Leadership Project: Abraham Lincoln

1. Leadership Project:Abraham Lincoln

2. EDOL 562 • SUMMER I • JOHN SIMPSON

3. What Makes A Leader? “My own definition of leadership is this: The capacity and the will to rally men and women to a common purpose and having the character to inspire confidence.” -General Montgomery Leaders are not born, but rather they are made through constant trials and self-actualizations leading to the ability to create a positive social influence in a group of people.

4. Who was Abraham Lincoln? Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12th, 1809 in a log cabin in rural Kentucky. He was raised to be a farmer even though he disliked the course of work, which prompted many to call him lazy. Others recalled that Lincoln was a hard worker who would pull a full day’s work to earn 25 cents only to give it all to his father at the end of the day. Lincoln attended school irregularly during his teen years usually between winter harvest and spring plowing. He would arrive at school with his personal arithmetic book wearing buckskin clothes, a raccoon hat and pants that were 6 inches short. In all he developed around 1 year of formal education. At the age of 21 he decided to move to Illinois where he began to study law despite his lack of educational background. He also became interested in politics and ran for state legislature at the age of 23. After an unsuccessful attempt, Lincoln ran again and was voted into the house at the age of 25.

5. Who was Abraham Lincoln? Lincoln served a total of four terms in the State Legislature of Illinois and eventually became a lawyer in 1836. Lincoln ran for the office of the Presidency in 1861 and won. As President, Abraham Lincoln fought the war on slavery and was a strong supporter of the abolishment of slavery. Lincoln fought to keep the United States as one single country and kept other countries from joining into the Civil War. Lincoln was a big proponent in developing the first transcontinental railroad. Abraham Lincoln is noted for his great speech making abilities and also his personal connection with the average American.

6. What Made Lincoln A Great Leader? • Listened to Opposing View Points • Lincoln created a climate of discussion with his cabinet members. He allowed them to discuss points without fear of retaliation. • Share Credit / Take Blame • Lincoln knew the importance of giving his cabinet the credit in their success, but also realized that is was important to take his own fair share of the blame when things were unsuccessful. • Awareness of Weakness • Lincoln acknowledged he had a weakness of giving others to many chances. • Controlling Emotions • Lincoln was a master of controlling his actions. He would sit down and write what he called a “hot letter” when he was angered. If he did allow his frustrations to show through he would always follow up with a kind gesture and/or apology to the person affected. • Get on the Same Level • Throughout the Civil War Lincoln developed a great relationship with soldiers by visiting them on the battlefield and learning what they experienced daily.

7. What Made Lincoln A Leader? • Morally Sound • When political leaders came to Lincoln and told him he could not win the slavery issue and needed to give in Lincoln refused and stuck strong to his morals and convictions. Lincoln would eventually win the war on slavery. • Great Communication • Lincoln had a great ability to tell stories in order to express his ideas more simply. He was able to break down complex thoughts into simple matters that allowed everyone to understand his points. After the Civil War he focused on bringing the country together rather then on his success and accomplishments. During his 2nd inauguration speech he said, “With malice toward none, with charity for all, let us strive on to finish the work we are in…to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.” • Learning by Experience • Abraham Lincoln admittedly was not an expert at the Presidency when he entered office. He made mistakes as anyone else would, but built upon those experiences. This allowed for an environment of learning in his cabinet and allowed him to improve his decision making skills and abilities.

8. Abraham Lincoln was a leader like none other. He was an over comer of poverty and adverse circumstances. He was a people first person who loved the art of giving and kindness. He loved the Bible and stuck by his moral convictions even though he was not a religious man. Abraham Lincoln brought people together in times of war and gave those around him hope for a positive future. He used his own personal abilities to break down complex situations into simpler terms for those to understand around him. Lincoln realized that the people made the leader succeed and not the other way around. Through hard work, dedication and love Abraham Lincoln became, in many opinions, the most successful and influential President in the history of the United States. His life inside and outside of politics has been unlike any other President we have even saw. His legacy as a great LEADER, rather than politician, is why that he remains such a historical figure in today’s society. “ I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have. I must stand with anybody that stands right, and stand with him while he is right, and part with him when he goes wrong.” -Abraham Lincoln

9. Style of Leadership • Abraham Lincoln was a transformational leader. He motivated his staff and was involved in all of their day to day operations. This allowed him to have a positive relationship that garnered the most effective and efficient work practices from his workers. • Lincoln shared operations with his staff while he focused on the big picture. He understood that the success of his work depended on a mixture of the abilities of his people and his ability to lead successfully.

10. Using Lincoln As A Teacher-Leader • As a Teacher-Leader I believe that Lincoln can serve as a vital influence in my own teachings. His abilities to effectively communicate with everyday Americans by breaking things up into simpler terms is a practice that I desire to improve upon everyday in my classroom. He had a great relationship with his workers and they respected him enough to go to extraordinary measures in order to help him to succeed. Lincoln was the gold standard in collaborative efforts in order to meet a common goal. He stood by his values and morals and did not allow anyone to deter him from them. Through hard work, dedication, love and compassion he led a country that was on the brink of collapse to a new foundation of togetherness. I hope to become a fraction of the leader in my classroom that Abraham Lincoln was for this country when he was President.

11. Famous Lincoln Quotes “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” “It is true that you may fool all of the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all of the time; but you can't fool all of the people all of the time.” "Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” “It is better to be thought of to be a fool and to keep your mouth shut, rather then to open your mouth and remove all doubt.” “The best way to predict your future is to create it.”

12. References Horner, N. (2013). Lincoln's Qualities of Leadership. The Good News, 63-67. Retrieved May 25, 2013, from http://www.ucg.org/character/lincolns-qualities-leadership Neely, M. E. (1982). The Abraham Lincoln Encyclopedia. New York: McGraw-Hill.