In a talk filled with historical remembrances and nostalgia—the type only possible after decades in civic life—and sprinkled with jokes and a hearty laugh, former U.S. presidential adviser David Gergen conjured what he believes makes a good leader.

Top on his list: grit, humor, empathy.

At 81 years old, Gergen has certainly seen (and overheard) a lot. He served as a White House adviser to presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Clinton, crossing political party boundaries in a way that is pretty much unheard of today. He remains a political commentator and analyst, providing expertise on various television networks, including CNN and PBS.

Here are a few takeaways from his talk at Macky Auditorium this week as the eighth speaker in the Leo Hill Leadership Speaker Series, a signature event of the CU Boulder Center for Leadership.

Leaders to aspire to 

Gergen made no bones about the politicians and period of American political life he finds most noble and honorable—the World War II generation, also known as the “greatest generation,” generally defined as people born from 1901 to 1927. These Americans were shaped by the Great Depression and were the primary generation composing the enlisted forces in World War II.

Gergen noted that World War II united Americans around a shared set of values foundational to a healthy democracy. There was a shared sense of patriotism and willingness to make sacrifices for the greater good. Meantime, the U.S. had the strongest economy, army and culture of any nation on Earth, he said.

“The country was good to them, and they wanted to be good to it,” Gergen said. “They were stewards of this country.”

Trust (and humor) matters

In order for humor to be effective, there must be mutual respect, Gergen said. He offered a few anecdotes about U.S. political figures from vastly different political backgrounds bonding over a good joke or prank.

He described the relationship between the conservative Ronald Reagan and the liberal Democratic Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill, how they might attack each other over policy positions by day, but take a different tack after 5 p.m. They “put down the cudgels, brought out some whiskey” and started telling stories.

“Trust is so fundamental to leadership,” Gergen said.

With a solid relationship, Reagan and O’Neill managed to overhaul the Social Security system with then-Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, Gergen said.

“They did big things…big, bold things,” he said.

And, they had fun. Once, when O’Neill was nearing a birthday, Reagan invited him to the White House for lunch. In the president’s toast to his colleague, he offered this: “Tip, if I had a ticket to heaven and you didn’t have one, too, I would give mine away and go to hell with you.”

Yes, things are pretty bad right now

The self-described “short-term pessimist and long-term optimist” described the state of American democracy now as a car driving along a cliff at midnight with its headlights turned off.

“It is important to understand we’ve got a mess on our hands now,” Gergen said, noting that adaptability is increasingly important when things are happening so rapidly around the world today.

“Nobody can be sure what’s going to come tomorrow,” he said. “People can’t see into the future very well. It looks very murky.”

Gergen said the younger generations will need to step up and fix things through a renewed commitment to the country.

“I think it’s time to pass the torch to a new generation,” he said. “It’s time for us to get off the stage…The baby boom generation simply hasn’t succeeded.”

Gergen said while people in his generation have valuable insights to share, they should not be the ones running the show. In Gergen’s newest book, “Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made,” he calls on younger generations to pursue lives of service and public leadership and offers a practical playbook on how they can succeed.

A need for national service

Part of the playbook involves service. Gergen expressed concern that young people today may not be ready to manage or govern. They have “not been asked to do tough things.” They “haven’t been pushed that hard.”

Gergen advocates for a national service initiative in which Americans aged 18 to 24 are encouraged to spend a year in service to others, either through nonprofit work or in the military. The crowd applauded this idea. 

During a Q&A with Center for Leadership Director and Leeds School of Business Professor Stefanie Johnson, Gergen said it’s important to be frank with our children and tell them that not everything is perfect. Not everything is going to be above-average.

“It’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up,” Gergen said.