Michael Beschloss

Michael Beschloss is America’s preeminent presidential historian, the bestselling author of ten books on the American presidency, and the NBC News Presidential Historian whose analysis has shaped how millions of Americans understand their leaders. He speaks on presidential leadership, decision-making in crisis, and the lessons history offers today’s leaders, weaving colorful anecdotes and brilliant storytelling into presentations that make the past feel urgently relevant. Michael is also a regular contributor to PBS NewsHour.

What the Oval Office Teaches Every Leader
Michael has spent decades studying what separates great presidents from failed ones, examining the qualities that define effective leadership in the highest-stakes environment in the world: courage, decisiveness, communication, and the ability to work with people who disagree. His books including Presidents of War and The Conquerors have earned critical acclaim and bestseller status, establishing him as the definitive voice on presidential decision-making.

History as a Leadership Masterclass
Michael’s presentations combine gripping historical narratives with timeless leadership lessons that corporate and government audiences can apply immediately. His ability to connect past and present gives leaders a framework for navigating their own high-stakes challenges with the wisdom of those who came before. His keynotes deliver compelling, historically grounded strategies for leadership in crisis, decision-making under pressure, and the lessons the American presidency offers leaders navigating complexity in any corporate or institutional setting.

The Washington, D.C. You’re Not Hearing About
From his talks with presidents, Supreme Court justices, diplomats and members of Congress and his quarter-century in the capital, Beschloss reveals the hidden side of important personalities and behind-the-scenes developments that may soon have a major impact on your life.

Leadership From the Board Room to the Oval Office
Drawing on his years studying leadership at the Harvard Business School and as a presidential historian, Beschloss, customizing his presentation for each audience, picks the most brilliant successes and the most lethal mistakes made in business and politics – and shows what they can teach us.

Presidential Courage
What makes a great U.S. president? Michael Beschloss believes the answer is “presidential courage”: the willingness to take a political risk that might end a president’s career-and the wisdom to do that for reasons that later Americans will admire. In a presentation based on his book Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America, 1789-1989, Beschloss describes crucial times when courageous presidents took such risks and overcame obstacles to dramatically change the future of the United States. From George Washington to Ronald Reagan, the presidents Beschloss focuses on addressed some of the most paramount, abiding issues in American history-war and peace, human rights, and the proper balance between government and business. A natural storyteller, Beschloss details the outstanding traits of these presidents, and then compares them to the current crop of presidential candidates, for in insightful glance into America’s political future. He also uses what he has discovered about presidential courage to provide leadership lessons for all of us.

Great Presidents Past and Present
As a master in his field, Beschloss brings us inspiring, humorous and tragic never-before-told stories of American presidents – from George Washington to George W. Bush – as they struggle with war, peace and domestic crisis. He reveals the qualities that have made great presidents in history and shows how to find leaders who have them now – in politics, business and civic life.