Abraham Lincoln is consistently ranked as one of America’s favorite presidents, largely for his leadership skills at a difficult time in the nation’s history. And IT managers at colleges and universities can apply many of his leadership principles to the challenges they face in the workplace today.
Timothy Foley, director of client computing and library services at Lehigh University, cited examples of Lincoln’s leadership strategy and told attendees how they can apply those same principles on their campuses.
Lincoln was a technologist, Foley said, in that he was an early adopter of the telegraph as the IM tool of his time in order to monitor the latest news on the battlefield. He also is the only president to hold a U.S. patent for a device he invented to lift river boats over sandbars. “He was interested in the technology of his time and was very curious about how things worked.”
Foley cited several examples of how Lincoln managed by walking around and also spent 75 percent of his time meeting with people from all stations in life. “The lesson there is to spend talking to the people who work for you, learn about their needs and understand that everyone is different.”
Lincoln refined the art of persuasion and felt that force and coercion were for despots and tyrants. He also was adept at building strong alliances with his rivals and even added many of them to his administrative cabinet.
Other suggested principles Lincoln personified:
• Use force as the last resort
• Have courage to handle unjust criticism
• Delegate and empower people to act on their own
• Avoid orders – make requests and suggestions for actions
• Correct misrepresentation, but let minor ones go
• Understand the paradox of providing security while promoting risk-taking
• Don’t surrender until all the cards are played
• Control your emotions and try to understand your employee’s side
• When having a bad day, be positive and supportive of your staff – keep your darker side to yourself
Foley maintains a blog on Lincoln’s leadership qualities and invites everyone to participate: http://lincoln-leadership-it.blogspot.com/