Lincoln On Leadership By Donald T. Phillips

I start this project on Lincoln’s leadership very reluctantly. I am a history buff and have always viewed his leadership through the eyes of jaded historians. They have portrayed him as a dictator, incompetent, and a buffoon at some points. After reading the Donald T. Phillips book Lincoln on Leadership, my mindset was totally changed. This book broke down four key areas that produced an effective leader in Lincoln. These areas are character, people, endeavor, and communication. I will be sharing a principal from each key area that I found important and then conclude with an overall thought.

Political favorites aside, the United States has produced many great leaders in her day: Washington, Reagan, Kennedy and Roosevelt are a few names that come to mind. However many will argue that one leader has eclipsed the rest in United States history. Only one president in United States history has had to tackle a civil war where the country divided, waged war against itself, on our homeland. Only one president in our nation’s history righted the darkest practice we have permitted by freeing the slaves and providing hope and opportunity for an entire group of citizens once considered the personal property of another. That man was Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln is among many leaders who failed in their leadership but ended up dealing with his failures. He was the 16th President of the United States o America. Lincoln endured many failures which were constant until the time he became president. Despite his failures, he still managed to have a successful setback and come back.

Two names universally used in transformational works are those of the canonical figures of Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Both these organizer had the knowledge, bravery, temperance, and the vision to guide their supporters. These two organizers shifted an entire culture through using the transformational headship method and innovative management criteria to effectively alter and motivate change throughout the world. Abraham Lincoln, a noble leader; an organizer who led the United States through its bloodiest battle and its utmost just, lawful, and political crisis. He served as the sixteenth commander of the United States from March 04, 1861 until his homicide in April 15, 1865.

As a transformational leader, Lincoln’s had acquired trust, loyalty, and respect of his followers (Leidner, 2002).

Within the behavioral theory matrix Abraham Lincoln possessed both high transformation and transactional qualities, categorizing him as a Team Manager. Lincoln’s ability to unite an entire country towards a common purpose, through artful task management and unique inspirational candor allowed him to effectively lead his subordinates. Lincoln demonstrated his transactional leadership qualities by making the necessary difficult decisions. When the Union Army was

Lincoln was a complex man with many principles which led to benefits in the country with him as a leader. Lincoln created a foundation for future leaders with his principles and I would definitely adapt some of his style into my own to benefit my organization. Above all, I would I would follow Lincoln’s honesty policy. Along with his view on honesty I also like Lincoln’s principle of being open-minded. As a leader, Lincoln may have shaped the way future leaders run their organizations.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.” – John C. Maxwell

“Whatever you are, be a good one.” (Abraham Lincoln Quotes, 2016) Those words are often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, one of the greatest leaders of all time, epitomized multiple characteristics of being a successful leader. Lincoln was considered honest, diligent, and visionary and a humble man. On his way to becoming a great leader, he suffered many setbacks, but like most successful leaders learned from those setbacks and preserved through to change the face of this country. He communicated his message and inspired those around him and across the country in his battle to end slavery.

One of the most interesting insights covered in this book was on leadership theory. George Washington exemplified the “Great Man Theory”. This theory was created in the 19th Century and believes that great leaders are born and not made. Great leaders have innate abilities that come out when the need arises. George Washington was not the most

Lincoln demonstrated an ability to withstand adversity and to move forward in the face of frustration, said Kearns Goodwin, a keynote speaker at SHRM’s 2008 Annual Conference in Chicago. She identified 10 qualities that made Lincoln a great leader. Ten qualities Kearns Goodwin believes we should look for in our present day leaders.

Early versions of the Traits approach to leadership signified that individuals that are predisposed to leadership were born that way. This approach focused on the qualities a person possessed to explain his/her ability to develop into a sound leader. (Northouse, 2013, p. 19 leadership) Lincoln’s development, relationship with parents and natural physical attributes would satisfy the trait approach to leadership.

Lincoln set examples as president for any leader. Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860 and over one hundred and fifty years later, his lessons can be observed in present day leaders. One leader that I can see some of Lincoln’s lessons in is current President Barack Obama. With this year being an election year, and a very heated one at that, I decided to do some extra research on our current president and his leadership style. To my surprise, President Obama based some of his leadership style off of, none other than, Abraham Lincoln. President Obama surrounded himself with people as Lincoln did. In Lincoln on Leadership, it is obvious the leading style of Abraham Lincoln is very unique. According to the Harvard Business Review, President

ICBS has a strong culture which almost all the employees across all divisions hold based on the core principles of the organization in achieving the corporate goals. Thus it has enabled to increase the organizational performances over the years even with the high competition existing in the professional education industry in Sri Lanka.

There were many different leadership qualities that were talked about in this novel. One of which was the interaction and how well Abraham Lincoln was able to deal with people. Interaction, communication and collaboration with employees, and people were what Abraham Lincoln was known for. Instead of staying in the White House and listening to the information that was being brought to him, he was leaving the office and going out into the battlefield and talking to the troops. “All leaders must seek and require access to reliable and up-to-date information” (CITE). Lincoln went out to War Department telegraph’s office so he can access to important information, as well as tour the Navy Yard, and