MBA1283 Must Read: Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips

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Hey O. Welcome to the $1 because your business needs you at your best. That's why we deliver daily 10 minute business lessons for the real world. I'm your host, your coach, your teacher Omar Zenholm. I'm also the co founder of the $100 MBA, a complete business training and community online and Today's Episode is a must Read Episode on our Must Read Episodes. I share with you a book that I've read that has greatly influenced me as an entrepreneur. I share with you its takeaways, its insights and why you should read it too. Today's must read is Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips. Lincoln on Leadership is a detailed examination of the strategies that enabled Abraham Lincoln to lead so effectively before and during the American Civil War. The book gets past all the myths and really focuses on the leadership skills that he possessed. Now, whether you're an American, a patriot, or you're just not into politics, there's a lot to learn from this book. Regardless of where you stand in any of these things, there's no denying that Lincoln was a great leader and you can take some of his skills. You can take what he's passed on and apply it to your business. Things like how to motivate your staff and how to keep them on vision, how to convince them of Your arguments and where you want to take the business without coercing them. How to master speaking in public and private and knowing it. To be silent, to be an excellent communicator, as well as weighing out the options that are in front of you so you make the best decisions. There's so much I want to cover in today's episode. So let's get into it. Let's get down to business. As many of us know, Abraham Lincoln was President of the United States during the most trying time of the nation, during the Civil War. During a divided time. Imagine half your company hates the other half. And you have to lead this group. You have to motivate them. You have to get them together and get them to work together. One of the things that this book really shares is how hands on Lincoln was. He spoke to the common people on a regular basis. He spoke to leaders in the military. He spoke to soldiers on the ground. He had regular meetings with his colleagues in the Cabinet. Not only did he meet them in the regular meetings, but he would have impromptu meetings with them. In fact, Lincoln spent about 75% of his time meeting with people from all aspects of the country and his administration. Lincoln's method of engaging at every level of his organization is similar to the modern management technique, managing by wandering around. You would spend as much time as possible with the people he was working with, gathering opinions and using those opinions to make his own decisions in the policies he was building. It was very important for him to get different perspectives to challenge his own ideas. So I encourage you to do the same, to speak to everybody in your team, in your staff. If you have a small team, this should be easy. Even if you have a virtual team or, you know, a remote team, having a quick chat with them once a day or even a few times a week makes a world of difference. Understanding who they are, getting their opinions on things, getting feedback. Number one, you're going to get a broader perspective on how to build a better company. Number two, you're going to make your staff feel that they're important and their opinion matters and that they're making an impact. And they're not just worker bees. Their ideas matter. And lastly, you're not making decisions in a vacuum. So when you actually make a decision and tell your team they know how you made this decision, you spoke to them, they feel like they've been heard. It's not a decree. So it's a whole lot easier for them to swallow that decision, whether they agree with it or not, and implement another great aspect that Lincoln would show as a leader is his ability to reinforce and convince people of his strategy. If he believed in a strategy was correct. He didn't just tell people, this is how it is. My way, their highway. I'm the leader here. He felt the importance of convincing people. The idea behind this is that if he wants to get people on board to actually implement the things he wants to be implemented, he has to convince them that it's the right thing to do, it's the right way to move forward. One of his biggest strategies that he had to persuade other people of was his views on slavery. He had to talk to people that were pro slavery and try to convince them, other politicians, that slavery is not a good idea for the country in the long run. And he didn't just give the moral reasons, he gave economical reasons. He gave social reasons. He gave all these other reasons, other convincing arguments that would work for the people. He was speaking to the people that are pro slavery. So the lesson learned here is that great leaders persuade and reinforce rather than force things down people's throats. Lincoln was also great at speaking in public and in private. He also knew when to be silent. This made Lincoln an expert communicator. Many of Lincoln's speeches are really well known, like the Gettysburg Address. It's a legendary speech in American history. The secret to the success of the speech was actually his preparation. Lincoln prepared extensively for his public speeches by writing them in full text in advance, verbatim. Then he would constantly edit them. As he would rehearse them and deliver them. He would ensure that the speech was delivered at the best quality possible, using the right language. But he was also great speaking in private, using just enough words to make his point, making sure he listens to the other side and confirms through what he says that he has listened. People are going to be more inclined to seeing your side of the argument if you are empathizing with them, if you actually show that you care and you're listening to what they're saying. You also use silence to get information from other people if you want to hear from people. He didn't do all the talking. He used the awkwardness of silence to his advantage. So he would ask questions and just stop talking. And people will want to fill in that silence so they'll start talking and give information. He also understood that talking too much could be disastrous. In fact, he limited his public appearances and his public speeches. When he was running for re election. He understood that he could sway away people and he could tarnish his reputation for the great term he had if he didn't resonate with people properly. So he made sure that he did speeches only when needed. So there is such a thing of talking too much. Think about that in your own business. Are you talking too much? Are you giving speeches too much to your team? There's differences between one on one conversations and, you know, big meetings and big speeches. At some point it could fall on deaf ears. In order to be effective, you got to be selective. This book also shares how Lincoln always was careful when he was considering his options. This enabled him to successfully take intelligent and bold action. When the United States was on the verge of the American Civil War, Lincoln was faced with a dilemma. He felt he needed to resupply crucial military posts like Fort Sumter. But he knew that by doing so it would likely initiate a conflict. So what did Lincoln do? First, he carefully considered his position. Lincoln knew that he couldn't be seen as starting the war as this would weaken his popularity and therefore his political position. So he made sure he had all the information possible. He carefully weighed the pros and cons of each decision and made sure he would be ready for every possible scenario, every contingency. At that point he was confident to resupply the fort because he's able to know how to navigate based on reaction. He already planned out what's going to happen. This strategy turned out to be the best one possible. The Confederate army did indeed react by attacking the fort, just like Lincoln predicted. But because they attacked first and not Lincoln, they were viewed as aggressors. So being strategic in his thinking, really considering as all his options, considering all the scenarios, how they will play out. This is really important. Having a plan for every possible result. This is important in your business. If you are going to decide to raise prices. For example, how are you going to react to current customers, new customers? What if somebody writes an article? What about a review on the video? What is your reaction to these scenarios? As long as you know what it is, you won't get nervous, you won't get stressed because you're expecting it and you have a plan. And you're going to get caught on your heels. And when you make a decision, you do it with confidence. Dear McDonald's, your breakfast menu. Fire tens across the board.

