Next week is a big one for Abraham Lincoln. It kicks off with a day of honor – Presidents’ Day – and ends with a few Oscar nods (a la Stephen Spielberg). But even bigger is the ever growing adoration and adoption of Lincoln’s principles among aspiring leaders.
The New York Times article Lincoln’s School of Management brings to light lessons in leadership and management derived from the United State’s sixteenth president. Here are our favorites:
- Listen carefully. Ask for the opinions of those you both agree and disagree with and consider all sides. Most importantly, listen to those you serve – your customers. Lincoln gathered advice and information from a wide range of people, which is important in building a business. As the article states, “you have to listen to customers, employees, suppliers and investors, including those who are critical of what you are doing.” A good start is to ask questions. Consider the questions listed in our earlier post, 5 Open-Ended Questions to Enhance Your Business, as a jumping off point.
- Be resilient. The article makes a great, realistic point that “nothing prepares you for the emotional ups and downs that come with starting a business. There will be obstacles, big and small, that come at you every day. Throughout, entrepreneurs must maintain their professional composure while staying true to their vision and their integrity.” Lincoln did just that. Through the Civil War battles and personal loss, “Lincoln never gave way to his darkest fears. His resilience and commitment to preserve the Union helped sustain him. The ability to experience negative emotions without falling through the floorboards is vital to entrepreneurs and business leaders.”
- Embrace flexibility. In 1862, Lincoln wrote, “Things had gone on from bad to worse until I felt that we had reached the end of our rope on the plan of operations we had been pursuing; that we had about played our last card, and must change our tactics, of lose the game!” Circumstances change and it is vital to shift gears, even during the toughest of times, while keeping a laser focus on your goal.
- Practice forbearance. According to the article, Lincoln was a slow, deliberate thinker, examining an issue from all sides and careful not to act rashly, as not to compromise his mission. The article’s author Nancy F. Koehn, provides a resounding example. After the Battle of Gettysburg in July 1863 General Lee’s forces had escaped the Union Army, led by General George C. Meade. Lincoln wrote an emotional letter to Meade, voicing his frustration, but never mailed it because he knew he could not alienate the General at such a crucial time. He simply put the letter in an envelope and labeled it “To Gen. Meade, never sent or signed.” Koehn points out: “Imagine if e-mail had existed in Lincoln’s time and he had hit ‘send’ because he was distressed. The course of history might have taken a very different turn. It is crucial for today’s leaders to practice this kind of forbearance. Much of what leaders experience every day is emotionally difficult. Instantaneous, round-the-clock communication often stirs up even more turbulence within. As Lincoln realized, the first action that comes to mind is not always the wisest.”
- Serve all, not one. As Howard Schultz, chief executive of Starbucks said, Lincoln “taught us that whether you are a business leader, an entrepreneur, or a government official, one’s foremost responsibility is to serve all of the people, and not just one’s self interest.” As the article states, Lincoln knew that success is best when shared.
Kelly Close, founder and president of Close Concerns, eloquently sums up Lincoln’s leadership and resilience: “Being responsible for even a small company and all the people and issues involved in such management forces you to come to terms with yourself and whether you can rise to the challenge – not once but many times. Lincoln was able to do this in a way that amazes and inspires me.”
This President’s Day, and maybe even on Oscar Sunday, take stock in who you are and where you want to be as a leader. Then consider looking to our nation’s leaders, past and present, for inspiration. Through their experiences, successes and even failures, you may be able to better shape your own leadership style and goals to best meet the needs of your company and your team.
