LINCOLN

Feb

2023

Learning from Lincoln’s Leadership

I was driving on a business trip and listening to the book The President and the Freedom Fighter and have also been slowly working my way through Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Both books highlight the leadership of President Lincoln. Below are some quotes from the latter and what we can learn about leadership as we celebrate President’s Day.

“In order to win a man to your cause you must first reach his heart, the great high road to his reason.”

Throughout his presidential leadership, Lincoln was intentional about when he acted. The emancipation proclamation was first drafted almost six months before it was officially ordered by the President. This was because he understood the importance of timing. Had he ordered this at the time it was written the union was not in a position that would win the hearts of the people. Six months earlier it may have caused a greater divide instead of unity.

Leadership expert John Maxwell in his book The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership explains that “people buy into the leader, then the vision.” Lincoln understood this and knew he had to have the hearts of people before he could move forward with his vision for the emancipation of slaves. Great leaders connect with those they lead so they understand their needs and when the time is right they will support the leader’s cause.

“The books, and your capacity for understanding them, are just the same in all places . . . Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than any other one thing.”

Lincoln read voraciously. He not only read but sought to understand and apply what he read. It has been said that leaders are readers. Why?

In order to be effective as a leader you must continually be growing. When we stop growing, we stop going. Reading is a way to learn from others we may never meet. Reading expands our perspective. Reading expands our knowledge so we can succeed.

Reading is not enough, we must apply what we learn and put it into action. Maybe there is something we need to change because of what we read, something we need to apply immediately or even teach others. What feeds the desire to grow is the determination that you will succeed. Leaders read in order to succeed.

“Though Lincoln desired success as fiercely as any of his rivals, he did not allow his quest for office to consume the kindness and openheartedness with which he treated supporters and rivals alike,”

Goodwin tells the story of how Lincoln needed someone to galvanize the war department. Many people would not consider someone who humiliated them in the past. Not Lincoln.

Lincoln tapped Edwin Stanton, who previously spoke disparagingly about Lincoln, to be the head of the war department. He did not allow personal grievances to prevent him from inviting people into his inner circle. Throughout his presidency, he had rivals as well as supporters who provided various perspectives to speak into his leadership.

Great leaders have the humility to bring people with different opinions close to them to strengthen their thinking. They put aside personal grievances and create a culture of openness unified around a common cause. As long as everyone in the inner circle is unified around the vision, different perspectives are healthy. Lincoln put people before his agenda and sought what was best for the country above all else.

Consider these priorities: relationships, growth, and different perspectives. Which of them do you need to improve on? Need help thinking into this? Contact me for a thinking partner session to help you think into your leadership. When we raise our leadership ability, it creates room to grow the leaders around us. Lead Well!

Goodwin, Doris K. Team of Rivals. Simon & Schuster: New York. 2005.

Maxwell, John C. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Harper Collins Leadership. 2022.

Feb

2022

Lessons from Lincoln’s Leadership

The nation was divided. Each side had strong opinions on specific issues thinking they were right and half the nation was with drawing from the union. This was the country Abraham Lincoln had to lead. A man who on the outside did not look like the best person, but on the inside was the exact right person to lead America through this tumultuous time.

Much has been written about Abraham Lincoln and I have only explored a little of the history of his leadership and legacy. Allow me to share three of the many qualities of this man which helped him and can help us be great leaders.

Prepare Thoroughly

In his book Lincoln on Leadership for Today by Donald Phillips he shares a story from February of 1860. Lincoln was asked to speak to the Young Men’s Central Republican Union in New York. He was concerned these New Yorkers may see him as a “country bumpkin” and not qualified to be a presidential candidate. With this thought in mind Philips says he “meticulously researched and prepared what was to be one of the longest speeches he ever gave.”

This was a point in time where his thorough preparation led to a speech that helped unify the Republican party under a common vision. As leaders we can speak from the heart, but our words carry weight and we must prepare thoroughly to take advantage of the opportunities we have to communicate with our team. Our words can either lift our team or bring them down. Take the time to prepare and lift those we lead.

Graciously Hold to Convictions

Many know that Lincoln was a man of faith and that drove many of his personal convictions. He also knew how to live out his faith in a gracious manner. One example is the pressure others were putting on to prohibit alcohol consumption completely. Although he was not a drinker, he voted against it. He willingly spoke out against drinking as “repugnant” and “uncharitable,” but he was careful to explain his issue was not with the people, but the habit. Phillips shares that Lincoln said “’drinkers may just be our [non-drunks] superiors,’ because there is a ‘proneness in the brilliant to fall into this vice.’”

As leaders we must be people of integrity who hold to our convictions but do so in a way that is gracious and respectful of those who think differently than we do. Know where you will hold your ground as Lincoln did on the issue of slavery but recognize where forcing your personal convictions with minor issues may alienate and disrespect. As Patrick Lencioni mentions in his book The Advantage about the culture of Intel, be willing to disagree on some issues, but commit to move together in a direction that will keep you moving toward your goals.

