As many of you know, I recently became so fed up with the current Presidential election, that I went on a political fast of sorts. For almost two weeks, I consciously avoided some of my favorite websites - politico.com, washingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, huffingtonpost.com, and even dear old Red State. What I found was that I really didn't miss presumptuous Hope, Sarah Baracuda, or the veering off track of the Straight Talk Express.
One of the great things of swearing off politics for a while (and not having a television) is that it gives you the chance to do things you've wanted to do for a while. Being a history dork and wanting to believe that a President (or Presidential candidate) might actually offer hope, I chose to limit the politics that came into my head to Abraham Lincoln. I had long wanted to read Doris Kearns Goodwin's opus on Lincoln's cabinet, Team of Rivals, so I took the 753 pages as a challenge. I finished my month-long journey last night, and emerged with the conviction that Honest Abe had some great advice for those of us trying to learn how to lead, whether that be in corporations, non-profits, or more specifically for me, the church.
753 pages later, here's what I learned.
1. Surround yourself with talented people, even if you don't like them. Lincoln won the contested nomination for President out of the Republican Party, defeating William Seward, Salmon Chase and Edward Bates. After winning the Presidency, Lincoln worked to bring them all into his cabinet. They fought, they schemed, and they bickered (with each other and with Lincoln), but their intelligence, experience, and differing ideological, theological and philosophical convictions strengthened the country and made Lincoln a better President.
2. Take the blame, share the credit. Throughout his Presidency, Lincoln made a habit of giving his cabinet members credit when things went well, and taking blame and responsibility upon himself when they didn't. It not only reflected the reality (the buck stops with the President) but he gained immense respect from his cabinet and the country for it.
3. Find chances to be grateful. Often times Lincoln found an opportunity to write an appreciative letter or thank a member of his cabinet when he had actually done the work. It cultivated loyalty and allowed people to hear the criticism he would offer later.
4. Remember who is in charge. Many who advocate this style of leadership forget one important part of Lincoln's office - everyone knew who was in charge, and it was Lincoln. Although Lincoln would listen to his cabinet, and take their advice even when he didn't like it, Goodwin consistently points out that it was Lincoln who ultimately made the decisions, and when he made up his mind, the discussion was over. And everyone knew it.
5. Chemistry is overrated, competence is what matters. Salmon Chase spent much of 1863 cultivating Radical Republicans who thought Lincoln was not committed enough to their agenda. His hope was that he would use this base to run for President against Lincoln in 1864. Lincoln was well aware of his scheming, but refused to let it persuade him to fire or marginalize Chase. Chase tried to resign several times. Lincoln denied his first several attempts, but eventually did accept it. After he did so, he nominated Chase to be the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
6. Be slow to anger. What those who opposed Lincoln from the South couldn't grasp was that Lincoln was quick to forgive, and wanted to bring the South back into the Union a quickly as possible. He didn't favor punitive damages to the South and hoped that Jefferson Davis would escape capture so he wouldn't be punished severely. Lincoln was convinced that not berating and humiliating Southerners would be the best way to rebuild a fractured country and coalition.
