Ronald Reagan’s Humour in Crisis

A note to young leaders.

If character is grace under pressure, then nothing reveals it more abundantly than humour under fire.

On March 30, 1981, at 70 years of age and just 69 days into his presidency, Ronald Reagan survived an assassination attempt. A ricocheted bullet entered under his left arm, puncturing a lung and narrowly missing his heart.

Having lost nearly half his blood, Reagan was rushed to hospital. As he was being wheeled into the operating room – Reagan removed his oxygen mask, looked up at the worried faces of his medical team and quipped: “Please tell me you’re all Republicans.”

The line broke the tension and elicited an equally memorable reply from his surgeon, Dr. Joseph Giordano, a Democrat: “Today, Mr. President, we’re all Republicans.”

Later, spotting his anxious wife, Nancy, he managed a half-smile: “Honey, I forgot to duck.” It was a line borrowed from boxer, Jack Dempsey, who said it to his wife after losing a championship fight.

Facing peril and possible death, Reagan chose humour over self-pity – instilling calm, inspiring confidence.

That’s hard enough to do on a typical day. To do it with a bullet in your chest is the mark of a great leader.