Connect with People

Lincoln was confident in who he was. Even in defeat he was gracious. This created a situation where he was able to build relational bridges with others. His confidence enabled him to surround himself with leaders who thought differently and even disagreed philosophically with him. Instead of being frustrated and alienating people he would seek to connect and bring them closer to himself.

Another example of Lincoln’s strength in connection can be seen in how he spent time among the Union troops during the Civil War. Phillips shares how he would share stories and be among the troops and even take hours to personally shake the hands and thank 6,000 troops. Taking this time not only informed his decisions, but also helped encourage those on the front lines. As a leader take time to be among those doing the heavy lifting to encourage and inspire them.

Which of these areas do you need to focus on in the next week? Are you a natural connector or do you need to grow in this area? If so, check out the Maxwell DISC Personality Indicator as a tool to better understand your personal communication style and how to connect more effectively with those you lead. Lead Well.

Feb

2020

What One Trait Did These Three President’s Have in Common?

Not too long ago I read an excellent book by Doris Kearns Goodwin called Leadership In Turbulent Times. This book chronicles the lives and leadership of four presidents during various tumultuous times during United States history.

Each president had a difficult stages in life. They did not easily attain the position of president, but through various personal tragedies and losses they grew from adversity. Three of these presidents had experiences that led them to the same conclusion.

Abraham Lincoln

Many of us have heard the many failures Lincoln faced on his path to ultimately becoming President of the United States. I could share the lessons learned from those failures, but I will leave that to others. What Kearns pointed out from Lincoln’s leadership was an example of his humility.

Kearns describes how Lincoln assembled a team of “independent, strong-minded men, all of whom were more experienced in public life, better educated, and more celebrated than he. . . . he placed his three chief rivals” to key leadership roles. To be the President of the United States and acknowledge you are not the smartest person takes humility and a quiet confidence in oneself.

Teddy Roosevelt

Teddy Roosevelt was the one man of the four Kearns discusses who led men in the heat of battle. During his time of service, he understood he must not always be the one leading even if it means he may look foolish to others.

Kearns states that Roosevelt had “the self-awareness to soberly analyze his own strengths and compensate for his weaknesses.” He demonstrated by turning down a leadership opportunity to give someone else the job because their experience would be able to lead the team to victory. This humility of putting the team over his personal ego would serve him well as he continued to lead during his life.

Franklin D. Roosevelt

A man who had experienced great success had his world shaken when he was diagnosed with Polio. After many years of struggling with polio, Roosevelt envisioned creating a community for healing and connection among those suffering from this disease. That vision became Warm Springs.

During his time running Warm Springs Kearns

states he not only brought healing and hope to others who suffered from Polio, but he himself experienced what she quoted Perkins as saying was a “spiritual transformation.” Through being in a shared community where they shared with one another the struggles of this disease and learning and listening to others Roosevelt removed the elitist air that surrounded him. This experience grew humility as a leadership strength into FDR’s character.

Each man had a different path, but all three came to a point where they either explicitly or implicitly learned the importance of humility for effective leadership.

What about you? In what ways do you need to recognize the need for others and have the humility to accept help in your leadership? Do you surround yourself with others smarter than you to provide healthy conflict? What is one step you can take today to lead with humility? Share your thoughts so we can become more aware of areas we may need to grow. Lead Well.

Jul

2019

Presidential Leadership

John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Abraham Lincoln. What do these three men have in common? We can pair them up and see some commonalities, but the following statements reveal their major commonality.

Before 40,000 people in the Rice University football stadium President John F. Kennedy proclaimed:

“We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win.”

Within the Illinois state capital after being selected to be his party’s representative for the senatorial race Abraham Lincoln stated:

“A house divided will not stand.”

On Thanksgiving Day after mourning the sudden loss of President Kennedy the now President Johnson shared:

“Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or to lose. I am resolved that we shall win the tomorrows before us. So I ask you to join me in that resolve determined that from this midnight of tragedy we shall move toward a new American greatness.”

Three different men with various commonalities in their histories, but each of them did what every leader must do: have and share their vision.

Kennedy’s Vision

President Kennedy set a clearly defined target that by the end of that decade we would put a man on the moon. He set into motion a plan that he would ultimately not see personally come to fruition, but that is what leaders do. They proclaim a clear, bold goal, and move toward it recognizing they may or may not realize it during their lifetime.

Lincoln’s Vision

Through many failures and defeats this president had a clear vision of what ultimately would need to occur. Abraham Lincoln saw before his time that in order for this young country to survive it must be unified. In a statement that was not politically correct at the time he set the course for what would ultimately define his leadership.

Johnson’s Vision

On the heels of a national tragedy this president proclaimed hope in a great America. He cast a vision of what America could become. Within his time in office he and those he led enabled legislation to create a society that was more equal and empowering for all. Did he realize the totality of this vision, no, but without his leadership many may not have the freedoms they experience today.

Each President had a picture of the future, but he did not hold it in. At the appropriate time he declared it and took steps to move toward fulfilling it.

It has been said that without vision people perish. What is your vision for your organization, team, family, or life? Have you stated it aloud so others can hold you accountable? Take time to clarify your vision today and if you need help thinking into your vision and your personal leadership results contact me for a complimentary thinking partner session. Lead well.