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Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 to uneducated farmers and received little formal education, but became a self-taught lawyer in Illinois. He had many political defeats early in his career but was elected president in 1860. As president, Lincoln preserved the United States as a single nation during the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation to begin freeing slaves, and demonstrated exemplary leadership that inspired future presidents with his character, honesty, and commitment to unity.

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66 views21 pages

Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln was born in 1809 to uneducated farmers and received little formal education, but became a self-taught lawyer in Illinois. He had many political defeats early in his career but was elected president in 1860. As president, Lincoln preserved the United States as a single nation during the Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proclamation to begin freeing slaves, and demonstrated exemplary leadership that inspired future presidents with his character, honesty, and commitment to unity.

Uploaded by

alisha_sehgal_1
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Abraham Lincoln: The leader

for all ages


Initial Years
• Abraham Lincoln was born on February 12,
1809 in a one-room log cabin, to Thomas
Lincoln and Nancy Hanks.

• Lincoln's parents were uneducated, illiterate


farmers.

• His formal education consisted of perhaps


18 months of schooling from unofficial
teachers.

• In effect he was self-educated, studying


every book he could borrow. He became a
leading lawyer in Illinois.

• He mastered the Bible, William


Shakespeare's works, English history and
American history
SUMMARY OF MAJOR
ACCOMPLISHMENTS

1. Abraham Lincoln made the decision to fight to prevent the nation from splitting apart.

2. Abraham Lincoln was an unfaltering commander in chief during the Civil War which
preserved the United States as one nation.

3. Abraham Lincoln's foreign policy was successful in preventing other countries from
intervening in America's Civil War.

4. Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation which began the process of
freedom for America's slaves. The document also allowed black soldiers to fight for the Union.

5. Abraham Lincoln set an example of strong character, leadership, and honesty which
succeeding presidents tried to emulate. Barack Obama is the latest to look upto Lincoln as a
model.
Professional ups and downs
• 1831 - Lost his job
• 1832 - Defeated in run for Illinois State Legislature
• 1833 - Failed in business
• 1834 - Elected to Illinois State Legislature (success)
• 1836 - Had nervous breakdown
• 1838 - Defeated in run for Illinois House Speaker
• 1843 - Defeated in run for nomination for U.S. Congress
• 1846 - Elected to Congress (success)
• 1848 - Lost re-nomination
• 1849 - Rejected for land officer position
• 1854 - Defeated in run for U.S. Senate
• 1856 - Defeated in run for nomination for Vice President
• 1858 - Again defeated in run for U.S. Senate
• 1860 – ELECTED PRESIDENT (success)
Personal tragedies
 

• Lincoln began life with a strong sense of his own inferiority. His
mother, Nancy Hanks Lincoln, was an illegitimate child
• At the age of 3 1/2, young Abe watched his baby brother die
• When he was 9 his mother passed away
• When he was 18 his sister died
• As a husband Lincoln had to cope with his wife's near-insanity
• As a father he had to cope with the death of 2 of his sons
• When his son Willie died at the age of 11 in 1862, the President
wept uncontrollably
Effective leadership qualities
No fear of failure

• “My great concern is not whether


you have failed, but whether you
are content with your failure.”

• Remember, that failures are only


permanent if we stop trying. I
believe the only real failure is the
failure not to move on.
The Leader

Presidents were rated in five categories:


• Leadership qualities
• accomplishments/crisis management
• political skills
• appointments
• character/integrity
• At the top of the list stood Abraham Lincoln. He was followed by
Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt,
Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Woodrow Wilson, and Harry
Truman.
Redefining President`s Role
• As the most activist  While he was in office, he had
a habit of trying to meet with
President in history, each of the Regiments that
Lincoln transformed the had been recruited for the
President's role as Union Army
commander in chief and  Plain, common sense, a
kindly disposition, a
as chief executive into a straightforward purpose,
powerful new position, and a shrewd perception of
making the President the ins and outs of poor, weak,
human nature have enabled
supreme over both him to master difficulties which
Congress and the courts would have snapped any other
man.
Ethical

Lincoln was Honest


Abe.   He got this
name because people
learned that if you
dealt with Lincoln, you
were dealing with an
honest man
Effective Communication

• “Extemporaneous speaking should be practiced and cultivated,”


Lincoln wrote.  “It is the lawyer’s avenue to the public.  However
able and faithful he may be in other respects, people are slow to
bring him business, if he cannot make a speech.” 

• Moreover, Lincoln spent a lifetime acquiring material that he could


plug into his speeches—ready-made modules to fit the moment.   
He memorized poems and Bible passages.  He immersed himself in
newspapers and books and written sermons.  He knew thousands
of jokes and humorous stories and even carried a joke book with
him so that he could adapt traditional stories to local situations. 
ABRAHAM LINCOLN ON COMMUNICATION
“THE LANGUAGE OF LEADERSHIP"

• “I am determined to be so
clear that no honest man could
misunderstand me, and no
dishonest man could
successfully misrepresent
me.” 
• You will learn how to be more
self-disciplined, how to
communicate good news and
bad, how to influence
behaviour, how to complain
effectively, how to deal with
difficult people, etc. 
 
Gettysburg Address
• “Four score and seven years
ago our fathers brought forth
on this continent a new nation,
conceived in liberty, and
dedicated to the proposition
that all men are created
equal....”
• Made a speech of ten lines
while Mr. Everett gave a two
hour long speech.
• Lincoln was invited for the
speech 17 days in advance
while Mr. Everett took 40 days
to prepare the speech.
Importance of this speech
The famous definition of democracy which
is “government of the people, by the
people, for the people” was given by
Abraham Lincoln
Abolition of Slavery
• Patience, careful timing,
• Emancipation shrewd calculations, and
Proclamation an iron resolve

• Purposeful and visionary


• Announced on April 22,1862 presidential leadership as
• It was concerned with absolute well as the exercise of
freedom of slaves and rights for politically acceptable
blacks means
Crisis Management
• Lincoln broke an
assortment of laws • This attribute of Lincoln
• He made war without a shows that sometimes
declaration of war. leaders change the norm
• For Lincoln, it made no for the well being of the
sense "to lose the nation company and the
and yet preserve the employees
Constitution.“
• President alone is sworn • They are not followers of
to preserve, protect, and herd mentality
defend it.
A Transformational Leader
• Visionary
• Rhetorical skills
• Trust-building
• People identified with
him
• Gave high levels of
+ve emotional energy

“Management style, was


more idiosyncratic than
systematic”.
Emphasized on changing core
attitudes and belief

Emphasized the aspirations and


expectations of both the leaders and the
followers
“ Just as Lincoln preserved the union by
leadership and bold action, we must
preserve the unity of our nations by our
commitment and dedication to this
cause”
“Let every hurdle become
an opportunity”
THANK YOU

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