Leadership. |
| 0:57.0 | Being good at your job means leadership either knowing which leaders to follow or stepping up and leading yourself as an investor so you'll hear |
| 1:03.5 | next week from david gardner creator of the motley fool your job is to be able to evaluate leaders |
| 1:08.8 | and whether you should put your money in the concern that |
| 1:13.5 | they're working. And as I mentioned at the top two, David died recently. And even though I spent only |
| 1:21.4 | about 90 minutes of my life with him, I was much more deeply saddened than I thought that I would have been. |
| 1:32.1 | He was a guy who I think gets it, and you'll hear why on this episode. |
| 1:37.2 | He also was a man who was incredibly generous. |
| 1:42.1 | Here's a little quick behind the scenes story about the making of this one. |
| 1:47.6 | So we first met, I was on my book tour, and I set up my recording equipment. I'm in this hotel |
| 1:52.4 | way up high, by the way, in downtown Chicago. We had an event that night. And when he met me |
| 1:59.9 | online for our meeting, he was using an iPad, which made |
| 2:03.0 | me grown because our recording software doesn't support an iPad. So thinking quickly, and I have |
| 2:09.3 | this nationally recognized great guest on. I instead said, you know what, David, let's move over |
| 2:16.4 | to Zoom. And I would use them my backup recorder. |
... |
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