Lincoln & Principled Leadership
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Lincoln & Principled Leadership Applying Lincoln’s Leadership Skills to Today’s Business
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Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States, is revered as an exceptional leader in a very uncertain time. On a smaller scale today's small business owners face an uncertain time as well. Understanding what characteristics helped Lincoln surmount those troubled times over a century ago enable us to run our businesses and lives in a more proactive and positive manner.
Transcript of Lincoln & Principled Leadership
Lincoln & Principled Leadership
Applying Lincoln’s Leadership Skills to Today’s Business
Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865
Understanding What Made Lincoln a Successful Leader
Lincoln said...
“What ever you are, be a good one.”
Lincoln’s Accomplishments
Preserved the Union Passage of the 13th
Amendment – Slavery Abolished
Passage of the Homestead Act –allowed poor people in the East to obtain land in the West
National Banking Act – established a national currency and provided for the creation of a network of national banks
Developed Transcontinental Railroad System and Telegraphic System for US - Chartered the first transcontinental railroad
National Tariffs -Signed tariff legislation that offered protection to American industry
Lincoln said...
“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”
Understanding the Historical Circumstances & Context
Circumstances – A condition or fact that determines or must be considered in the determining of a course of action
Context - The circumstances in which an event occurs; a setting.
Key to Understanding Your Current Business Circumstances & Context
Political Divides
Definition of Politics
Lincoln’s Challenges
New Political Parties
Fight over the institution of slavery
Congress Deadlocked
The total complex of relations between people living in society
Business Challenges
New Management, New Employees, Growth
Internal Arguments over institutional past, present and future
Internal Feuds, Power Deadlocks
Economic Divide Agricultural –
o South fought against protective tariffs designed to foster Northern manufacturing
o South against using national resources for internal improvements in Northern transportation
Manufacturing – o North resented South’s free
labor economyo Manufacturing drove capital
investment & growth
Business Economic Challenges:o Making the business
profitableo Staying Competitiveo Paying Competitive
Wageso Offering Upward
Movement for Employees
o Ever-changing markets
Territorial DividesLincoln’s Challenges Expansion of
Western Territories Issue of Slavery
could no longer be ignoredo Fight over Electoral
College Cultural Differences
o Faster Communication
o Rural vs. Cityo Tradition vs. New
Business Challenges Expansion of
Potential Markets New Competition Consumer Shifts Technology Advances Changes in
Employee Base Employee
Management Regulations
Lincoln Election - 1860
“A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure permanently half-slave and half-free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved – I do not expect the house to fall – but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other.”
• Abraham Lincoln (House Divided Speech, June 16, 1858
Historic Flashpoint
Question? What is your Flashpoint?
Do You Possess the Leadership Qualities to Lead and Guide Your Business through its Flashpoints in its History?
Willing to Make the Hard Choices
“Great men are not simply dropped from the heavens. They have to work at it within the constraints of their time and their universe. Lincoln’s true genius was being able to overcome those constraints while still keeping them in place, with just his fundamental decency and self-awareness to keep him moored.”
Characteristics of Principled Leadership
Abraham Lincoln’s Legacy
Lincoln said...
“Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.”
Purpose Driven His primary mission was to
Preserve the Union Secondary Mission to
settle the slavery issue for the entire nation
Abraham Lincoln was ...
Lincoln said...
“You cannot escape the responsibility oftomorrow by evadingit today.”
Long-Term Strategic Thinker
Planned out his unlikely nominationo Always built relationships – had few political
enemieso Asked electors if “You can’t make me your first
choice, please make me your second round choice.”o Was instrumental in getting convention to be held in
Chicago, IL – his home stateo Printed up duplicate tickets to the convention, so his
supporters could attend and out-shout other supporters.
o He positioned himself as the “not as radical” or “not as conservative” as the other candidates
Abraham Lincoln was a...
