Most leadership books don’t mention gas stations. But one museum exhibit made me realize that some of the greatest leadership in American history came in the form of… a highway.
A while back, I visited the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home in Abilene, Kansas.
On my mental checklist, I saw what I expected:
- World War II hero. Check.
- Sputnik and the birth of NASA. Check.
- Little Rock integration crisis. Check.
- Farewell Address warning about the “military-industrial complex.” Check.
- The Interstate Highway System. Wait… what?
I stopped at a display showing tens of thousands of miles of road built under Eisenhower’s leadership. It may sound naïve, but I’d never really pictured modern America without interstates, without road trips, without the familiar rhythm of Buc-ee’s, Love’s, and those travel stops that feel as American as baseball (or arguing about barbecue).
And the more I read, the more I realized: This wasn’t just a construction project. It was a leadership project. The kind that reshapes a nation because someone can see what needs to be built before everyone else does.
The Seed of the Vision
Long before he was president, Eisenhower joined the U.S. Army’s first transcontinental motor convoy in 1919, 81 vehicles traveling from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco.
The trip was about 3,251 miles… and took 62 days. Bridges collapsed. Trucks got stuck. Roads disappeared into mud and dust.
Eisenhower later called it a “genuine adventure,” which is a polite way of saying, “This was a mess and we’re lucky nobody died.”
Years later, during World War II, he saw Germany’s Autobahn. Fast, efficient highways moving troops and supplies across long distances.
Those two experiences formed one conviction: If America ever had to mobilize quickly for defense, disaster, or survival our roads wouldn’t be ready.
The Purpose of the Vision
By the time Eisenhower reached the White House, the U.S. was still getting its kicks on Route 66 (I grew up riding my bike on Route 66 in Oklahoma). But the country was changing fast.
His interstate push wasn’t just about convenience. Rather, it had three big outcomes:
- National Defense. Move troops and resources quickly.
- Economic Strength. Connect commerce, freight, and growth.
- Safety. Reduce deadly crashes through better road standards and separated traffic.
In short, Eisenhower understood highways weren’t just infrastructure. They were strategy.
The Pushback Against the Vision
It’s easy to assume Eisenhower proposed the idea and everyone cheered. Not even close.
The resistance wasn’t whether highways were needed. Most agreed. The real battles were money and control:
- Who pays?
- Federal vs. state authority?
- Tolls or taxes?
- Debt concerns?
- Fair distribution across regions?
Leaders should sit with this: Even great ideas don’t move forward on vision alone.
Construction of the Vision
Eisenhower didn’t win by bulldozing opposition (pun intended). He led like thoughtful leaders do:
1. Strategic Framing. He connected the project to defense and safety, values bigger than transportation alone. The project became patriotic, not just practical.
2. Coalition Building. This required federal agencies, states, Congress, and industry. Ike built bipartisan support by emphasizing long-term national benefit and giving states meaningful ownership in implementation.
3. Operational Discipline. His military mindset shaped execution: clear standards, unified design, consistent signage. This system would not be a patchwork of state roads but truly a national system.
Leadership Lessons from a Highway Bill
The Interstate Highway System reshaped the U.S. fueling economic growth, suburban expansion, national unity, and defense readiness (my Florida hurricane evacuation route runs straight into an interstate).
You and I aren’t President of the United States… but Ike’s leadership example still applies.
Standing there at that exhibit, I realized Eisenhower didn’t just cast a vision, he constructed one. He:
- learned from lived experience;
- translated strategy into structure;
- endured pushback;
- and built something strong enough to outlast his presidency.
That’s what real leadership does.
It builds roads not just for today’s travelers…but for generations who will never realize how hard it was to create them.
Because the best leaders don’t just point to the future, they pour the concrete.
__________
Learn more at https://www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov.
Leadership Lesson from a Museum was originally published in Horizon Performance on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.
