“A man watches his pear-tree day after day, impatient for the ripening of the fruit. Let him attempt to force the process, and he may spoil both fruit and tree, But let him patiently wait, and the ripe pear at length falls into lap!”Abraham Lincoln

The family relationships of Abraham Lincoln were as follows, he had a bad relationship with his father, but a good relationship with his mother. Abraham Lincoln is known for living in a small cabin and walking great distances to get books. He worked hard on the farm and did his reading by burning his candle at both ends. He was once chastised by a family member for flipping his relative upside and putting foot prints on the ceiling, Abraham Lincoln was very tall man. In Abraham Lincoln leadership style modern army programs called Better opportunities for Single Soldiers, would not be needed because, although mission first and then take care of soldiers are today’s army values, the right style is take care of soldiers along all missions. Abraham Lincoln would not say stuff like if the Army wanted you to have family then the Army would issue you one. Abraham Lincoln understood you are only as strong as your weakest link. An example of this is attending funerals of his leader’s families, like if a relative died. Abraham Lincoln was not Technology and tactical proficient at military boots on ground leadership; he was an office worker and was meant for executive leadership roles.


Abraham Lincoln saw his duties as president from the eyes of a lawyer, which was very realistic legalistic point of view.

Lincoln did not lead like George Washington and ride horse into battle, he knew their where more men or possibly a women who was cross-dressing, that could bring the United States, back together. Abraham Lincoln visited his Generals, he had personnel philosophy to go out and meet the troops. Abraham Lincoln communicated with leaders thou letters, he built bonds from these correspondence. Abraham Lincoln would give direction or orders in a way that a person wanted to do the task. Abraham Lincoln was dubbed “Honest Abe”, because being truthful was part of his personnel philosophy. Lincoln often wrote letter and chose not to send them, this illustrates his philosophy to never act towards people in an evil manner. Lincoln is known for not reading his own reviews when he was President, but he believed not to be anger about what people said. Abraham Lincoln weighed in on his decisions and chose the best pros and cons this made him hard to know what decision he would make, he made clear decisions. Lincoln set goals and people understood what was going on because he was a great public speaker. Lincoln often spoke thru short stories; this helped the listener understand the objectives and reinforced the goals of the nation.

Lincoln learned about soldiers by talking to them, he would probably would help a soldier sweep or mop something; he would definitely act on any problems he found with the unit he was evaluating. If Lincoln heard a soldier talk about fighting the Civil War like many who where activated for “Operation Iraq Freedom”, I think in speech he would help soldiers understand the Global War on Terrorism better then Former President George W.Bush, many believed a man by the name of Osama Bin Laden attacked the


United States on September 11 2001.This is why if Lincoln was cleaning the Armory when I was preparing to train for this deployment, he would have encountered this soldier that understood Afghanistan was a place that the United States needed to be, but did not understand why he was being deployed to Iraq. Lincoln would probably say to the soldier who no longer was cleaning the bathroom, that terrorists where able to roam free in Iraq and they needed to stopped, so Iraq and Afghanistan was equally dangerous. Lincoln would probably encourage the chain of command to explain terrorist cells and go over terrorist history; many soldiers where trained to fight war called conventional war, and had limited urban assault ability, which before the Global War of Terrorism, the need for urban assault was limited to the Special team within each Armed Service Branch.

Jules Guerin painted pictures of Lincoln that hang in the same area where the Presidents famous speech called the Gettysburg Address is placed in Washington, DC. Guerin painting is known as “Angel of Truth”. The purpose of painting is the wish the Lincoln had to bring the country back together after the Civil War. The painting is also about ending slavery. Daniel Chester French the statue was sculptured from many photos the where observed by French. French believed Lincoln was determined to win the war that is why his hands where featured in the statue clenched. French decided to depict Lincoln’s other hand open to show a soft nature of this wartime president. French believed Lincoln was a gentle man and caring man that is how he was sculpted.

In conclusion Donald Phillips attempt to write a book about Lincolns leadership was good book, but a presidential leadership is not limited to the going on, when a president is doing the Commander and Chief thing, how did his leadership translate in foreign affairs and other domestic duties, their probably is more to explore on Lincoln’s Leadership, but Phillips gave it a good start.





