Abraham Lincoln’s leadership was characterized by integrity, resilience, emotional discipline, and the ability to empower others. His ability to adapt, communicate effectively, and persist in the face of adversity made him one of history’s most effective leaders. As Lincoln himself said, “I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have.”
Throughout my journey as a leader, business coach, teacher, and mentor, I’ve come to realize that leadership isn’t a final destination—it’s a continuous process of
I ask you to look inside yourself and make an assessment based on these traits and characteristics of who the best people are to lead our nation at all levels of government. I used to be proud during our election cycles. I knew the rest of the world used our nation as the standard for how a democracy should operate and transfer power. Even when my candidate didn’t win, I recovered quickly and trusted that the position and responsibility would bring out the best in the winner. I’m not sure that is the case anymore.
Due to my line of work, I am fortunate to spend time with many successful individuals and conduct further study and research on the topic. One theme that runs through my experience/research is that financial success (while important) is not the primary driver of an individual business leader’s success. It is more of an outcome of doing something else well and caring about how you do it. The money is nice (and deserved), but it doesn’t motivate most of them to get up and go in the morning.
I always like this time of year. After a great football weekend, we celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day and watch the inauguration of our President. It is a very proud time to be an American. As I was reflecting on this experience it dawned on me that there are several characteristics of winners whether they are football teams, civil rights leaders or presidents. Several common traits emerge:
As a leader, personal growth and development don’t always require strenuous labor or demanding tasks. Here are fifteen easy things you can do right away to improve your performance and results:
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