Lincoln Transformational Leader

Those that follow a transformational leadership framework believe that leaders possess many of the aforementioned qualities, but the focus is on one’s ability to inspire and empower others (Ross, Fitzpatrick, Click, Krouse, & Clavelle, 2014). These leaders literally ‘transform’ their followers by inspiring enthusiasm and performance towards a

Transformational Leadership empowers or enables its followers. The leader engages with the follower in a way that both the leader and follower transcend to a higher level of motivation and morality (Nicholls, 1994).

A transformational leader is a person that lays his/her goals out and takes extraordinary measures to accomplish them. Their goals usually focus on the well being of the situation and their people. They strive to change the views of others and convince followers that the ethical behavior is morally correct of the leader's. An example of an exceptional leader would be Steve Jobs, the current CEO/co-founder of Apple Inc. Jobs is considered a leading figurehead in both the entertainment and computer industry. "Steve Jobs is listed as Fortune Magazine's most powerful businessman of 2007 out of twenty-five other top businessmen" (Wikipedia). Steve Jobs has made a large impact on our contemporary society due to his contributions, accomplishments

During the Civil War era, Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglas were two figures that changed America forever. They became two of the most influential people of their time. Through their powerful and motivating speeches, they were able to change the minds of Americans and help to improve society and the welfare of the people. Douglas fought for black civil rights through compelling speeches, while Lincoln spoke more calmly and peacefully for unity with the Confederate states. Both men had very different goals but had the same motivation to achieve a better America for all.

Across time, political leaders have often been remembered for their greatness by how they faced challenges than with what particular skills or abilities they had during their time in office. This statement is known to be true as political leaders are often expected to solve certain issues or challenges when in office and if their contributions benefit the state or country. Additionally, history books, records, and scholarly journals will take note of a leader’s response to challenges, how they are handled, and if the issue is solved more than whether they adequately used certain skills and abilities to solve the problem. In short, challenges, when faced, allow the political leaders to be remembered more so than their talents.

On February 12th 1809 in a small log cabin in Hardin County Kentucky, arguably the nation’s greatest leader was born. Coming from a very poor family, Lincoln took his education into his own hands; a task that requires a level of self-determination and persistence many people cannot claim to have. Because of his family’s low income, Lincoln borrowed books and regularly practiced reading from his bible. This means that from a young age, Lincoln had a good sense of the moral lessons to be learned from god’s word. As he got older, around the age of 22, Lincoln left home for the village of New Salem in Illinois. There, Lincoln kept working hard to educate himself in a variety of subjects that would later help him succeed in a few different professional endeavors. Some of Lincoln’s early work included employment as a clerk at two general stores, using his self-taught knowledge of surveying to bring in money on the side, and even working as the postmaster for his area. During a brief skirmish between a small group of the Sauk, Meskwaki and Kickapoo Native American tribes lead by Black Hawk, Lincoln even got a taste of military life as he joined the militia that was sent to fight in the Black Hawk War.

Abraham Lincoln is known to almost everyone. It is recognized that he led the country through one of the hardest times in its history. What many of us do not know or understand are the methods he employed in order to lead us through the Civil War. Phillips became interested in Lincoln’s leadership methods and abilities because he found that these same ideas were still being taught today. He wrote this book because he was unable to find other books detailing Lincoln’s leadership. Because Lincoln’s methods are still applicable in today’s leadership environment, Phillips realized that much could be learned by examining Lincoln’s actions while

After studying Lincolns life and specifically his time in office, I strongly disagree with Statement 1. This statement not only undermines the president’s major role in the victory, but also overstates the North’s advantage in human and material resources. In fact, many of the advantages that the North did have, were the result of Lincoln’s leadership. Regardless of the North’s advantage in size and resources, Lincoln made several key decisions that helped result in the Union’s victory. During Lincoln’s time in office, his primary concern was the Civil war. As he states several times in his inaugural address, his central conflict consisted of upholding the nation. In order to do so, Lincoln made several strategic decisions and focused on many aspects of the war that were crucial in defeating the Confederacy. Among these important decisions and acts are his response to Fort Sumter, important foreign policy negotiations, and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Lincoln had many subordinates whom he worked very closely with to make such a successful nation. Just to name a few out of the many he closely worked with, William Seward was appointed the Secretary of State by Lincoln. Seward first did not have faith or trust in the President, but as soon as President Lincoln spent time with him and learned about his loyalty he quickly changed his mind. Another subordinate that Lincoln worked closely with in his Presidency was Ulysses S. Grant whom was the appoint General in Chief of the Army. He had one battles in Tennessee and Vicksburg (Phillips, 1992, p. 42)

(Taft, Thomas) This supports the reason why Abraham Lincoln was a role model because again, he did something that will change people's lives and help fix a problem. One of the most valuable results of Lincoln’s training was that he understood the necessity of political organization for the accomplishment of political

Transformational leaders, like Colin Powell, inspire a shared vision by envisioning future success. These leaders motivate the team and visualize the goals for the entire organization. They foster collaboration and teamwork to

In chapter two of Lincoln on Leadership, Lincoln is described in detail for his compassionate and caring nature. He was said to contain this particular nature by the fact that he maintained alliances, took time out of his schedule to stay in contact with his people, and he granted many pardons as a result of his kindness. I find the utilization of compassion and a caring nature provide the

Transformational leadership. Burns (1978) is recognized as one of the earliest theorist on transformational leadership, who introduced transformational leadership over 30 years ago. Transformational leaders are perceived as leaders who uplift their employee morale, subsequently uplifting the entire organizational. Transformational leaders are known by their capacity to inspire followers to forgo self-interests in achieving superior results for the organization (Clawson, 2006). Avolio and Yammarino (2002) shared Bass’s explanation of transformational leadership as leaders who act as agents of change that stimulate, and transform followers’ attitudes, beliefs, and motivate from lower to higher level of arousal.

The year is 1865 and the Civil War death toll has risen just over six-hundred-thousand men. The freedoms sought out by our nation’s founders, now jeopardized by the secession of eleven states from the Union. The fate of The United States of America now laid upon the broad shoulders of our nations sixteenth commander-in-chief, President Abraham Lincoln. In a term marked by the burden of complete social upheaval, Abraham Lincoln was our nation’s foremost leader. The lawyer from Illinois navigated the only internal war in American history by embodying the principals taught by Professor Grint, utilizing a model of distributed leadership to gather

He often would walk from his office to the Secretary of War’s office to discuss strategies to win the war. David T. Phillips stated in his book Lincoln on Leadership that, “Lincoln spent most of his time among the troops” (p.13). Lincoln rode his horse most of the time to the camp of the Union soldiers and cheered them up. He also motivated them by letting them know the importance of winning the war. The Core Lesson under Individual Consideration states that, “The leader empathizes with and supports each follower and keeps channels of communication open” [BCEE] (2014a, p.13). We have discussed Lincoln as Visionary Leader now let’s move on to Lincoln as Ethical Leader.