12 Lessons from Lincoln on Leadership Continued

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Lincoln on Leadership

1.  Get out of the office, circulate among the troops – meet them in their environment; seek casual contact with subordinates

In my January 25th post in honor of Opposite Day, I discussed a new term—MBSAD or “Management by Sitting at Your Desk”.  Unfortunately, that’s becoming an easier management strategy in today’s world of electronic communications.  However, it’s critical that managers lead by wandering around…circulating among the troops, as Lincoln noted.

2.  Remember your followers want to believe what they do is their own idea, and more importantly, that it genuinely makes a difference 

Part of servant leadership is to ensure employees are engaged, knowing that what they do makes a difference to the organization.  As a leader, it’s important to acknowledge the efforts of your team members.  Be specific, and tell them how their ideas and accomplishments make you feel.

3.  Delegate responsibility & authority by empowering people to act on their own.  If you are a good leader, when your work is done, your aim fulfilled, people will say, “We did this ourselves.”

There is probably nothing more frustrating that working for a micromanager.  I speak both from years of observation and limited personal experience.  As a leader, it’s important to recognize when your team members are capable of handling more responsibility and authority.  When they are, be sure to give it to them.  When the work of the organization becomes about the leader at the top, it is neither healthy for the team nor the organization.

4.  On issues that affect the entire organization, conduct full & frequent consultations with Department Heads

As a leader, you need a leadership team.  Our HR Director has always operated with a very collaborative leadership style, consulting her leadership team for a variety of decisions.  Over the years, when I’ve had some developmental opportunities to work with other leaders and other organizations, I’ve been surprised when that didn’t happen as often.  After living with different styles, I recognize the importance of collaborative leadership and decision-making.

5.  When in deep distress and you can’t restrain your expression of it, write a harsh letter venting your anger.  But don’t send it!

Have you seen an e-mail sent that the sender later regretted.  Boy, I have…  We should all heed Lincoln’s advice here.  He found a great outlet to vent…without damaging his relationships with others.

6.  Never let your immediate subordinate take action upon your responsibility without consulting you first.

There are some responsibilities you shouldn’t and can’t delegate as a leader.  Those should be very few…but both you and your leadership team should know what those are.  And they should never make those decisions on their own…

7.  Except in matters of broad policy, encourage subordinates to take action on their own initiative without waiting for orders

Initiative is one of our core values in our HR Office.  Over the years, we’ve used different terms, including “bias for action.”  People who have done well in our organization take action, make decisions, and live by the philosophy of “asking forgiveness instead of permission.”  For the most part, that’s a healthier approach than sitting on actions and decisions that could otherwise be taken and waiting for the boss’ perspective…

8.  Provide managers a 3-5 month grace period to see if they will take action and perform adequately.

It’s easy to form first impressions of someone on the job…or someone in a new job.  Lincoln’s rule of thumb for his leadership team was to give them 3-5 months to perform.  This is consistent with today’s literature that talks about a manager’s first 90 days on the job, when they learn about the role and the organization…then take action after that…

9.  Prepare yourself thoroughly for public speaking engagements.

As a leader, you form impressions for yourself and your organization when speaking in public.  With some audiences, you may not get a second chance.  Lincoln thoroughly prepared for his speeches…like the Gettysburg Address, which was one of the shortest but finest speeches ever delivered…

10.  Couple written documents with verbal discussions – catching the idea with two senses.  You & your subordinates will remember it better

If you’ve ever received feedback as a leader, you’ve probably heard at some point that you need to improve communications.  This is one of the hardest things to do as a leader.  That’s why Lincoln suggested that you need to communicate using multiple methods.  Some of your audience will “hear” the message while others need to “read” the message.  Use as many avenues of communication as possible…

11.  Humor is a major component of the ability to persuade.

It’s important for leaders to have a good sense of humor, both in relating to their teams as well as making arguments in front of decision-makers.  Ever been around a humor-less leader?  I have…and I wanted to escape as quickly as I could!

12.  The best leaders never stop learning.

Lincoln understood that he needed to continue to learn and grow to improve as a leader.  Many scholars point to that today, including Ken Blanchard who recently authored the book Great Leaders Grow and John C. Maxwell who wrote, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn.  However you do it, have a strategy to keep learning.  Frankly, this blog forces me to stay current and reflect on what I’m reading and learning as a leader.

Finally, Phillips advised as he saw Lincoln, “Do the very best you know how – best you can – and keep doing so to the end…”