You can always trust a man with a beard like that[/caption] In the age of the new, change and fluid it can be anchoring to look past the newest trend to leadership advice that not only worked by has lasted. America has seen many strong leaders but arguably one of the best was our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln. President during one of the most tumultuous times in our nation’s history Lincoln was charged not only with leading a new country but keeping it from tearing itself apart and repairing the damage already inflicted. I think we can agree that is a ninja level leadership.
So how did he do it?
For starters, Lincoln believed in a hands on approach. Known to the modern management force as Managing By Wandering Around (MBWA) Lincoln spent about 75% of his time meeting with people from all levels of his administration, from soldiers to businessmen, to ensure he had the best information about the goings on of the people he was leading. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="1160"] Strong group of leaders, but not great at eye contact. Goes to show you can't be good at everything.[/caption] Of course you may need to spend more time actually working than that, but not to fear Lincoln had an answer for that as well. Managers (Generals in his case) were given a honeymoon period where they had 6 to a year to show him what they could do. It was a chance to show initiative and that they could be trusted to be the kind of leader Lincoln could trust with his people. Not surprisingly one of the most valuable skills Lincoln possessed was his communication abilities. He was an expert on public speaking, individual communication and maybe most important of all the self control to stay silent and listen. Being understood by communicating clearly is import but so is minimizing the chance to be misunderstood by holding your tongue when additional work are unnecessary and possibly harmful. For more on Lincoln’s leadership techniques and how to apply them to your business pick up Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips.