Bibliography

1. Lincoln, Abraham.Lincoln’s Greatest Quotes: The Best Quotations From Abraham Lincolnhttp://www.theamericans.us/Quote.html....

2.National Park Government .Lincoln Memorial Design and Sybolism.http://www.nps.gov/linc/historycultur.... 2011

3. Phillips, Donald T. Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times.New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1992.

Abraham LincolnLincoln’s Greatest Quotes:The Best Quotations From Abraham Lincolnhttp://www.theamericans.us/Quote.html....

National Park Government .Lincoln Memorial Design and Sybolism.http://www.nps.gov/linc/historycultur.... 2011

I listened to this as an audiobook while driving to another country. If I'd had to read it, I'm not sure I could have finished it. But as a way to pass the time while driving, yeah it worked. The leadership strategies were okay, but most interesting to me was just learning more about Lincoln and all his generals who disappointed him with their lack of action.

I love that there's a book focused on leadership qualities of Abraham Lincoln. And there are plenty of good examples and bits of information that deliver those key points. However, the presentation of the information seemed meandering.

Excellent. An insight into human character at its greatest potential.

Lincoln was not only a brilliant and good man, but also immensely wise. This book helped me to see some aspects of his character and operating style in support of principles and practice that can be profitably applied by everyone. Two of the great lessons from the book that come to my mind after many years since last reading it are:

(1) Don't send potentially hurtful letters (emails) immediately after writing them. Instead, let them sit awhile to give time to rethink the message. Lincoln appears to have left many unsent letters of this sort, written initially in the grip of passion. It is a wise practice both for the thinking that can be done on paper when moved by emotions, but also that such messages are oft better kept for one's journal history and not embedded into the life of another person.

(2) Seek counsel from a wide variety of counselors, even those who don't naturally share your preferred perspective.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Many great ideas for anyone serious about leadership. However I’m not sure if everything here about Abe is really true. But that doesn’t really matter because the ideas on leadership are universal and can be applied to any industry or group.

As a child and then young man, I idolized Abraham Lincoln. "Honest Abe" was always the epitome of integrity.

I've read his biography and this book. His biography is a must-read for everyone.

Lincoln's perspective on leadership left me wanting. I agree that he was "The Right man for the Job" during the civil war. I have the benefit of a historical perspective to criticize his handling of some situations. While I feel he dropped the ball frequently during the war, he never compromised his honor.

If more leaders had Lincoln's sense of honor and integrity, we would have far fewer scandals, and a greater trust in our leadership.

Great book on leadership lessons from Abraham Lincoln. I recommend this book to leaders with solid leadership experience already in place. Its a great read for experienced leaders. Every leadership lesson is backed with stories from the civil war. A great book for a leadership group that is ready for open and candid discussion on hard leadership topics.

Lincoln is my far not my favorite President, but this little book about his leadership is excellent. It has some reminders for me and also gave me a few new things to think about. I trust the quotes below will me as helpful to you as they were to me.

He (President Lincoln) is, in fact, the only U. S. president to hold a patent (for a method to make grounded boats more buoyant).

Lincoln stood six feet, four inches, our tallest president.

The first Republican president, elected by a minority of the popular vote, he was a Washington outsider.

His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself, and allows nobody to see him; and about which he does not know what is going on in the very matter he is dealing with. – – Lincoln’s reason for relieving Gen. John C. Fremont from his command in Missouri (September 9, 1861)

During his four years as president Abraham Lincoln spent most of his time among the troops.

Leading is primarily paying attention.

If subordinates, or people in general, know that they genuinely have easy access to their leader, they’ll tend to view the leader in a more positive, trustworthy light.

All leaders must seek and require access to reliable and up-to-date information.

By entering your subordinate’s environment – – by establishing frequent human contact – – you create a sense of commitment, collaboration, and community. You also gain access to vital information necessary to make effective decisions.

Simply spending time together and getting to know one’s subordinates can overcome mountains of personal differences and hard feelings.

