Fred Greenstein is among the top students of the American presidency -- his book on Eisenhower, The Hidden-Hand Presidency, is regarded as a classic. His pioneering work in political psychology has done much to illuminate the nature of power and leadership writ large. Now, as the culmination of a half-century of study and firsthand experience, The Presidential Difference rewrites the book on greatness in the presidency.Greenstein looks at both personality and context to consider how well each president "fit" his times. From FDR to Clinton, he paints a portrait, by turns sweeping and detailed, of the era of the imperial presidency. The Presidential Difference employs a concise set of six categories by which a chief of staff is rated: communication, organization, natural skill, vision, cognitive style, and the unexpected key to the whole package -- emotional intelligence. Not since Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power has a scholar so clearly defined the keys to success for the world's most powerful office.
