A Report On Leadership: Abraham Lincoln

In 1841 Lincoln married to Mary Todd and he had two children Robert Todd Lincoln and Edward Barker Lincoln. Edward Barker Lincoln died because of tuberculosis and then there was a birth of Willie, even Willie died of a fever. Then Lincoln’s fourth son “Tad” was born and outlived his father, but even he also died at the age of 18. This made him upset a lot and he also suffered from clinical depression.

Lincoln was successful in becoming the President of United States in 1860. Being a president he concentrated on the military and political dimension of the war, he was always trying to reunify the nation because of doing this he experienced unprecedented war powers. Lincoln closely supervised the war especially in selecting the top generals, he brought leaders of both different parties into is cabinet and pressured them to coordinate. Under the leadership of Lincoln the union took control of board of slave states at begin of the war to capture confederated capital at Richmond and he was succeeded in 1865.

As the leader of Republican Party, he was attacked from all sides few people were seeing him as an enemy. Lincoln fought back strongly. After the surrender by confederate army he became victim to an assassin. He was the first president to suffer such a fate.

The journey to his destination was filled with hurdles and sorrows. But this road to success would definitely remain inspirational to anybody who would aspire to become a leader. Lincoln entered into the political world and soon became a much loved among Republicans and nominated Lincoln as a candidate for president. Through a series of events, a once illiterate individual became the most powerful person in the U.S

Those were the days which had in store for this aspired leader a bag of failures. He failed in business, lost election to the state legislature, speaker of the house, nomination for congress, appointment of land officer, twice to the US senate and nomination for vice president. These failures would have left any person other than Lincoln disheartened and de motivated. But the commendable part of this great man is that it was after all these failures he was elected as a president of the nation which is walking with its head high even to this day. He played a significant role during the civil war in ending slavery and in unifying the nation.

At the time of American Revolution there were 1 million African slaves in the colonies, agriculture economy was largely dependent on their labor. Anybody who wanted to end slavery would not take any step towards it because slavery was the key to producing cotton which led to industrial revolution and capitalization. Karl Marx then wrote “without slavery, there would be no cotton, without cotton there would be no modern industry”.

The American Civil War which broke out in the year 1861 was the front seat for Lincoln towards abolition of slavery and turning the union army into the army of liberation. He enforced emancipation proclamation in 1865 in southern states where blacks and slavery formed a major part. Lincoln was forced to withdraw emancipation by his Republican Party members with a fear that he would not be re-elected. Adhering to his decision he said if ever he would withdraw then he should deserve to be damned in time and eternity. He was of the opinion that if slavery is not wrong then nothing is wrong. The major effect of emancipation was on the northern white’s esp. soldiers of union army. He was successful in bringing one black in every 10 soldiers thereby creating and enlarging their space among the whites. What started as a war to preserve the Union now became a battle to end slavery. Approximately two hundred thousand African Americans fought for the Union cause.

In American history no president ever faced a greater crisis and no President ever accomplished as much Lincoln did. Abraham Lincoln understood that for the U.S. to be a great nation, it required to be united and should be free from the sins of slavery. A moral nation that boasts life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all cannot be masters of human beings. With an iron resolve, patience and careful timing, Lincoln gave back an America that was indeed free and whole.

(http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Epsf5z_bL6UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=abraham+lincoln+biography&hl=en&ei=izwGTbqDI8TprAfou5SRDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false)

(http://www.usafis.org/newsletter/Abraham_lincoln.asp?af=)

(http://www.dailynewarticles.com/article/450/69011/Abe_Lincoln_An_Extraordinary_Leader.html)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln)

QUALITIES EXPECTED:

The ability for being a leader in his own field is not an inborn talent it’s the result of the number of years being spent in one’s life exploring oneself and the world. It is in this due course that he starts understanding his own needs and characteristics and also of the fellow participants. In the mean time he builds confidence and trust among his team mates. Being a leader doesn’t mean doing it all by yourself to prove your capability on the task, it is controlling the group and leading them in the right direction. A group works together can be best when everybody is headed in the same direction. If a plan has to be properly carried out somebody must lead the effort.

An effective leader is a one, who has following qualities.

Creating an inspiring vision of future.

Inspiring and motivating people towards that vision.

Managing delivery of vision.

Coaches and builds a team to achieve that vision.

Creating an inspiring vision of future

In any field a vision is practical, convincing and attractive illustration of where you want to be in the future. Vision provides direction in achieving it.

Once there is a vision, leaders must make them compelling and realistic. A compelling vision is one that people can understand, feel and embrace the vision. Effective leaders are one who provides a rich picture of how the future looks like. They try to tell stories and explain their vision in the ways the people can understand and cope up with him.

Inspiring and motivating people towards that vision.

A vision provides the foundation for leadership, but its ability of the leaders to inspire and motivate the people to help them to drive the vision.

