Effective leadership Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Effective leadership - Essay Example Discussion Lincoln’s Presidency is remembered for the American Civil War and the abolition of slavery, a goal for which he himself unfortunately had to pay the ultimate price of losing his life at the hands of John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate supporter. Yet Lincoln’s commonsense and well thought out approach to leadership makes us look at his life and principles again and again. He was a man who truly practiced what he preached. His undying and concerted efforts not only won the war for the Union but he also led from the front, marshalling and advising his forces and generals, while raising support and winning over the common man to the cause of freedom and equality for all, one of the principal features of our constitution and the American way of life, where each is free to do as he likes in the pursuit of happiness for the collective good of all. The author has very cleverly structured the book into four sections: People, Character, Endeavour and Communication. Abraha m Lincoln’s way of dealing with people was rather unique, and as the author puts it, he may have been one of the earliest leaders to advocate and follow the principle of Management by Wandering Around, as later defined by Peters and Waterman in their bestseller ‘In Search of Excellence’. Lincoln believed in getting out of his office and circulating among the troops (Phillips, 14). Of course, where he could not do it in person, his messages of encouragement and comfort were instrumental in raising the troops’ morale and winning over many a man to his cause. During the four year Civil War, Lincoln spent a lot of time with the War Office, the Army and the Navy, inspecting troops and weaponry and noting their capabilities. He wanted the latest information at all times and is even known to be one of the only Presidents that came under enemy fire in a war situation. Lincoln walked across to his Secretary of State Edwin M. Stanton’s office every day to get the latest on the war situation. Besides having his weekly meetings at the set times and locations, Lincoln was often known to call extempore sessions of his cabinet and advisors as the need arose. Rather than lock himself away in an ivory tower, Lincoln loved to roam among the people. He would make himself accessible to most people almost 75% of the time, and believed that these ‘public opinion baths’ were necessary to gain the support of people as well as make himself a visible leader while garnering the thoughts and opinions of the populace. He favored as little security and protocol as possible, believing that a true and righteous leader had nothing to fear. Lincoln was also known to be an approachable leader with an efficacious, amicable style. He had an open door policy with all men reporting to him and wished to be visible and available to them. In the chapter Build Strong Alliances, the author wants to show us how the President used his wit, charm, communicatio n and oratory skills to win not only Court arguments while in his practice at Springfield but also to opponents and people on the sidelines regarding the slavery issue. Lincoln was full of wisecracks, anecdotes and stories that would help in winning men over to the cause of emancipation. Another of Lincoln’s erudite principles of leadership was Persuade Rather than Coerce (Phillips, 39). Lincoln