Neurotic Communicator

Thanks to Sho, I found an appealing blog called http://www.leadershipnow.com/ . The site is engaging for its interesting information and resources. The blog entries on leadership tie back to what the class is reading and discussing, pertinent articles, thought provoking quotes from the past and the present, and “nuggets of wisdom.”

February 2009 is the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln; it seems appropriate to comment on this great leader. Controversy currently surrounds Lincoln (several books and television programs argue that Lincoln was a racist); however, my comments are based on what I have learned and my general observations on the circumstances in which he led our country. Like him or not, he led the United States during its darkest time in history – the country was divided economically, geographically and philosophically. Michael McKinney’s series of blog entries caught my eye and enticed me to research and to reflect on Lincoln.

The Civil War was a defining event during Lincoln’s presidency. The “great man” theory is easily applied to Abraham Lincoln as he possessed innate qualities and characteristics that contributed to his being a great leader during a terrible time in American history. Historical documents and testimonies from members of his staff and press typically state that Lincoln was intelligent, thoughtful, insightful and honest. Integrity is probably what he is best known.

The five-factor personality model specifies conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, extraversion and neuroticism (low level). Ironically, Lincoln was known to suffer from depressions (neuroticism) and appears to have been quiet and introverted; however he did not have difficulty communicating and had a reputation for telling stories and raucous jokes. Based on these characteristics, a key to being a successful leader during difficult times is to be a communicator (openness and extraversion) – to understand as many facts as possible and to share as much accurate information as possible with subordinates or supporters.

Several blog entries, after the series of Lincoln entries, discuss leading and communicating in times of crisis. The entries are commentaries on a series by Paul Argenti, Managing in a Downturn that was sponsored by the Financial Times. The articles are timely and support the Lincoln blogs and current events. The skills theory is appropriate to modern times; the theory considers technical, human, and conceptual skills to be a good leader. The theory can be tied back to Lincoln.

President Lincoln led a country torn apart by the Civil War. Central to the war was the issue of slavery. Lincoln established where he stood on the issue and persuaded members of his cabinet and members of the Democratic Party (that strongly opposed him) to his vision of a geographically, politically, and economically united America without slavery. He had to clearly articulate his beliefs despite the harshest of criticisms. He rose above the negativity and never wavered from his vision. He understood the “big picture” of having a united country.

Interestingly, Lincoln filled his cabinet not only with ideological supporters, but those who were philosophically against him. For example, Lincoln’s secretary of state (William Seward) did not like or get along with Lincoln, however Lincoln still conferred with him to gain his insight. Surrounding oneself with insightful people who can provide different viewpoints can be very helpful for a leader in making difficult decisions or even clarifying their beliefs. As much hostility as there was regarding the secession of states from America, the support of slavery and so on, President Abraham Lincoln had to hold firm to beliefs and keep on task, his cabinet and staff in ensuring the message from the White House was consistent: the spread of slavery was not supported and that slavery must be abolished.

Finally, Lincoln was also known for being (within the Style Theory) as an “authority-compliance” manager. He personally picked the generals to lead the northern army in the War Between the States. As Leadership Theory & Practice book states, “(authority compliance) style is result driven, and people are regarded as tools to that end.” (Northouse, p. 73). Undoubtedly, many lessons on leadership for today’s leaders can be learned from the presidency of Abraham Lincoln.

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According to the Boston Globe (http://www.boston.com/), there are over 14,000 books on Abraham Lincoln. For a nice brief biography on the man, click on the following link:
http://www.leadershipnow.com/museum/AbrahamLincoln.html