Here the people respect and believe in leaders because these leaders are expert in what they do, because these leaders would have earned the right to ask people to listen to them and follow them. This helps leaders to inspire and motivate the people to achieve the vision.

Managing delivery of vision

This is where management comes to picture. Here, the leadership relates to management by knowing which approach is batter and when you need to apply it is the key to effective leadership.

To achieve the vision leaders must ensure that the work required to deliver that vision is managed and they should ensure that the vision is successful.

Coaches and builds a team to achieve that vision.

A leader must ensure that the team members have all the skills and abilities to achieve their vision. They do this by taking and giving the feedback regularly.

Leadership also includes looking out for leadership qualities in others. So that by developing the leadership qualities within your team, where you can create an environment where you can be successful in the long term continuously.

(http://www.mindtools.com/pages/Newsletters/08Jun10.htm)

Qualities that made Abraham Lincoln a great leader, where we have to look out in present day leaders are,

Capacity to listen to different points of view

Where, Lincoln had a capacity to listen to different points of view and he created a climate where the cabinet members were free to disagree without any fear and give their opinion. At the same time Lincoln knew when to stop the discussion and make the final decision, by taking various opinions from his cabinet members.

Ability to learn on the job

Lincoln was able to learn from is mistake, acknowledge errors and the move from it.

Willingness to share credit for success

When there was success Lincoln shared the credit with all members who were involved in it, without taking the credit of success to his own.

Willingness to share blame for failure

Lincoln spoke up and indicated that he and his entire cabinet were to blame in case of any wrong decision taken. Lincoln stood up for them, when there was a mistake made by his cabinet members.

Ability to control emotions

When he was working with his cabinet members sometimes he use get angry and frustrated when there was a argument or any bad decision, so he found a way to come out of these emotions. He use sit and write what he referred as “hot letter” to the individual he was angry with and set the letter aside. Lincoln fallowed this kind of gesture to let the individual know that he was not holing any grudge.

Awareness of own weaknesses and strength

Lincoln had known his weakness and strength, the weakness acknowledge by Lincoln was his tendency to give people too many chances as he was well aware of how to compensate to his weakness.

Know to how to relax and replenish

Lincoln always encouraged a healthy atmosphere around him. He understood the importance of relaxation and come out of stress of the day, so that he could concentrate and challenge himself to the next day.

Go out into the field and manage directly

When there was a civil war going on, many soldiers died and there was lot of ups and downs. Lincoln use to visit the battlefield and hospitals to boost their morale and he use to spend time talking to members of the public, taking their opinion. He always use to maintain a close public relation.

Strength to adhere to fundamental goals

Lincoln was always firm on his decision making. As when the war was not going well for the north, members of his political party came to Lincoln and said there was no chance to win and he need to give up on slavery. But Lincoln held firm on his decision and turned away from their advice.

Ability to communicate goals and vision

Abraham Lincoln understood that for the U.S. to be a great nation, it required to be united and should be free from the sins of slavery. He first created an inspiring vision and goals of the future and he was successful in inspiring and motivating the people in achieving that vision. Lincoln was very good in managing and delivery of the vision, he ensured that the vision what was in his mind is managed properly and ensured that the vision and goals are successful.

LEADERSHIP ROLES

Some of the important leadership roles which coexist in same person where he should be,

The Exemplar or “Alpha Member”

The Visionary

The Fixer

The Connecter

The Enforcer

The Facilitator

The Exemplar or “Alpha Member”

The exemplar or “Alpha Member”, they are the role models that others imitate. Their role may be just a symbolic even ceremonial but important. They are one who sets an example for others, they are successful and charismatic founders.

The Visionary

The visionary leader role is to have vision of the future and thinking what is limiting the present and show what will be possible in the future. The visionary leaders should always imagine new possibilities and creating a new facts and realities. Therefore these visionary leaders play a critical role in moving people to new directions.

The Fixer

The role of the fixer is, an individual who knows how to get things done and measure on not just how many people they know, but how they can get them done which others cannot.

The Connector

They are the network leaders, who participate in multiple social networks. They are connected not only with a large number of members but also with highly diverse number of members as well. These are the one who have numerous connections and contacts for being complete networkers. Somewhat like the visionary leaders they introduce variety and options into the network.

The Enforcer

In large networks it is an independent role. Enforcement can mean physical force, but it’s more often of psychological pressure. It is a very critical for overall network effectiveness.

The Facilitator

In the process of network to evolve and grow, it should able to add new members. The role of the facilitator is important in creating communities which provide a great form of network value. It resembles more of a community coordinator, which helps in development of communities of practice. This method is developed for helping to create and influence knowledge.

