Hunter Anderson
Dr. Fairhurst
Leadership Communication 4008
8 December 2015
Lincoln Essay The year is 1865 and the Civil War death toll has risen just over six-hundred-thousand men. The freedoms sought out by our nation’s founders, now jeopardized by the secession of eleven states from the Union. The fate of The United States of America now laid upon the broad shoulders of our nations sixteenth commander-in-chief, President Abraham Lincoln. In a term marked by the burden of complete social upheaval, Abraham Lincoln was our nation’s foremost leader. The lawyer from Illinois navigated the only internal war in American history by embodying the principals taught by Professor Grint, utilizing a model of distributed leadership to gather
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Abraham Lincoln further embodies the work of Professor Grint as he illustrates his understanding of the relationship between the increasing uncertainty of a solution to the nations dissimilarities and its requirement of collaborative resolution through his use of nonconventional methods. President Lincoln’s true brilliance in leadership becomes evident in this period as he demonstrates another teaching of Grint’s; Relationships not Structures. Lincoln knew that the core principal in solving the countries problems was simply the power of human relationships. By creating a cabinet full of his closest rivals, President Lincoln displays his emotional intelligence with the quote “Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?”. Grint further states that “power is a relationship and change depends on the relationship between leaders and followers… if followers choose not to obey, then the greatest strategy in the world will probably fail.” (Grint 11). These quotes illustrate the social and emotional intelligence that Abraham Lincoln possessed, and depict his unconscious affirmation of the principals taught by Professor Grint. Relationships and the quest for information were the key to success. President Lincoln was a master in his understanding of the importance collaboration held to his unification effort. The initial problem he faced in the film is that of passing the thirteenth amendment by the end of January,
Lincoln had many strategies when it came to his leadership, and from the book, “Lincoln on Leadership,” his ideas and techniques are showcased in detail. From the many strategies that Lincoln had employed, I had identified three techniques from three different chapters in Lincoln on Leadership for analysis. The first strategy that I will discuss is from chapter two; “Showing your compassionate and caring nature will aid you in forging successful relationships.” The second strategy is from chapter three, and it is as follows; “A good leader avoids issuing orders, preferring to request, imply, or make suggestions.” Lastly, the third and final strategy that I will discuss if from Chapter six; “Do the very best you know how – the very best you can – and keep doing so until the end.” I chose these specific strategies in accordance to their applicability to my leadership style, as I find myself identifying with these rather comfortably. I will begin to explain this through the first strategy regarding compassion and a caring nature.
In Abraham Lincoln, by George McGovern, McGovern summarizes and gives insight on one of the United States’ most well-known and highly praised presidents, Abraham Lincoln. McGovern thoroughly outlines Lincoln’s life, his struggles and how he became the great president that he was. One point McGovern continues to mention is how no matter how bad a situation was or even when people doubted Lincoln, he would take his defeats and preserve. In the beginning of the book, McGovern recounts Lincoln’s life as a kid and a young adult. He describes how no matter how bad Lincoln failed or how sad he was, “Lincoln would not resign himself to failure and loss; instead he learned from each experience and carried on” . In addition, McGovern continues to mention how Lincoln never stopped learning. From a young age, Lincoln loved to learn, read and expand his knowledge so he could fully analyze any situation. According to McGovern, this personality trait allowed Lincoln to work and rise up from a farmer’s son to the President of the United States. This trait, also, allowed Lincoln “to take a far more active role in managing military affairs” . Lincoln was able to come up with a new strategy for the Union to win the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln’s “Second Inaugural Address” is a solid example of a man that displays key leadership qualities to sway the many to do the right thing even though it is not the easiest path. For example, Abraham Lincoln wanted to abolish slavery for the greater good of mankind and to prove that freedom and equality was a right given to us all by God. He displayed great courage and integrity to pursue
With the eruption of the Civil War came one of the biggest tribulations and trials that this country has ever faced, but as we understand the motives of one of the greatest Presidents in American History we can see that the Civil War was inevitable. From his original intentions of merely preserving the Union and holding the country together, to permanently abolishing slavery we can observe why prevailing in the struggle of the Civil War is one of Lincoln’s defining legacies. Thus, as the civil war draws to a close, an old tumultuous era has ended, and a new more prosperous era has
At the beginning of the movie we see Lincoln talking to two African Americans who served in the war, and they went on to say that they loved his speech and one of them even quoted the end of his speech. This movie shows us how much we need rescuing. According to Spielberg, Lincoln and his contemporaries debated the moral merits of ending slavery now or ending the war now. Lincoln was gaining and losing votes. People are looking at it as this: if African Americans are given rights then women are next and people do not want that. A man had said that if we give African Americans the freedom then they are going to want more. Lincoln does not know that there are bribes being made in order to get 20 votes from the representatives. Lincoln is
Abraham Lincoln’s ability to understand human nature helped him administrate his cabinet. Lincoln strategically chose his cabinet in order to get the best solution for every problem. By including the most diversified minds, Lincoln obtained the aptitude to see from both sides of the argument and from there Lincoln was able to opt the best decision for the dilemma. As Commander-in-Chief and no military experience, Lincoln made excellent judgement calls during the war. “A great natural strategist, a better one than any of his generals…” (“Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief”). Lincoln became a scholar of military tactics and with the ability to plan ahead, he mapped out the Union’s success after the war. During the war, Lincoln and Stanton,
President Abraham Lincoln orated a powerful persuasive speech in his Second Inaugural Address, just one month before the end of the Civil War. This speech shed light to his contemplation of the effects of the Civil War and provided his vision for the future of the nation. Lincoln’s address was written through a logical theme that focused on the unity of the country. He used religion, specific diction, and flat-out logical thinking to convey his message. The speech was given as the Civil War was ending, and President Lincoln wanted to provide a bit of light in a very dark time. He could have given the lengthy speech that the audience expected; but instead, he gave a short message of unity that fueled the United States for years to come.
