Lincoln powerful up-to-date lessons...

I have no watched the recent Spielberg movie about Abraham Lincoln yet (I like always to watch movies in original language and right now I cannot find a way to do it) and I never truly have focused more in depth on his life and work until begun to read the book ‘Lincoln Melancholy’ www.lincolnsmelancholy.com/ that I am still enjoying and I will focus on these pages soon. I have found Lincoln thinking and actions very significant to today’s lives and issues.

In particular I have come to admire, within a very though intimate path articulated also in the book, his leadership still based upon firm principles that still nowadays, in the era of mass communication and widespread knowledge available to many, are not only practiced but even not considered as worthwhile to think about and reflect upon. A recent article published on the USA magazine ‘Entrepreneur’ by the title of ‘4 Leadership Lessons from Abraham Lincoln’ www.entrepreneur.com/blog/printthis/225284 sheds some interesting light on some of these principles summarized in:

1) Say ‘no’ to Yes men. Spielberg movie is based upon the book ‘Team of rivals. The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln’ leveraging upon the observation that Lincoln filled his cabinet with teams of rivals focusing not on the political side but on the knowledge of each one of them. Skilled, concrete, controversial debates on topics is what can ensure that such issues can be seen from many perspectives and reach a more effective solution. 

2) Be decisive. Once decision criteria are clarified with sound reasoning based upon information and data, swift action is needed to challenge them with reality. 

3) Looking for inspiration in unlikely places. Often people that are outside the so called ‘more connected and linked’ topics to the actual debated issue, can provide concrete ideas for solution from unexpected fields of thought and action. 

4) Connect with people on a personal level. Too often the cliche ‘it is quite lonely at the top’ is part of reality; leaders become secluded in their own thoughts and problems, detached from people and the concrete realities of them. This happens under the wrong assumption that ‘secluded focus’ helps to clear the mind from distracting external influences that can act for individual or group interest that are outside a larger cause. Connecting with people on a personal level, even an individual one is time consuming and quite challenging at times but it also represent the best way to stay connected to the actual reality perceived by many and make sure that we don’t develop in ourselves an emotional detachment dangerous for ourselves and for the people that see our as a reference point alike.

After we become more accustomed with these observations and we develop them from 

a conceptual point of view, do we have enough attitudinal courage to put them into practice within our daily, mid-term and long term views? Let’s pay attention: attitude is our mental framework that can be positive or negative, looking for a brighter future or feeling defeated by a gloomy one. An open attitude to act in a constructive way is much more difficult to develop than aptitudes (skills) more rapidly learning through simple training. To us the decision on what path to focus on ...