Lincoln On Leadership

Though the book is not handy for a picture as of now but it’s a must read. A reader will get much more than a read…

I read this book for a leadership class, and I thought it was easy and straightforward. I will probably read the newer version in the future.

I have read this book several times. I was first exposed to this book at staff and command college at the University of Louisville. It is a treasure chest of great leadership advice from one of the greatest leaders to ever walk the planet. Lincoln was ahead of his time and his principles still ring true to this day. I gave my copy away and purchased another one, when I wanted to refresh on his ideas.

There are a lot of things that I took away from this book regarding Lincoln's leadership...1) Lincoln had a *very* difficult situation handed to him, and was not widely recognized as a strong leader for much of his first term.-The country recently had a banking panic, thousands of business were failing, high unemployment, and government revenues were at all time lows.-The confederacy at the onset of the war was far more organized, had better leadership, and was much more willing to go to war than the North.-At the time Lincoln assumed office, he won a plurality of any candidate, but still a minority of the vote. Much of the union felt he was a 'second-rate country lawyer' and there was not at all the sense that he would go on to be a great leader.-Within his cabinet, and within military staff, from other senators, people were CONSTANTLY questioning his leadership. This was perhaps the most eye-opening. One of highest ranking generals even ran against him during his 2nd election.When you consider all of this, and the fact that Lincoln is consistently ranked as one of the top 3 presidents (very often as #1), it becomes much more clear that how things may seem at the time of a particular project or endeavor, is actually in no way related to good leadership.2) Though he was extremely honest, Lincoln was good at converting former rivals into allies, and found the best people for the job, regardless if they disagreed with him, or even were plotting against him.It seemed throughout the book as if almost everyone in his cabinet either questioned his judgement, or was actively considering running for president against Lincoln, or in some cases already had run against him.In particular, Lincoln is most effective in converting Seward (contender for 1860 Republican nomination) - who served as Secretary of State with distinction, and Stanton - who ran the War Dept. into close allies. He appealed to their sense of patriotism, and to the fact that he truly needed their abilities to succeed.In other cases like Gen. McClellan, and the Secretary of the Treasury - Chase, he used their abilities for as long as was viable, and when their differences were truly insurmountable, and hindering the larger efforts for the war, he got rid of them. Though honest, he was strategic in his use of people to accomplish objectives. Lincoln seemed to understand people very well.3) Provide objectives, not orders.Lincoln would provide overall objectives to this staff, rarely did he issue direct orders. He did not micromanage, and encouraged autonomy within certain limits. In some cases however, when generals would overstep their bounds (i.e. declare martial law when not necessary, or shoot young deserters), Lincoln would intervene and directly countermand their orders.Lincoln would actually imply or suggest certain broad courses of action, and allow his staff to figure out the particular implementation necessary to succeed. He understood how to delegate just the right amount of responsibility. The corollary to this, is that he was also good at picking the right people when delegating.4) In the face of intense criticism, Lincoln didn't lose his cool.Lincoln rarely acted out of anger, even when situation warranted an angry response (i.e. when certain generals failed to respond to direct orders to engage the Confederacy's armies), nor did he take much the criticism from the press or other politicians too closely. There are numerous letters he wrote but never sent to allow himself to 'cool' down.5) Lincoln understood strategyUntil Grant, it seemed as if none of the Union's generals had an understanding of war strategy and what was necessary to win. Somehow, though inexperienced, Lincoln seemed to grasp the key aspects of winning a war against the South (i.e. controlling the Mississippi, blockading the South, engaging the enemy directly in battle, and capturing Lee's army). A key episode covered in the book is when Meade wins the battle of Gettysburg, and has the opportunity to attack Lee's armies, who are trapped on one side of the Potomac. Lincoln is furious that Meade lets Lee get away.At the time of his presidency, Lincoln went through countless generals, before he was able to rely on Grant. He is able to recognize talented generals from non-talented ones fairly quickly (by learning himself about war), and re-adjusts accordingly.The book lists a graph showing his top staff, and he went through a management / organizational change almost every 3-4 months or so until he finally promoted Grant as his chief general. Most historians would agree that his previous generals were not doing a good job.6) Lincoln was an excellent orator and writer, and was effective at communicating a vision.The speeches are the one aspect of Lincoln that are often captured in your standard history books. They are still studied today.Overall the book was good. I haven't read about the specifics of Lincoln's presidency in any depth before, and I learned a lot regarding his leadership style. Some drawbacks though is that at times the writing is greatly oversimplified, making a general leadership tenet from one very obscure anecdote about Lincoln.Also, the author is not critical at all of Lincoln, and never once points out a mistake. Surely Lincoln made some mistakes during the war and his tenure in office, and at least writing from a more impartial standpoint would have been helpful.The book is very well researched, and draws heavily from letters, writings, and other historical accounts.Mostly, I learned to appreciate the incredibly difficult situation Lincoln inherited, from the moment he was first inaugurated to when he was assassinated, new problems constantly emerged. As a result of reading this book, I would be much more inclined to read something like Goodwin's Team of Rivals, which may fill in much more of the historical record.

