Abraham Lincoln Research Paper

Abraham Lincoln and his Innovative Leadership The purpose of this paper is to present facts proving Abraham Lincoln is the perfect example of an innovative leader in any day and situation. We each have our strengths and capabilities. Direct guidance fortifies some; providing examples enlightens some; independence offers other individuals the opportunity to excel. Lincoln could see people clearly and to know how to motivate them in their area of expertise. Lincoln’s attributes and competencies made him a “Legacy Leader” from his early adult life as a frontier lawyer until his assassination while president. His humble attitude never hid his greatness and has been an influence in my life since childhood.

Lincoln’s Attributes

Leads

While watching

Lincoln, Second Inaugural Address, March 4, 1865). From his early days as a frontier lawyer, Lincoln had the nickname of “Honest Abe”. Lincoln practiced what he preached knowing that subordinates prefer a hard truth to a simple lie; he found that honesty and integrity are the best policies. Lincoln also believed in the Golden Rule, treat others as he wished to be treated, never acting out of vengeance or spite. Lincoln had the courage to handle unfair criticism and encouraged others not to criticize.

Presence

Many of those in Lincoln’s staff believed he was a country bumpkin without a lick of sense. Those same men were soon to realize that Lincoln was a man of stature with a hidden core of steel. Lincoln had the self-confidence to let his subordinates know when they were right and he was wrong. Lincoln understood the best way to win the war was with a general willing to “assume the responsibility of command” (Phillips, 1992, p.41). Lincoln went through multiple general officers before he found the military leader needed in Ulysses S. Grant.

Lack of formal education did not hold him back from learning all he could. Lincoln would often read a book multiple times until sure he understood the significance of each passage. During Lincoln’s early twenties, he worked on a flatboat moving cargo to New Orleans. The flatboat was stuck on a dam in New Salem, IL. Lincoln’s innovative idea to drill a hole in the boat to remove the water enabled the boat and cargo to make it to New Orleans. Lincoln used stories to explain situations that may have seemed like folk tales but provided a solid foundation of strong ethics. During the war, Lincoln would spend the majority of his time in the War office so he could make on the spot decisions. This timesaving practice is one of the reasons the North was able to win the Civil War.

The Impact on the Community Lincoln had the aptitude to pull people together for a common goal. Helping people realize that persecution of a group would lead to oppression of the country. Lincoln would not micromanage his staff allowing them to act upon their ideas with little to no guidance. If Lincoln noticed a subordinate in the process of failing, he would gently guide them to a different way of looking at the situation. One of his leading philosophies was to reach back and help the people below him to reach heights above their current station.

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