Leading in Tough Times: Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

This series of posts is about Lincoln’s Leadership: Leading in tough times. The posts will be based on a review of the book Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times. Author Donald T. Phillips traces the career of Abraham Lincoln as president to make his point—that Lincoln not only saved the United States from dissolution, but also was perhaps the country’s greatest leader ever, who certainly serves as a prime example for leaders in difficult times, like now. No wonder President Obama has chosen Lincoln as his guiding star. I highly recommend this book for your library.

Introduction to Lincoln on Leadership: An Introduction to the Series
President of the United States during the Civil War, Lincoln was obsessed with holding the United States together. He took office in 1861 after seven states had seceded from the Union to form the Confederate States of America. When he took the oath of office in 1861, he followed President Buchannan, who was sure he was the last president of a failing country. However, Lincoln held the divided country together with a force of personality and an iron will that few presidents have possessed, especially in the toughest of times. The author of this book, Donald T. Phillips, has outlined four (4) aspects of Lincoln's personality that made the difference and will be the subject of subsequent blogs:
1. Lincoln’s ability to relate to people
2. His character
3. His will
4. His communication skills
Tune in tomorrow: How Lincoln related to people