I am not a big fan of history movies; I didn’t watch the movie Lincoln when the teacher played it in class. I had to play it at home and pay close attention to be able to write a review about it. I ended up watching it twice for about five hours, and I don’t regret it at all; First, I watched it with a friend of mine and second time on my own; several incidents grabbed my attention. The movie was a significant history drama that narrates some major events in the history of the United States of America. In January 1865, the immensely popular president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln played by Daniel day-Lewis, commenced his second term in office as the war was entering its fourth year. Mr. Lincoln was concerned about the lives that were wasted on both sides and about slavery. Lincoln lost a son named Willie in the beginning of the war. He had to go through numerous arguments with his other son Robbert to convince him to not enlist because his mom couldn’t take any more loss but in the end he enlisted. Mr. Lincoln was in a race against time. He was afraid that peace would be achieved before the thirteenth amendment that would abolish slavery once and forever would be passed. His mission was very difficult and required a lot of convincing. The movie begins by showing a dream seen by the president about the amendment, until the amendment was actually approved by the House of
The movie I watched is Lincoln. This movie is about President Abraham Lincoln’s struggles to free all slaves permanently before the Civil War ended. The movie is set in 1865, just after Lincoln was reelected. Lincoln is faced with a moral dilemma. His goal is to pass the amendment to ban slavery forever, but if the war ends before he can do this he’ll never get the opportunity. As he pushes to get the votes he needs to secure the bills passing a peace offer is brought forth by the Confederates. Lincoln must now decide to either end the war now and save thousands of lives or to delay the end of the war and have the chance to save not only current lives but also future lives from a life of slavery.
The film, Lincoln, opens with the Battle of Jenkins Ferry at the Washington Navy Yard. In the next scene, it is a dark and rainy night. Two black soldiers converse with Abraham when two white soldiers join them and start talking about the Gettysburg Address. In the following scene Lincoln and his wife, Mary, are in their bedroom, talking about the probability of the abolishment of slavery, in the push for the Thirteenth Amendment. After giving a short speech, Lincoln and his Secretary of State, Seward, discuss the Thirteenth Amendment. There conversation continues as they reach the White House. Then Mr. and Mrs. Jolly from Missouri enter, and Seward uses them to italicize a point regarding the Thirteenth Amendment. Later that evening, Lincoln discusses with Preston Blair the chance of having a peace negotiation with Richmond and the Thirteenth Amendment. During a cabinet meeting, the discussion included the previous attack on Fort Fisher. After a bit of conversation on the attack, the conversation turned to a discussion about the suggested Thirteenth Amendment. The discussion was composed of numerous protestations from the Secretary of Interior. Later in the afternoon, following the heated discussion that morning, Lincoln, Congressman Ashley, and Seward try to arrange plans to have the Thirteenth Amendment brought up for a fresh vote. To Lincoln’s surprise, Ashley completely opposed the idea,
As a leader, do you feel as though you could unite subordinates, units, organizations, or even a nation? Abraham Lincoln faced the task of reunifying a nation, even during a time of civil war. He was a visionary leader through the war as his actions advocated intellectual stimulation through change management leading to decisions that shaped innovative efforts within the United States Air Force (USAF) today. Additionally, Lincoln was an ethical leader, not for the actions that history books recognize with the freedom of slavery, but more so for the decision to face ethical challenges altering his behaviors through critical thinking. We will look at an example of how he fostered an innovative
Abraham Lincoln was a very ambitious man who was always trying to get new information, or learn some type of new skill. Even when Lincoln was young he had an urge to learn. He moved to Illinois in 1830, where he obtained several jobs that taught him a strong work ethic. Later on he moved to New Salem where he became a businessman, and gained many skills that he would use throughout his life as a political leader. After moving to Springfield, Lincoln’s political career began to take shape. Living on the frontier taught Lincoln a lot, he learned many skills, and different ways to interact with people. From businessman, to politician, to sixteenth president Lincoln's journey to greatness began in the tranquil fields of Illinois. Although he began
Throughout the chapters there are numerous facts on Lincoln’s leadership style. Lincoln had vision which helped him lead by focusing on motivation and honesty. First, Lincoln believed in communication as a form of motivation. The book starts off with a chapter named “Get out of the Office and circulate among groups.”
I start this project on Lincoln’s leadership very reluctantly. I am a history buff and have always viewed his leadership through the eyes of jaded historians. They have portrayed him as a dictator, incompetent, and a buffoon at some points. After reading the Donald T. Phillips book Lincoln on Leadership, my mindset was totally changed. This book broke down four key areas that produced an effective leader in Lincoln. These areas are character, people, endeavor, and communication. I will be sharing a principal from each key area that I found important and then conclude with an overall thought.
All though it was very dry at times, and could easily be classified as a uninteresting political movie about America’s most important historical moments, I enjoyed the film overall. Instead of focusing the movie on the life of Abraham Lincoln, it does focus on his passionate leadership in the final four months of his presidency. I soon began to sweat and clench my fists as the month of January continued in the movie, time crunching down and down as the Republican agents tried to gain more and more Democratic favor on the passing of the amendment. It felt like a fast-paced, parkour chase. I felt Lincoln wasn’t completely politically minded, constantly telling stories to many men and women who he comes in contact with, seeming humble and wise, always trying to give perspective with the moral of the story.