When people think of a great leader, many think of Abraham Lincoln, fourth President of the United States. Lincoln was born in 1809 in Kentucky, but moved to Illinois when he was a young boy. Lincoln spent a lot of time working on the family farm and splitting rails to build fences. From a very young age, he learned the value of hard work. This helped him in his later careers. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War, an Illinois legislator for eight years, and participated in the circuit of courts for many years. According to his law partner, "his ambition was a little engine that knew no rest", proving that Lincoln portrayed leadership to everyone who knew him (Freidel and Sidey, 2006). Lincoln’s vast array of leadership qualities are demonstrated in the book “Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times” by Donald T. Phillips. The purpose of this book is not only to teach leadership, but to demonstrate it. According to Phillips, “the life of Abraham Lincoln, especially his presidency, demonstrated that he possessed all of the great leadership qualities […] such as honesty and integrity, empathy for the common man, and devotion to the rights of individuals” (Phillips, 1992). Phillips lists the different principles that Lincoln lived by, and then gives examples from Lincoln’s life that exhibit them in action. The fifteen principles that Lincoln lived by included ‘get out of the office and circulate among the troops’, ‘build strong alliances’, ‘honesty and integrity are the best policies’, ‘never act out of vengeance or spite’, ‘lead by being led, ‘set goals and be results-oriented’, and ‘influence people through conversation and storytelling’. In the first chapter, which expanded on the principle of ‘get out of the office and circulate among the troops’, Phillips tells the reader about Lincoln’s time as President. Since the Civil War was occurring at this same time, Lincoln felt it was his duty to be out among the troops and interact with them. He spent a lot of time at the War Department, speaking with Generals, and touring the Navy yard so that he could have the most recent information, which “gave him the firsthand knowledge he needed to make informed, accurate decisions” (Phillips, 1992). When Lincoln wasn’t able to leave the White House, he encouraged people to come to him by making himself as accessible as his job allowed him to be. Phillips states that “if subordinates, or people in general, know what they genuinely have access to their leader, they’ll tend to view the leader in a more positive, trustworthy light” (Phillips, 1992). Phillips follows this format throughout the entire book. He first states the principle and then shows how Lincoln exemplified it in action. He then shows how this principle is still relevant in today’s society. I personally feel that I learned a lot from reading this book. I liked the author gave examples from Lincoln’s life because it showed how these principles can be used in practice. A lot of times teachers tell their students what to do in order to be a great leader, but they do not really tell them how. This book does well at giving a combination of both. One concept that really stuck out to me was ‘persuade rather than coerce’. I feel that in my observations at my past jobs, most managers tend to use coercion to get their employees to do what they want. While threats and force do work, it makes the employees feel inferior and unappreciated. This book taught that persuasion can work just as well, and it does not lower employee morale. Another concept I felt that I got a better understand of was ‘lead by being led’. Lincoln would “listen to his subordinates suggestions and recommendations [and] if they made sense […] and matched his own ideas, he would let them proceed with the knowledge and belief that it was their idea” (Phillips, 1992). I thought that this was a really good strategy on how to lead your followers. A leader can still accomplish their goals, but they allow their followers to be a part of it; and if an employee feels like they are a part of a team, they are more likely to want to and strive to achieve the group’s goal. Anyone who reads this book can learn something from it, which is why I would recommend it. I feel that is a good resource, especially for people who want to go into leadership and management. It demonstrates what qualities one must possess and how to use them in order to lead people and achieve the most success. Lincoln is a great role model as both a persona and a leader, and this book shows that his principles led to his success. Therefore, readers of this book can get a good understanding of these principles and learn how to apply them in their own businesses. I feel like this book would also be useful for people who are not going into management. These principles and examples also show the steps a person must take to succeed at anything in life. For example, the principle of ‘never act out of vengeance or spite’ is useful to anyone. In any job that one may have, it is never a good idea to act that way, because it can lead to tension and less motivation in any workplace, which ultimately can hinder their success. This book can also show readers how to be more rounded as an individual and how to develop themselves professionally. Another reason I would recommend this book is because of Phillip’s writing style. Everything is very easy to understand and he gets his point across. In conclusion, Abraham Lincoln was a man that fully represented the ideal leader and had all the necessary leadership qualities. He lived by his principles and acted upon them in every aspect of his life. His leadership principles are still very relevant today, and Phillips does an excellent job of identifying them and giving examples of how Lincoln demonstrated them in his career. This book is an excellent learning tool for anyone that wants to develop themselves more as a leader, whether they are looking to go into management or not. Overall, any person can learn a lot about being a leader by studying Abraham Lincoln, and this book is a great starting point.

References
Freidel, F and Sidey, H. (2006). The presidents of the United States of America. White House Historical Association.
Phillips, Donald. (1992). Lincoln on leadership: executive strategies for tough times. New York, New York: Hachette Book Group.