No.259 Of Black Lincolns

I finally finished my 900 page book last night on Abraham Lincoln. It was an exhausting but superb read. He is without doubt one of the greatest leaders ever. He's a white Mandela or perhaps Mandela is a black Lincoln (isn't a Black Lincoln a car?).

As one book reviewer on Amazon writes "Senior-level executives can learn a number of important lessons in leadership by reading this book. They include:

1. Surround yourself with whatever talent the given enterprise requires.
2. Welcome, indeed strongly encourage principled dissent.
3. Timing is not everything but often the difference between success and failure.
4. Exercise selective hearing during a contentious group discussion.
5. Unless absolutely certain, be willing to grant benefit of the doubt.
6. Exhaust opponents by listening to them.
7. Appreciate effort but only reward performance.
8. Serve “with malice toward none, with charity for all”
9. And lead “with firmness in the right.”
10. When dealing with forceful personalities, focus on common interests."

He captures it perfectly.