The leadership of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln is thought about to be the best president of America. This is because of his impeccable vision of future and management qualities. There are numerous examples that confirm the truth that he knew exactly how to lead.

He was a person from a simple background. There were lots of people in his office who were more experienced and much better qualified than him. However sometimes of any crisis scenario, they did not have the degree of conviction that Lincoln had.

His unshakeable conviction made him confident and, his self-confidence made others to think that what he is doing is right and they naturally followed him.

Referring to the war of Gettysburg, 1863 it has actually been rightly specified in U-S-Histoty. com that "His absolute conviction that he was taking the correct course of action allowed him to stand firm while others recoiled at the immense cost and suffering triggered by the war, leading them to entertain thoughts of peace without victory." (para. 13).

Lincoln's political profession was in an age where, overblown oratory by the political leaders was a norm.

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But Lincoln, the leader did not think in this. He tried to put the most complex things in very simple and funny way. He utilized imagery, anecdotes, stories and signs in his speech that left a long lasting influence on his audience. Since he was able to communicate successfully individuals got motivated. Thus his outstanding interaction skill was among his crucial leadership qualities.

Lincoln did not preach anything rather tried to put logic to a problem situation, which automatically motivated others.

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This was another quality that made him such a great leader. The lines spoken by Lincoln himself brings forward this fact, more clearly:

“Certainly the Negro is not our equal in color—perhaps not in many other respects; still, in the right to put into his mouth the bread that his own hands have earned, he is the equal of every other man. In pointing out that more has been given to you, you cannot be justified in taking away, the little which has been given to him. If God gave him but little, that little let him enjoy.” (D’Souza, para.16)

Lincoln demonstrated different leadership styles in different situations. But most of the times he is considered as an autocratic leader. Due to his great conviction, sometimes he did not listen to anybody and did what he thought was right, which was the reason why people sometimes opposed his actions and decisions. Though his conviction proved right, instead of being an autocratic leader if he would have demonstrated more of participative leadership qualities he would have gained the same amount of success but a lesser number of opponents. Participative leadership requires lots of political courage.

However being an autocratic leader requires an even greater amount of political courage as well as personal courage too. Doing what one thinks is right, ignoring other people’s point of view brought him success in many situations but taking so much of risk for the betterment of his countrymen without the fear of blame that he might get if the decision proves to be a failure is not everyone’s cup of tea.

The amount of dignity, will power and courage that Abraham Lincoln demonstrated is what sets him apart and makes him superior to all the leaders of the world.

 

References

 

Brown, C. (2002) The character of Abraham Lincoln. Retrieved June. 24, 2007 from

     http://www.wiprogram.org/leadership/yl02_research-papers/old_papers/

     ABRAHAM_LINCOLN.htm

 D’Souza, D. (2007) Lincoln: Hypocrite or Statesman? Retrieved June. 24, 2007 from

     http://www.hoover.org/publications/digest/2993391.html

Johannsen, M. (2007) Leadership Styles Overview. Retrieved June. 24, 2007 from

     http://www.legacee.com/Info/ LeadershipStyles.html

U-S-History.com (2005) Retrieved June. 24, 2007 from http://www.u-s-

Updated: Mar 11, 2022
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The leadership of Abraham Lincoln. (2017, Mar 31). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/the-leadership-of-abraham-lincoln-essay

The leadership of Abraham Lincoln essay
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