Abraham Lincoln not only played an important role as an exemplar, visionary, connector, fixer, enforcer and facilitator during the civil war but also in the events preceding the war. Lincoln had to deal with issues of southern states seceding and also to outbreak of civil war. In conducting the civil war Lincoln had to successfully address array of specific and inter related issues, if union victory was to be attained. These include marshalling the American economy to meet the incredible war needs of several million soldiers, raising a citizen’s army of volunteers willing to be trained and die for the union, adopting war strategies for the union army, handling foreign affairs, and dealing with the problem of slavery without destroying the democratic freedoms upon which the nation was founded.

As you can see Abraham Lincoln played quite an important role not just in one part of the Civil War but in a wide variety of areas. I believe that Lincoln’s dealings before and during the War not only changed the course of the United States but also saved it.

(http://mybestessays.com/role-of-abraham-lincoln-in-civil-war/)

CONCLUSION

Abraham Lincoln’s story tells us that he was an incredible human being who started his life from nothing and went on to be a greatest U.S. president, he is one of the influential men in history.

He is one of the finest examples of determination of doing something in life and achieving it. Although he faced countless defeats throughout his life, like he lost eight elections and also failed in business in many times. Because of this he could have quitted many times, but he dint. Instead, after each defeat he would come back hard and press forward until he achieved his goals.

In American history no president ever faced a greater crisis and no President ever accomplished as much. Lincoln understood that for the U.S. to be a great nation, it needed to be united and free from the sins of slavery. A moral nation that boasts life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all cannot be masters of human beings. With an iron resolve, patience and careful timing, Lincoln gave back an America that was indeed free and whole.

If we will have to make a note of what qualities of Lincoln have made him a leader whom people admire even after 200 years is the self confidence which he had that made him to surround himself by people better known than he was, his ability to absorb and listen to what people were thinking and feeling. He could see both the sides of any issue. He had the ability to acknowledge his errors, learn from mistakes, shoulder the responsibility and his never give up attitude for the failure. To evaluate talent as a leader some of those emotional strengths are equally important to actual success.

As Peter Drucker said “Leadership is the lifting of a man’s vision to higher sights, the raising of a man’s performance to a higher standard, the building of a man’s personality beyond its normal limitations”.

(http://www.the-happy-manager.com/leadership-quotes.html)

Abraham Lincoln proved himself by creating a status to all the 11 states freeing them from slavery lifting their visions up to a level equivalent to that of northern whites. Lincoln did not “free the slaves”, but the slavery had overcome because of the struggle and sacrifices of millions people – Black as well as Whites. Here, Lincoln played an important role, he deserved to be remembered as one of the great struggles for freedom in history.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/3607.html

http://books.google.co.in/books?id=Epsf5z_bL6UC&printsec=frontcover&dq=abraham+lincoln+biography&hl=en&ei=izwGTbqDI8TprAfou5SRDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=book-thumbnail&resnum=1&ved=0CDcQ6wEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.usafis.org/newsletter/Abraham_lincoln.asp?af=

http://www.dailynewarticles.com/article/450/69011/Abe_Lincoln_An_Extraordinary_Leader.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/Newsletters/08Jun10.htm

http://hr.blr.com/whitepapers/Staffing-Training/Leadership/10-Qualities-that-Made-Abraham-Lincoln-a-Great-Lea/

http://www.the-happy-manager.com/leadership-quotes.html

http://mybestessays.com/role-of-abraham-lincoln-in-civil-war/

A Report on LEADERSHIP

By:

Darshan Kumar. B.L

“Men make history and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better.”

Harry Truman.

(http://www.quotationspage.com/quote/3607.html)

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809. He was the second child of Thomas Lincoln and Nancy Lincoln. When he was 9, his mother died and his father married to Sarah Bush Johnston. Lincoln became very close to her and uses to call her mother. Lincoln father was not very successful Kentucky frontiersman and carpenter, he has to struggle for living. Lincoln regretted his father’s lack of education and did not like the hard labor connected with is life. But he took all the responsibilities of home as he was the male in the house hold.

In 1841 Lincoln married to Mary Todd and he had two children Robert Todd Lincoln and Edward Barker Lincoln. Edward Barker Lincoln died because of tuberculosis and then there was a birth of “Willie”, even Willie died of a fever. Then Lincoln’s fourth son “Tad” was born and outlived his father, but even he also died at the age of 18. This made him upset a lot and he also suffered from clinical depression.

As the saying goes, any great personalities past life would not be a bed of roses; same was the case with this black president of US. The man with high imagination, who decided to engage in a head-to-head war for the survival of his country as a union, had a humble beginning. The poverty in the life of early Lincoln made himself educated rather being formally educated giving him a greater positive insight towards life. The fumes in early Lincoln against slavery was lit into fire by the time he attained his late teens and helped him begin his political career at an early age of 23 with a campaign for the Illinois General Assembly.

