President Lincoln As An Example Of A Resilient Leader

As part of this critical assignment, it is a requirement that I reflect on my own experience as a Leader where I have demonstrated a high level of emotional intelligence, as well use theories to demonstrate my learning’s.

In the article “Bouncing Back” by Melissa Balmain; she writes about different people’s hardships and how they learned to be resilient because of their tenacious experiences. Balmain recounts Jennifer Loredo, a master sergeant in the army who was serving in Afghanistan with her husband when a roadside bomb left her without a husband and raising two kids on her own. Moreover Balmain mentions how

The reading this week covered chapters 3-4 of Resilient Leaders by Robert F. Dees. Dees (2013) summarized that character is formed by a three strand cord consisting of selflessness, integrity, and courage. Chapter three discussed the importance of integrity and courage in leadership. Dees (2013) provides definitions and comprehensive overviews of leadership integrity and courage. Chapter four discusses the importance of wisdom in leadership. Illustrations of leadership without wisdom were brought to light. Additionally, the chapter differentiates a leader from a wise leader along with the importance of growth in attaining wisdom, knowledge, in character and competence. Dees (2013) says that wisdom is the bridge

My manager often tells me that she admires my ability to handle stressful situations and not show any sign of being overwhelmed. As a competent leader, one need to possess the skills to remain calm during stressful times. Resilience is defined as being adaptable, grounded, and having the skills to bounce back from a stressful situation (Tyczkowski, Vandenhouten, Reilly, Bansal, Kubsch, & Jakkola, 2015). Resiliency is considered to be an attribute of transformational leaders, as they are positive, persistence, and flexible individuals.

For some people the strong word resilience can impact one’s life in a significant way. Overall, resiliency is having the ability to still enjoy and continue your life with positive, good times, regardless of a hard past or bad experience. It can be shown in various ways throughout a text, including the setting, the plot, and characterization. This is how the texts, The Other Wes Moore, The Art of Resilience, and The Third and Final Continent share their common theme. This theme the three texts convey is that resiliency is vital for a positive as well as successful life.

This summer I read The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and it was amazing. I really loved every page of Jeannette Wall’s novel, and it just seemed to get better and better as I kept reading. Wall’s novel is recognized as “a remarkable memoir of redemption and resilience.” But what is resilience? To be honest I couldn’t really truly comprehend what resilience was. I had a very vague definition of it, but, not anything I could explain with certainty. In this paper I will find my own definition of resilience, which’ll not only help me finish a summer assignment but also help me to fully understand resilience.

Another great leadership ability that Lincoln possessed was his ability to appoint the right people for the right jobs in his Cabinet. Even though they were some of the greatest minds of his time, some of his Cabinet members were also some of his biggest political adversaries. Through his great leadership, he was able to assemble this group and to pull them together to make it work. Lincoln also had the ability to make a mistake, learn from it and then move on, creating an environment of learning in his administration. Also, when the administration was successful, Lincoln was willing to share the credit with his administration, not taking all the credit for himself. This ability can be a great motivator, since it gives people a sense of accomplishment (Moreton, 2008).

Throughout recent history, the definition of leadership has been the subject of a vast number books, articles, and essays. Countless authors have attempted define the ability to lead in a tangible way. They have scrutinized on how one becomes a leader and how one successfully leads. Because the ability to lead is so ambiguous and no one can follow a definable set of steps to become a leader, many authors have use examples of leaders to illustrate their views on the subject. And even in the limited scope of time that is the history of the United States, dozens of men and women have lead Americans through their words, beliefs, and actions. Whether they are appointed leaders such as President George Washington or Thomas Jefferson, or leaders of worthwhile cause such as Susan B. Anthony or Martin Luther King Jr., these leaders provide a blueprint that if examined carefully, can provide useful advice for those aspiring to become great leaders. And for Donald T. Phillips, the American leader whose life “still inspires and moves people from all walks of life” and provides an example of leadership that is without equal is Abraham Lincoln (Phillips). In his book Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times Phillips provides 15 overarching leadership qualities that Lincoln followed all throughout his life. By describing how Lincoln exhibited each of these qualities thoroughly, Phillips then relates how potential leaders today can duplicate those same qualities in their

“At times of change or dealing with uncertainty or in a crisis-- that is when the best leader will shine” (Ellis, 2016). A leader who can work effectively in a complicated, unpredictable situation is a competent leader and he tirelessly works to improve his capabilities (Ledlow & Coppola, 2010). All great leaders are known for communicating effectively what they want to achieve. They are visionaries who have the ability to lead others toward a shared goal (Gibson & Weber, 2015).

Lincoln on Leadership is a book that discusses all of Abraham Lincoln’s leadership styles and strategies and talks about how successful he was because of these attributes as our President. The main character of the book is President Abraham Lincoln. He grew up in a poor background and worked his way to where he was as President. Lincoln tried many careers such as a postmaster, a surveyor, and a lawyer so that he could have a life of success. He always learned from his failures and worked very hard to make it in life because he was from such a disadvantaged background. He was devoted to human rights, innovation, and compassion. He was an amazing leader with leadership styles that kept the United States as one. Leaders today should be able to use these guidelines and to try to an effective leader no matter what setting this is in whether it is business, politics, or healthcare.

Dees highlights several crucial concepts regarding resilient leadership in Chapters 3 and 4. The quality of leadership largely determines the overall upward or downward direction of a company. A resilient leader has the ability to influence people to willingly put forth effort to achieve a goal, which is at the core of being a leader. The most effective leaders recognize how to influence subordinates while moving forward with an effective plan that will benefit all involved. The three most important concepts from Chapter 3 and 4 are integrity, courage, and wisdom.

The topic of leadership evokes curiosity about our leaders and their approaches in decision making, leadership styles and the effectiveness of their leadership. At time leaders are critiqued for their actions or views on different business affairs. In today’s working environment leaders set the tone, vision, and goals of any organization. Leadership has a huge impact on the culture of an organization and how people communicate within the organization (Northouse, 2009). The actions of leaders should inspire and positively impact their followers. The approach of leaders in handling adversities highlights many features of their character.

Emotional intelligence is an important characteristic in becoming a good leader. “Emotional intelligence is the ability to manage oneself and one's relationships in mature and constructive ways” (Kinicki & Kreitner, 2009, p.137).Being a good leader entails more than just being smart; leaders need to be able to connect to their employees emotionally and empathetically. Organizations today not only look for leaders with the skills, but leaders that can emotionally connect to employees to obtain the organization’s goal. “Leaders have always played a primordial emotional role. No doubt humankind’s original leaders-whether tribal chieftains or shamanesses-earned their place in large part because their leadership was

Overall, Emotional Intelligence and resonant leadership are very important concepts in the marketplace today. They are vital to the dynamics of an organization and are qualities that the modern leader must possess in order to foster change and inspire others towards the achievement of goals and objectives. It is through these two concepts that a leader is truly able to elicit team unity and foster an atmosphere of change within the organization.

Imagine how the state of the world will be today without the leadership of the United States of America to police the world. Think about Iraq during Saddam Hussein’s regime, Libya during Arafat’s regime and the behaviors like Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Had it not been the vision of Abraham Lincoln to preserve the Union, there would not have been a strong unified United States today. President Abraham Lincoln was a visionary leader and an ethical leader when leading the United States through the Civil War during his Presidency. In this paper we will review how Lincoln used his leadership traits to win the Civil War to preserve the Union and abolish slavery in America. We will also review Lincoln as ethical