Six Habits of True Strategic Thinkers
ANTICIPATEo Look for game-
changing information at the periphery of your industry
o Search beyond the current boundaries of your business
o Build wide external networks to help you scan the horizon better
THINK CRITICALLYo Question everythingo Reframe problems to get
to the bottom of things, in terms of root causes
o Challenge current beliefs and mindsets, including your own
o Uncover hypocrisy, manipulation, and basis in organizational decisions
The Strategic Thinker _ Paul J. H. Schoemaker – INC – Mar 20, 2012
Six Habits of True Strategic Thinkers
INTERPRETo Seek patterns in
multiple sources of data
o Encourage others to do the same
o Question prevailing assumptions and test multiple hypotheses simultaneously
DECIDEo Get to the “good
enough” positiono Carefully frame the
decision to get to the crux of the matter
o Balance speed, rigor, quality and agility. Leave perfection to higher powers
o Take a stand even with incomplete information and amid diverse views
The Strategic Thinker _ Paul J. H. Schoemaker – INC – Mar 20, 2012
Six Habits of True Strategic Thinkers
ALIGNo Understand what
drives other people’s agendas, including what remains hidden
o Bring tough issues to the surface, even when it is uncomfortable
o Assess risk tolerance and follow through to build the necessary support
LEARNo Encourage and
exemplify honest, rigorous debriefs to extract lessons
o Shift course quickly if you realize you’re off track
o Celebrate both success and (well-intentioned) failures that provide insight
The Strategic Thinker _ Paul J. H. Schoemaker – INC – Mar 20, 2012
Lincoln said...
“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
Abraham Lincoln was...
Ethicalo Definition – Ethics refers to well-founded standards of
right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness or specific virtues. Ethical standards include virtues of honesty, compassion and loyalty. It also includes standards relating to rights, such as right to life, the right to privacy, the right to freedom from injury.
As defined by the Markkula Center for Ethics - 2010
Excerpt from the one-man play “Lincoln Live – The Wit and Wisdom of Abraham Lincoln
By Gene Griessman
Lincoln said...
“When you have an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it’s best to let him run.”
Abraham Lincoln was also a ...
PragmatistoDefinition – Dealing with things
sensibly and realistically in a way that is based on practical rather than theoretical considerations
oPragmatic vs Purist – the difference between what should be done and what could be done.
To accomplish what he did in a messy democracy, Lincoln employed what historian David H. Donald termed the “pragmatic tradition” by...
“rejecting the doctrinaire approach to problems, declining to become attached to inflexible solutions or to ideological labels,” and refusing to measure his associates by rigid tests of doctrinal purity.”
The Art of Pragmatic Tradition
Lincoln’s Approach to the 13th Amendment
Ethical Believed slavery was
morally wrong Understood that
slavery had to be ended through a Constitutional Amendment.
Wanted to accomplish what the Founders could not
Pragmatic Opportunity - It
needed to pass Congress in the lame duck session
Understood the power of the WIIFM
Ability to Adapt to Circumstance
“Beginning With the End in Mind”
Lincoln said...
“I will prepare and some day my chance will come.”
Abraham Lincoln was a...
Continuous Learnero Definition – Continuous learning is
an attitude and a set of behaviors that allow us to succeed in our ever-changing environment, and is the best lever we have to turn who we are today into who we want to be tomorrow
The Behaviors of a Continuous Learner
Have a Beginner’s Mindset
- a beginner’s mind is open – an expert’s mind is looking for confirmation and validation of what you already know.
Make Connections - Connecting what is learned in one part of life to how it relates and connects with challenges, problems, opportunities and situations that occur in other parts of life
The Behaviors of a Continuous Learner
Are Flexible and Adaptable - Learning requires change, so continuous learns realize that they must be willing to adapt and change if they want to grow
Are Always Learning Something - Learning “just because.” The brain needs to treated just like any other muscle in the body
The Behaviors of a Continuous Learner
Are Continuously Curious – “Why” is the question of the curious.
Learn in Multiple Ways – Continuous learners know they can learn by reading, by listening, by trying, through others, with a mentor, etc.
Teach Others - Continuous learners teach others not just to help the other person but because they know it helps them deepen their mastery of their own learning
Lincoln said...
“When I am getting ready to reason with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.”