The journey to his destination was filled with hurdles and sorrows. But this road to success would definitely remain inspirational to anybody who would aspire to become a leader. He entered into the political world and soon became a favorite among Republicans and nominated him as a candidate for president. Through a series of events, a once illiterate individual became the most powerful person in the U.S

The American Civil War which broke out in the year 1861 was the front seat for Lincoln towards abolition of slavery and turning the union army into the army of liberation. He enforced emancipation proclamation in 1865 in southern states where blacks and slavery formed a major part. Lincoln was forced to withdraw emancipation by his Republican Party members with a fear that he would not be re-elected. Adhering to his decision he said if ever he would withdraw then he should deserve to be damned in time and eternity. He was of the opinion that if slavery is not wrong then nothing is wrong. The major effect of emancipation was on the northern white’s esp. soldiers of union army. He was successful in bringing one black in every 10 soldiers thereby creating and enlarging their space among the whites. What started as a war to preserve the Union now became a battle to end slavery. Nearly two hundred thousand African Americans fought for the Union cause.

No President in American history ever faced a greater crisis and no President ever accomplished as much. Lincoln understood that for the U.S. to be a great nation, it needed to be united and free from the sins of slavery. A moral nation that boasts life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all cannot be masters of human beings. With an iron resolve, patience and careful timing, Lincoln gave back an America that was indeed free and whole.

(http://www.usafis.org/newsletter/Abraham_lincoln.asp?af=)

(http://www.dailynewarticles.com/article/450/69011/Abe_Lincoln_An_Extraordinary_Leader.html)

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Lincoln)

QUALITIES EXPECTED:

An effective leader is a one, who has following qualities.

Creating an inspiring vision of future.

Inspiring and motivating people towards that vision.

Managing delivery of vision.

Coaches and builds a team to achieve that vision.

Creating an inspiring vision of future

In any field a vision is practical, convincing and attractive illustration of where you want to be in the future. Vision provides direction in achieving it.

Inspiring and motivating people towards that vision.

A vision provides the foundation for leadership, but its ability of the leaders to inspire and motivate the people to help them to drive the vision.

Managing delivery of vision

This is where management comes to picture. Here, the leadership relates to management by knowing which approach is batter and when you need to apply it is the key to effective leadership.

To achieve the vision leaders must ensure that the work required to deliver that vision is managed and they should ensure that the vision is successful.

Coaches and builds a team to achieve that vision.

A leader must ensure that the team members have all the skills and abilities to achieve their vision. They do this by taking and giving the feedback regularly.

(http://www.mindtools.com/pages/Newsletters/08Jun10.htm)

Qualities that made Abraham Lincoln a great leader, where we have to look out in present day leaders are,

Capacity to listen to different points of view

Ability to learn on the job

Lincoln was able to learn from is mistake, acknowledge errors and the move from it.

Willingness to share credit for success

When there was success Lincoln shared the credit with all members who were involved in it, without taking the credit of success to his own.

Willingness to share blame for failure

Lincoln spoke up and indicated that he and his entire cabinet were to blame in case of any wrong decision taken. Lincoln stood up for them, when there was a mistake made by his cabinet members.

Ability to control emotions

Awareness of own weaknesses and strength

Lincoln had known his weakness and strength, the weakness acknowledge by Lincoln was his tendency to give people too many chances as he was well aware of how to compensate to his weakness.

Know to how to relax and replenish

Go out into the field and manage directly

Strength to adhere to fundamental goals

Ability to communicate goals and vision

Abraham Lincoln understood that for the U.S. to be a great nation, it needed to be united and free from the sins of slavery. He first created an inspiring vision and goals of the future and he was successful in inspiring and motivating the people in achieving that vision. Lincoln was very good in managing and delivery of the vision, he ensured that the vision what was in his mind is managed properly and ensured that the vision and goals are successful.

(http://hr.blr.com/whitepapers/Staffing-Training/Leadership/10-Qualities-that-Made-Abraham-Lincoln-a-Great-Lea/)

LEADERSHIP ROLES

Some of the important leadership roles which coexist in same person where he should be,

The Exemplar or “Alpha Member”

The Visionary

The Fixer

The Connecter

The Enforcer

The Facilitator

The Exemplar or “Alpha Member”

The Visionary

The Fixer

The role of the fixer is, an individual who knows how to get things done and measure on not just how many people they know, but how they can get them done which others cannot.

The Connector

The Enforcer

In large networks it is an independent role. Enforcement can mean physical force, but it’s more often of psychological pressure. It is a very critical for overall network effectiveness.

The Facilitator

(http://mybestessays.com/role-of-abraham-lincoln-in-civil-war/)

CONCLUSION

Abraham Lincoln’s story tells us that he was an incredible human being who started his life from nothing and went on to be a greatest U.S. president, he is one of the influential men in history.

(http://www.the-happy-manager.com/leadership-quotes.html)

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