I could be happy with anything even.

Though I ordered the same thing every time. Thanks for not judging me. I'll try something new next time.

Maybe score a two for five dollar deal on a sausage McMuffin with egg and more limited time only price and participation may vary cannot be combined with any other offer single item at regular price. At Capella University, learning the right skills could make a difference. That's why our business programs teach you relevant skills you can take from the courseroom to the workplace. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at capella. Edu.

Guys, there's so much more in this book Lincoln on Leadership that you love. I'm going to let you discover on your own. The book goes into how Lincoln exploited technology breakthroughs and sought out innovations to implement them and encourage new ones. Also, how to have your managers be ready for change and to be flexible because the world is constantly changing. This book is dynamite. This book is gold. It's actually a pretty easy read. Check it out. Lincoln on Leadership by Donald T. Phillips thank you so much for listening to the $100 NBA show. If you love what you hear, hit subscribe right now so you don't miss a beat. By hitting subscribe, you get the next episode automatically downloaded to your device so it's ready for you to listen to when you're ready to listen. We're on every podcast app that you love, whether it's Spotify, Stitcher Radio, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Tunein, Himalaya, or on them all. Before I go, I want to leave you with this. Even though Lincoln was operating in a different century, the principles he used and followed as a leader are still applicable today. Why? Because he was leading other human beings and that's what we're doing now. Until we start leading cyborgs and robots, this will still apply. No, but seriously, I'm not so into politics and I'm not particularly a huge fan of Lincoln before I read this book, but there's always something to learn from someone who's been through a tremendous experience. And there's no doubt Abraham Lincoln went through an incredible experience as a leader of the United States during a trying time. Alright, thank you so much for listening and I'll check you in tomorrow's episode. I'll see you then. Take care.

At Capella University, learning the right skills could make a difference. That's why our business programs teach you relevant skills you can take from the course room to the workplace. A different future is closer than you think with Capella University. Learn more at Capella Eduardo.