Inspiring People Whom I Admire – Part 2

I began thinking about different people who I admired and have inspired me throughout my life. As a result, I decided to write about these inspirational people. They are people who overcame obstacles and were great leaders. I have learned great lessons from them. They have set excellent and inspirational examples for me to follow. To keep the blogs short, I have decided to do this in parts. I hope you enjoy Inspiring People Whom I Admire – Part 2.

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“You can’t make a weak man strong by making a strong man weak.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Inspiring People Whom I Admire – Part 2

This will be part 2 of this series and I want to talk about Abraham Lincoln. Several years ago, I read a book titled Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips. This is one of the best books on leadership that I have ever read. I have linked it to Amazon if you would like to pick it up. As I mentioned in Part 1, Ernest Shackleton, the author of Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill had an imaginary mastermind group. Abraham Lincoln was part of that group because of his incredible leadership skills.

“I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.”
 ~ Abraham Lincoln

Napoleon Hill created his mastermind group out of people who had the characteristics he admired. This series will cover different individuals who have inspired me. They all have the characteristics which I would like to emulate in my life. They are great leaders, overcame enormous obstacles, and set great examples. I always learn something by reading about them.

16th President

Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12, 1809, and grew up in poverty. With no formal schooling, he was self-educated. Eventually, he became a lawyer. There are many tales of Lincoln and his successes and failures before he became the 16^th President of the United States.

“My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

He inherited the nightmare of a Union which was severely divided, from President James Buchanan. Before he took the oath of office, seven states had already succeeded from the union to form the Confederate States of America. Buchanan had already given up hope of holding the country together. He did nothing at the end of his term to try to repair the division that was happening in this country. Congress also did nothing to defeat the growing rebellion.

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was the country’s first Republican President. He was elected by a minority vote. Because he was an outsider, he was disliked in Washington. The media and the people saw him as a second-rate country lawyer. They thought he was ill-equipped and unable to handle the presidency. No one could predict the unparalleled strength of leadership he possessed.

A Born Leader

Lincoln’s leadership traits:

• He would get out and circulate among the troops.
• Compassion.
• Honesty and integrity are the best policies.
• Courage to handle unjust criticism.
• Consistency.
• Decisiveness.
• Being open-minded and flexible.
• Setting goals and being results-oriented.
• He believed that the organization takes on the personality of its top leader.

Lead From The Front

Lincoln believed in leading from the front. He was hardly ever in the oval office. If you wanted to find him you should start in the War Department. That’s where he spent most of his time. He would go to the field and circulate among the troops. He wanted to know what they were going through. This gave him first-hand knowledge to make accurate decisions. He went to the field to observe or take charge of several battle situations and even came under fire at least once.

“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Compassion

To Lincoln, a leader shows compassion. The leader knows the job of his lowest subordinates and treats everyone the same. Lincoln spent many days visiting the hospitals and talking to the wounded. He spoke no differently to a private than he did to one of his generals.

“I want it said of me by those who knew me best, that I always plucked a thistle and planted a flower where I thought a flower would grow.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Honest

Lincoln believed that the best way to lead is with honesty and integrity. The government exists to elevate the condition of man. It is there to level the playing field and allow man to climb the ladder of success. He was not kind to politicians taking kickbacks. He fired many of his appointed cabinet members for lack of honesty and integrity.

“You can tell the greatness of a man by what makes him angry.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Courageous

Lincoln showed an amazing amount of courage over an extended period of time. He survived defeats in his life and also at the beginning of the Civil War. He took risks and never played it safe. The faith he had in himself was unmatched. He knew his decisions were the right ones and didn’t need to be told by others.

“Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Overcame Criticism

Because of their position, Great leaders will be subjected to severe criticism from all sides. They will suffer attacks on their personal honor and character. Lincoln was no different. The media, the public, and the Union he was trying to save all criticized him. Southern sympathizers, members of Congress, and even some from within his own Republican Party verbally attacked him.

Lincoln didn’t allow the attacks to deter him from his definite purpose of saving the Union. In fact, he overcame all his critics to secure victory in the war. He not only preserved the nation but also reorganized the military and renewing the spirit of patriotism in America. Lincoln is best known for, The Emancipation Proclamation, abolishing slavery in the United States.

Consistency

Lincoln led with consistency in how he treated people and his interactions with cabinet members. He was very consistent with how he administered and managed the government. He did whatever it took to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution.

“Be with a leader when he is right, stay with him when he is still right, but leave him when he is wrong.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Decisive

Lincoln was decisive and bold in his decisions. Many of the decisions he made were not popular but he knew there were necessary for victory. The Union Army was undermanned at the beginning of the war. President Buchanan had decimated the military by cutting the budget. Lincoln knew that he would need a call for troops and enacted conscription.

His bold decision to direct a blockade of the Confederate states was necessary to cut off supplies. Probably his most unpopular decision was declaring martial law. He also suspended the writ of habeas corpus, giving the military the power to arrest without charges. Lincoln would not waiver on this decision because he felt it was necessary to protect against spies and traitors.

“I don’t like that man. I must get to know him better.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Flexible

Lincoln was open-minded and flexible. He always listened to his subordinates. If their decisions were not what he had in mind, he would explain the shortcomings. But, if their ideas matched his, he would let them proceed as if it was their idea.

“You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

Goal Setter

Arguably his greatest leadership trait was setting goals and being results-oriented. Lincoln had always persevered and used his failures as lessons to learn from. He had the ability to turn certain defeat into a decisive victory. At the beginning of his presidency, Lincoln had one ultimate goal, preserving the United States of America.

“Tact: the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

He Set The Example

Lincoln’s leadership is best summed up with one trait. Like all great leaders, Lincoln knew that the organization takes on the personality of its top leader. Lincoln displayed all of the traits listed above to determine his personality. By setting the example of a great leader, Lincoln led the Union to persevere and overcome great odds and securing victory.

“When I’m getting ready to reason with a man I spend one-third of my time thinking about myself and what I am going to say—and two-thirds thinking about him and what he is going to say.”
~ Abraham Lincoln

I hope you enjoyed reading Inspiring People Whom I Admire – Part 2. I will continue this series in the weeks to follow. Do you have any particular person who inspires you? Are there people that you admire and help you on your journey? If so, leave a comment below and let me know. I always enjoy reading your comments.

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Final Thoughts

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Works Cited

“Chapter 14 – The Sixth Sense.” Think and Grow Rich: the Complete Classic Text, by Napoleon Hill, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2008, pp. 308–323.

Phillips, Donald T. Lincoln On Leadership. Warner Books, Inc, 1992.