If you stay in touch with the people who comprise the foundation, you’re more likely to gain an advantage that helps you to win the war against stiff competition. It’s the people who are closest to the consumer and the product who know how to win. And, almost always, they will want to offer their ideas.

Delegate responsibility and authority by empowering people to act on their own.

On issues that affect your entire organization, conduct full and frequent consultations with the heads of your various departments.

A good leader avoids issuing orders, preferring to request, imply, or make suggestions.

The architecture of leadership, all the theories and guidelines, falls apart without honesty and integrity. It’s the keystone that holds an organization together. Tom Peters reported in his research that the best, most aggressive, and successful organizations were the ones that stressed integrity and trust. “Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing,” wrote Bennis and Nanus.

Trust, honesty, and integrity are exceedingly important qualities because they so strongly affect followers. Most individuals need to trust others, especially their boss. Subordinates must perceive their leader as a consistently fair person if they’re to engage in the kind of innovative risk-taking that brings a company rewards.

Followers in virtually every organization respond better to you, and will more easily be led by, a leader who consistently displays kindness and empathy than one who is associated with vindictiveness or animosity.

Business associates or subordinates, realize that a leader is not given to spite and pettiness, they will be more willing to openly seek him out. This will, in turn, makes the leader more effective.

Always keep in mind that once a subordinate is destroyed he ceases to contribute to the organization.

It would not hurt you much if, once in a while, you could manage to let things slip, unbeknownst- like.

Remember that truth is generally the best vindication against slander.

Do the very best you know how – – the very best you can – – and keep doing so until the end.

Corporate leaders of the future will have to provide employee security while also encouraging an environment for risk taking. At times it will seem like walking a delicate tightrope. But, in reality, it is nothing more than the simple understanding that each person, and each situation, is different it should be handled uniquely, in some cases with completely opposite styles. In many ways, mastering paradox is nothing more than having good common sense.

The best, most decisive leaders are those who have a set purpose and self-confidence to accomplish that objective.

An entire organization is never wisely sacrificed to avoid losing one or two small parts.

Frequently, getting people together can avoid distracted thinking that tends to build on people’s misgivings and apprehensions about others and their departments.

Always give credit where credit was due and, conversely, to accept responsibility when things went wrong.

If leaders of this - if they praise good work and encourage more of the same - then eventually they will be able to relax and let their subordinates do most of the work. And all the leader will have to do is guide them in the proper direction.

Let disputing parties work out their differences by bringing them together and guiding their dialogue.

Always let your subordinates know that the honor will be all theirs if they succeed and the blame will be yours if they fail.

Write letters to your subordinates making the personal acknowledgment that they were right and you were wrong.

When your subordinates come up with good ideas, let them go ahead and try. But monitor their progress.

The greatest credit should be given to those in your organization who rendered the hardest work.

Establishing goals and gaining their acceptance from subordinates is crucial for effective leadership. Goals unify people, motivate them, and focus their talent and energy.

Recent studies in leadership have noted that effective leaders are "reliable and tirelessly persistent" and that they are "the most results oriented people in the world."

Set specific short-term goals that can be focused on with intent and immediacy by subordinates.

Leave nothing for tomorrow, which can be done today.

Choose as your chief subordinates those people who crave responsibility and take risks.

Give your follow worse all the support you can, and act on the presumption that they will do the best they can with what you give them.

Coach and counsel a new executive so that he or she may get off on the right foot. Remember you want him to succeed.

An often overlooked component of leadership is this ability to learn from people and experiences, from successes and failures. The best leaders never stop learning. They possess a special capacity to be taught by those with whom they come into contact. In essence, this ongoing accumulation of knowledge prepares the organization for change.

A leader’s ability to develop innovative ideas and ask for people’s help in implementing them may seem to be obvious keys to success. But the sad fact is that too many of today’s leaders resign themselves to the limits imposed on them by flawed systems rather than rethinking those systems. This seems especially true in America as opposed to Japan, where innovation is a way of life.

Don't lose confidence in your people when they fail.

If you never try, you’ll never succeed.

Remember that the best leaders never stop learning.

Surround your self with people who really know their business and avoid “yes” men.