Abraham Lincoln ...
Had High Emotional Intelligenceo Definition – is the ability to
recognize, understand and manage emotions in ourselves and others.
Leaders with HIGH EI Achieve better financial results
Developed more effective and supportive organizational culture, and
Achieved higher productivity gains with their workforce
The EI Behaviors Identified Include...
The ability to recognize and understand their own moods, emotions and drives as well as their effect on others;
The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses, moods and to think before acting;
The passion to work for reasons beyond money or status and the propensity to pursue goals with energy and persistence;
The ability to understand the emotional makeup of other people and the skill in treating people according to their emotional reactions; the proficiency in managing relationships, building networks and the ability to find common ground and build rapport
The Components of Emotional Intelligence
SELF-AWARENESS
Emotional self-awarenessAccurate self-assessmentSelf-confidence
SOCIAL AWARENESS
EmpathyOrganizational AwarenessService Orientation
SELF-MANAGEMENT
Self-ControlTransparencyAdaptabilityAchievement DriveInitiative
EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
Lincoln said... “When I am getting ready to reason
with a man, I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say and two-thirds about him and what he is going to say.”
Lincoln – Self Awareness
Emotional Self-Awareness
Accurate Self-Assessment
Self-Confidence
Lincoln said...
“The time comes upon every public man when it is best for him to keep his lips closed.”
Lincoln – Self Management
Self-Control Transparency Adaptability Achievement
Drive Initiative
Lincoln said...
“He has a right to criticize, who has a heart to help.”
Lincoln – Social Awareness
Empathy Organizational Awareness
Service Orientation
Lincoln said...
“I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”
“Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”
“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”
Relationship Management
Inspirational Leadership
Developing Others
Influence
Conflict Management
Teamwork & Collaboration
Lincoln Understood the...
Human
Business
HUMAN/BUSINESS COMMUNICATION MODEL
Lincoln Understood the Power of... HUMOR
“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?
Abraham LincolnThe Great Communicator
The Power of Words His laughter would “light up a room.”
“The passion for rendering experience into powerful language remained with Lincoln throughout his life.”
The Team of Rivals – Doris Kearns Goodwin
Words Lincoln understood the POWER of
THE Storyo Communicating enormously complicated
issues with wit, simplicity, and a massive power of moral persuasion
o Timing Matters
o Memorable
o Inspiring
Business Story-Telling
“Who I Am” Stories Why I’m Here Stories Teaching Stories Vision Stories “Values in Action” Stories
The Gettysburg Address
Clear Consistent Concise
Body Language First impressions generally
comprise
o 55% your appearance and body language
o 38% tone of voice
o 7% what you actually say
Power of Communication Today
Internallyo Employee Meetingso E-Mailo Performance Reviewso Weekly Meetings
Externallyo Evangelizeo Website and SEOo Networko Speak at Eventso Host Eventso Blogging, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIno Write Articles
Lincoln’s Leadership
LegacyPutting the Skills Together
Skills that Contributed to Successful Leadership
Purpose Driven Long Term Strategic Thinker Ethical Pragmatic Continuous Learner High Emotional Intelligence Sense of Humor Great Communicator
Team of Rivals
William SewardSecretary of State
Edward BatesAttorney General
Edwin M. StantonSecretary of War
Salmon P. ChaseSecretary of the Treasury
His Team’s Characteristics
William Seward – Secretary of State - anti-slavery, born to wealth, voracious reader, disciplined, genuinely interested in people, resilient
Edwin Stanton –
Secretary of War - Brilliant, lawyer, rigid, Northerner, humorless, unforgiving, brutally direct.
Salmon Chase – Secretary of the Treasury -anti-slavery, disciplined, unforgiving, believer in convictions, ambitious, enough was never enough, impatient, ego-driven, intolerant
Edward Bates – Attorney General - Southerner, slave-owner, family focused, conservative, loved order, traditionalist
Why It Worked Was able to separate the idea from
the man
Was not afraid of strong personalities
Understood the value of diversity
Had the ability to forgive
Lincoln...
What Did You Learn Today?
