Cambridge Business Association
Lincoln on Leadership
Book

Lincoln on Leadership

Executive Strategies for Tough Times

Donald T. Phillips
Warner Books, 1993
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Editorial Rating

7

Qualities

  • Analytical
  • Background
  • Inspiring

Recommendation

Donald T. Phillips has written a solid and engaging book. It has been hailed by critics and leaders in business, sports, and every other arena as a common sense masterpiece of historical and character analysis. The book is divided into key lessons, each representing an aspect of President Abraham Lincoln’s leadership style, as revealed through his words and actions. A beautifully written intimate history, the book shows Lincoln in action. The discussion reveals clearly how any leader can apply Lincoln’s timeless principles about communication, character, endeavor, and people. getAbstract recommends this book to anyone interested in leadership, Lincoln, or history.

Summary

Abraham Lincoln is consistently ranked as the greatest president the United States ever had. He is considered the greatest leader the nation has "ever known or will ever know." Lincoln represented the best of the leadership qualities that helped form the nation. He "stood for all that was right, honest, and self-evident."

As a young boy, he studied the Founding Fathers, those leaders who called for independence and then created a nation devoted to human rights. He believed in their idealism and wanted to see it in action. "He was innovative at a time when the age of discoveries and inventions was just beginning." He was compassionate, decisive, patient, persistent, consistent, and persuasive. The foundation of Lincoln’s leadership style was "an unshakeable commitment to the rights of the individual."

The Lincoln Principles

During his four years as president, the Civil War was his focus. By the time he took office, seven states had already left the Union and formed the Confederate States of America.

Lincoln was assassinated just days after the war ended with the Confederate Army’s surrender. So, during his presidency, Lincoln spent most of his time among...

About the Author

Donald T. Phillips has worked in the business world for many years, mostly in large corporations. He began researching this book in 1983 and has since become an independent Lincoln scholar.

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