Franklin Roosevelt became the most powerful president in U.S. history, but how did he do it? The author of An Unfinished Life argues here that FDR understood that effectiveness in the American political system depended on building a national consensus and commanding stable long-term popular support. Robert Dallek also suggests that by forcefully addressing the country's problems, Roosevelt recognized the vital importance of remaining closely attentive to the full range of public sentiment around policy-making decisions—perhaps FDR's most enduring lesson in effective leadership.