Lincoln's Lessons

(2nd attempt. That's what happens when you try to write up on a mountain in Tahoe and lose service.)

I've been intrigued by Lincoln since I was a very little girl. My parents kept my Value Tales always updated and I remember having one of the books about Lincoln. Of course, they did a good job of portraying all of the chosen role models in a positive light. Still, he always stuck out in my mind as a kind and hard-working man. I appreciated that he was not a perfect man and yet was able to accomplish so much. He was [seemed...] strong and I appreciated that. These qualities were ones I wanted to possess. In fact, as a young girl, I wanted to be the first woman president (until a peer threatened that he would assassinate me, and as a 5th-6th grader, I thought, "Well...nevermind, that doesn't seem worth it.") At Disneyland, still do this day, I'm awe-stricken when I see his performance. Something in his voice and the way he spoke was capturing. What an experience to see him in person during that time.....

So many lessons to learn from him, but here are my three:

1. I appreciate that Lincoln could inspire people to do their best. That's always what I've strived to do, even when I was a little girl. In 1st grade I was so advanced in Math that I became the class tutor. I was very proud of myself as I always wanted to be the best (perfectionist and A-type that is also a demon), but what I really enjoyed was helping my peers succeed. I was always sad when they wouldn't succeed. With Lincoln, though, it wasn't just that he wanted people to do their best, he managed to inspire them to do their best. It takes quite a leader and influential person to actually get people to follow through on that. I see that people are influenced to do good - run faster, read better, know more, be nicer, work harder, etc. - when they see others do the same and they admire that quality abut the person. They must have believed that Lincoln was the best, or at least doing his best. In fact, one of his own enemies and cabinet members said it, "The president is the best of us." That says a lot about a person. I constantly strive to be better at that. I want to be able to inspire others so that we are all performing at our best, and thus, our organization will be the best it can. This always seemed so much easier in the classroom than it does now as a leader. Though in my last position, I was succeeding in creating a strong team where everyone really was doing their best. I felt horrible leaving them and when they expressed the same, I knew I had was leading as best as I could.

2. Lincoln established a culture of learning in his administration. This, too, is quite a challenge. When we open ourselves to learning, we understand that we have room to learn and grow, that we don't know everything, and even, that we'll make mistakes. This isn't always easy for people to do. He managed to humble the entire admin and get them to be open. That's a hard task because there are so many individual battles inherent in that process. For those who aren't open, it can be a true battle to steer them the other direction. I've known many a stubborn person who were very hard-headed and refused to admit space for learning (and educators!) I believe his style of communicating with others was likely one of his strongest suits in accomplishing this. I must keep that in mind as I continue to work with people I am trying to help grow and learn, to make them feel constantly supported and reaffirm what they already know.

3. What I can really appreciate about Lincoln is that "he knew how to stop listening and make a decision". I have a difficult time with this. Usually, when I am able to do so, I'm at a point of frustration where I just don't want to hear any arguing anymore. I know that is not a healthy spot to be in, so I want to continue getting better at it. Often, I just don't want to cut anyone off, wanting to ensure that everyone has been able to share their piece and be satisfied that they were able to do so. Unfortunately, when there's any type of disagreement, this usually does not happen as people want to continue arguing their point to win, instead of even trying to listen. I really appreciate that Lincoln knew when to draw the line, make the decision, and move forward. It's something I've been getting better at. I just have to be careful as I can often come off as having an overpowering personality and I don't want to come off as "bossy", just a good, strong leader.