Remember that there will be times when you should simply not speak. Say to your listeners: “Kindly let me be silent.”

Try not to make mistakes when you speak publicly. Everything you say is intently heard. If you make a mistake it doesn't merely affect you but the organization as well.

Every leader must realize that the power to motivate followers resides almost solely in the ability to communicate effectively. In most business organizations, private conversation is much more important than public speaking.

When you meet with an individual, try not to part with any unpleasant impression on either side.

Speak in simple and familiar strains with people, without any pretension of superiority. Leave people with the feeling that they’ve known you all their lives.

Don't forget that humor is a major component of your ability to persuade people.

Effective visions and organizational mission statement can't be forced upon the masses. Rather, they must be set in motion by means of persuasion.

Moreover, truly accepted visions foster innovation, risk-taking, empowerment, and delegation. If the working troops understand what is expected of them, what the organization is trying to accomplish, then it becomes possible to make important decisions on lower levels, thereby creating a climate in which results in progress continually occur.

All leaders should remind subordinates why their organization was formed in the first place. Lincoln called on the past, related it to the present, and then used them both to provide a link to the future.

Provide a clear, concise statement of the direction of your organization, and justify the actions you take.

Everywhere you go, and every conceivable opportunity, reaffirm, reassert, and remind everyone of the basic principles upon which your organization was founded.

When effecting renewal, call on the past, relate it to the present, and then use them both to provide a link to the future.


I recommend this book to anyone who is a leader!

Quiz question, who is the most written about person in human history? Jesus. Who is number two? Lincoln. I picked up Lincoln on Leadership just because. I’m supposed to be reading about psychology exclusively, but I couldn’t resist.
I’m glad I picked up this book. It’s written in a kind of Win Friends and Influence People old school, journalist who admits he clearly admires someone kind of tone, but there is a lot to learn from the book. Essentially Lincoln was a person of remarkable character who conducted himself in an admirable fashion during very difficult times. He saw the best in others, and was determined on getting to a place, and made sure he got there while employing the help of others to get there. It’s a story of how to be a leader without alienating others, about motivating from a place of trust instead of sheer authority.
Call it old school, but the culture of character says you should be a kind of person. The culture of personality says you should act a certain way, in certain circumstances, and it’ll benefit you in the long run. I side with character. In the long run, I think it leads to a better life.
There is a whole lot to learn from Lincoln, and the more I learn about him the more I stand in admiration of the kind of person he was. They don’t make them like they used to.
Quotes
Often Nicolay or Hay would tell a visitor that the president was busy and they should come back later, whereupon Lincoln would open his office door and welcome the visitor anyway. 16
For Lincoln, casual contact with his subordinates was as important as formal gatherings, if not more so…He preferred, whenever possible, to interact with people when they were in a more relaxed, less pressure packed environment. 16
Spending time together and getting to know one’s subordinates can overcome mountains of personal differences and hard feelings. 31
Leadership, by definition, omits the use of coercive power. 38
If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him that you are his sincere friend. 39
The architecture of leadership, all the theories and guidelines, falls apart without honesty and integrity. It’s the keystone that holds an organization together…Divorced from ethics, leadership is reduced to management and politics to mere technique. 52
Lincoln understood that to actively engage in slander and malicious dealings would simply eat up far too much of his time, which he used in securing positive end results rather than negative ones. Pettiness, spite, and vengeance are emotional reactions considered to be beneath the dignity of a leader. 58
“It often requires more courage to dare to do right than to fear to do no wrong.” –Lincoln
“No man resolved to make the most of himself, can spare time for personal contention.” –Lincoln

I started reading this book because it is the basis for a talk that I am attending. I was not looking forward to reading it!!

If I had not read it, I would have missed out on a great book!! The book has struck me in two ways - 1. great leadership tips in an easy to read format and 2. I learned sooo much about Lincoln and greatly admire him much more now.

I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to think about their leadership skills!!

Simple and clear guidance for weathering leadership storms. If you appreciate the incredible and indelible job Lincoln did as president, this is a must-read. This is also good to keep around for reference or when you need a little boost of wisdom. Recommended!