Review of Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times by Donald T. PhillipsIn the preface to Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times (1992), author Donald Phillips relates the surprise he felt when, beginning his research into the leadership style of the man most would agree was our country's greatest leader, he realized that he was plowing untilled ground. No one had yet written a book on Lincoln and leadership; as a matter of fact, the Lincoln Library, which keeps an exhaustive inventory of works about our 16th president, could only find three articles dealing with Lincoln and leadership.Phillips had been inspired by descriptions of the president visiting his generals on the battlefield; the president's practices seemed to parallel what Phillips was learning about management and leadership, particularly the dictum that executives should leave their "Ivory Towers" and "get to know their people" (p. ix). What he had seen in his reading about Lincoln was what he felt was missing in much of the abstract discussions of leadership: "tangible examples from a widely recognized great leader" (p. xii). This book brings those examples to the fore, and extracts from them specific principles - many of them in Lincoln's own words - that leaders can apply in their own "tough times."The book is divided into four parts: People, Character, Endeavor, and Communication. Each part contains 3-5 chapters with titles that emphasize the leadership principles that, according to Phillips, guided Lincoln's behavior. While this organization is helpful, it is also the case that the book is organized at least somewhat chronologically, a parallel structure that makes it both more enjoyable to read and, conversely, difficult to dip into. Anyone who is familiar with American history knows the basic story, of course, but the author shows how the effects of Lincoln's decisions come together to form a pattern of exemplary leadership. However, if someone is inclined to mine the text for specific lessons, Phillips caters to them by offering a bulleted recap of "Lincoln Principles" at the end of each chapter.In the introduction, Phillips proposes that we should look to our most effective and inspiring leaders if we "hope to understand how leadership really works" (p. 4). Phillips offers a traits-based comparison of Lincoln with other great leaders. He also briefly covers the "leadership qualities" - Lincoln's natural leadership traits - that are acknowledged by most: honesty and integrity; empathy; a devotion to individual rights; and extraordinary communication skills. Phillips describes the situation Lincoln encounters at the beginning of his first term. Seven states had seceded and Jefferson Davis had already been sworn in as the president of the Confederate States of America. No actions had been taken by Congress or outgoing President James Buchanan; the South had already seized almost every fort, arsenal and federal agency in their territory, and the majority of the Mississippi River was in its control. The Union army was tiny (16,000 soldiers) and without effective leadership.As Phillips notes, Lincoln had almost no relevant experience - he was by any definition an untested leader. He had never held an executive leadership position, had only served one term in the U.S. House, and had near-zero military experience. Truly, there was little indication that Lincoln had the qualities to be not only one of our most effective leaders, but a man who is almost universally acknowledged as an exemplar, the very definition of a leader.Phillips points out several times that Lincoln's character was evident in his ability to make tough and often unpopular decisions because he knew they were the right thing to do. He writes, "Lincoln tempered his unusually intense drive to achieve with an equally strong capacity to care," pointing out that, "many leaders are unable to combine these two principles effectively" (p. 177). This caring capacity extended to the South, as well, as evidenced in his Second Inaugural Address: "With malice toward none, with charity for all ... let us strive on to finish this work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds ... to do all which may achieve lasting peace among ourselves" (p. 178).The author argues that Lincoln's lack of experience and the state of crisis that existed at his first term's outset are what make this study of Lincoln particularly relevant to those interested in acquiring effective leadership principles: Lincoln's success was little short of miraculous. I agree, and as a lover of history, I was pleased to find that this book was well-researched and filled with fascinating detail. Phillips relied heavily on Lincoln's papers and the best-known biographies, but also scoured contemporary accounts and the remembrances of those who served on his cabinet, the "team of rivals," as historian Doris Kearns Goodwin dubbed them. I am a student of politics, as well, and Lincoln's surprise win in 1860 (and narrow victory again in 1864) are events on which Phillips' offers a fresh, original point of view.Phillips' rationale for writing this book is that Lincoln in many ways exemplified the skills and behaviors that fulfill our modern concept of leadership, but were considered either quirky or inconsistent during his time. Contemporary leaders can see the "best practices" of their time reflected in Lincoln's leadership style - he exhibited, in Phillips' opinion, all of the qualities contemporary executives should strive toward. Consequently, the most effective aspect of Lincoln on Leadership is how it connects Lincoln's "principles" - both declared and observed through an analysis of his behaviors - with contemporary writing on leadership. I became aware of several authors who I would like to read more of, particularly Burns and Peters; I would think that some who might read this book purely for the leadership aspects might also be encouraged to do more research in the other direction, as Phillips does an excellent job of conveying Lincoln's fascinating character. I found Lincoln on Leadership to be a surprisingly insightful book, and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to look beyond the "great man" myth of our 16th president and into the thoughts, feelings, and, most importantly, principles that guided his actions.