1. Propelling A Vision.(LEADERS & SUCCESS)(IBD'S 10 SECRETS TO SUCCESS)

Byline: Cord Cooper

Within four years, President James Polk transformed America from an upstart nation with growing pains into a continental power reaching to the Pacific and encompassing more than 1,200 miles of Western coastline.

During a single term (1845-49), Polk expanded the powers of the presidency, established an independent Treasury, settled an Oregon boundary dispute with the British and led the U.S. to victory in the Mexican War. The Oregon and Mexican victories resulted in land acquisitions that today comprise all or partof 11 Western states.

Polk (1795-1849) tapped the country's desire to move West by championing a broader vision -- that America's expansion to the Pacific was its "Manifest Destiny."

He succeeded because he followed timeless leadership principles.

He defined his role. Polk, a Democrat in the mold of Andrew Jackson, set challenging goals -- and broadened the powers of his office to meet them.

Contrary to weak predecessors such as Martin Van Buren, Polk reigned in the growing government bureaucracy by taking full control of all executive departments, Paul Bergeron wrote in "The Presidency of James K. Polk."