Lincoln Stories For Leaders

Learn leadership Lincoln's way -- with quick wit and great stories.

One of the most influential books of the past fifty years, Team of Rivals is Pulitzer Prize–winning author and esteemed presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin’s modern classic about the political genius of Abraham Lincoln, his unlikely presidency, and his cabinet of former political foes. Winner of the prestigious Lincoln Prize and the inspiration for the Oscar Award winning–film Lincoln, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, directed by Steven Spielberg, and written by Tony Kushner. On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry. Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires. It was this capacity that enabled Lincoln as president to bring his disgruntled opponents together, create the most unusual cabinet in history, and marshal their talents to the task of preserving the Union and winning the war. We view the long, horrifying struggle from the vantage of the White House as Lincoln copes with incompetent generals, hostile congressmen, and his raucous cabinet. He overcomes these obstacles by winning the respect of his former competitors, and in the case of Seward, finds a loyal and crucial friend to see him through. This brilliant multiple biography is centered on Lincoln's mastery of men and how it shaped the most significant presidency in the nation's history.

“Phillips has a gift for making 19th-century history relevant for the 21st century . . . a marvelous way to think about our current policy woes.” —Douglas Brinkley, New York Times-bestselling author of American Moonshot How can President Lincoln’s wisdom be applied to the most pressing conflicts of modern-day America? With a fresh and perceptive reading of Lincoln’s own writings and speeches, bestselling author Donald T. Phillips reveals how America’s sixteenth president handled many of the same national dilemmas we face today. Looking to his exemplary leadership of a fractured nation, Phillips offers a deeply relevant analysis of how Lincoln’s example could help forge solutions to the many issues and divisions challenging our country now. “[An] intelligent and often moving look at one of the nation’s greatest presidents . . . Using his extensive knowledge of Lincoln, Phillips makes convincing cases throughout for what the nineteenth-century statesman’s opinion would be on a wide array of issues faced by the twenty-first-century United States, including climate change, torture, immigration, and equal pay for women. For readers who find present-day politics almost too much to contemplate, Phillips’s closing vision of Lincoln witnessing the ‘current state of affairs’ will be especially poignant and bittersweet.” —Publishers Weekly

Presents excerpts from the former president's letters, speeches, and other writings that best evoke inspiration, in an effort to help today's business leaders apply his principles in work and life.

This book examines Lincoln's leadership by assessing his decision-making process and patterns in shaping military strategy, political affairs, and religious interests during the Civil War. In doing so, it shows how Lincoln defined the presidency in wartime, played the role of party chief, and pointed the moral compass of the nation.

Contemporary marketplace leaders outline leadership advice from one of America's most admired presidents--Abraham Lincoln--and explain how to apply those lessons to today's business environments.