NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The carrier Abraham Lincoln on Thursday honored the 206th birthday of its namesake with a unique seminar that drew leadership lessons from the great emancipator.
The officers and crew were joined by Carla Knorowski, chief executive officer of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, and Don Phillips, author of the book ,20 books toinclude "Lincoln on Leadership." The book was rejected by publishers 17 times in eight years, but like the man he profiled, true to Lincoln's nature, Phillips continued until he persevered. The business world paid it little attention at first, but the book resonated in military circles, and with good reason.
Though it would seem Modern military leaders live and fight in a much different world than Lincoln, who died 150 years ago, but Phillips urged cautioned his audience to look for the many similarities and began by against such assumption. He bypassed Lincoln's great achievements and first presenting the harsh realities faced by the 16th president.
Lincoln only received 39.8 percent of the popular vote. The nation was in a recession when hit with secession, which happened before he even took office. Many people didn't like Lincoln, and the divided nation's division only deepened their disdain. Worse yet, his 16,000-man Union Army lacked quality leadership.
Indeed, the success — or failure — of the American experiment now rested in the hands of a Washington outsider and one-term congressman; a failed businessman who never held an executive position of any kind.
Before Lincoln directed the nation's future, he looked to its past, Phillips said. The president drew strength and strategy from the Founding Fathers. Though renown in history, they were a spontaneous gathering of unlikely and sometimes unremarkable men (John Paul Jones was a wanted criminal in half a dozen countries). But repeated examples showed them to be selfless men, driven by a greater good who were willing to sacrifice personal fortunes and reputations. It was an example to which Lincoln aspired.
Here are Six lessons sailors modern leaders can learn as they from Honest AbeLincoln:
1. Build strong partners. your team with strong partners -- And tTheir unqualified support is not required, at least initially. Not initially, at least. Secretary of State William Seward is the a prime example. He initially worked behind Lincoln's back, but the president invested personal time in the relationship and eventually Seward became one of his staunchest built his strongest supporters. Lincoln surrounded himself with adversaries, many of whom thought themselves better, smarter, and more deserving to be president.
"It was profound that he surrounded himself with a team of rivals," said Cmdr. Maurice Buford, the ship's chaplain. "Who does that these days? You really have to be a secure person to surround yourself with people who will constantly challenge and question you. But as King Solomon said, 'Tthere is wisdom in the multitude of counsel.' "
2. Learn to communicate. Lincoln issued very few direct orders. He instead spoke with and wrote letters to subordinates to inspire and persuade them. The "great communicator" continued to perfect his learned the skill of writing and communicating skills because he had to, Phillips said. In fact, Lincoln didn't have a speech writer. The second inaugural address, the Gettysburg Address and the Emancipation Proclamation were original to him.
Lincoln looked for ways to unite actions and attitudes. One of his first actions was to appeal to the Confederacy in the hope of unity. He would visit sessions of Congress to build relationships, and had a remarkably accessible White House where allowed people in to voice concerns in what he called "public opinion baths."
When he ran for re-election, he chose a democrat from Tennessee to be his vice president. It was a nod to Andrew Johnson, who did not flee in the secession, and a bold effort to reunite the parties and people.
3. Get out of the office. and circulate among the troops. Lincoln is repeatedly pictured with the troops. He was the first sitting president to come under enemy fire.
In 1861, Perhaps it comes as little surprise, then, that after the president fired Gen. John Fremont, who headed the military Department of the West, for insubordination. At a time when Lincoln was still trying to keep border states in the union, Fremont — without informing the president — issued an order to confiscate the property of rebellious Missourians and to emancipate the state's slaves. When Lincoln ordered him to reverse course, he resisted.
But Fremont also failed to develop any sense of camaraderie with the men under his command, surrounded himself with foreign born officers and insulated himself with layers of guards, losing the trust of his troops.
fired for staying in his office and subsequently losing the trust of his troops. Lincoln's orders to Fremont's successor were simple: Avoid the mistake of isolation.
This resonated with the carrier's chiefsgoat locker, in particular, who saw the president as a khaki of sorts. Many discussed the value of maintaining the enlisted deckplate perspective.
Lincoln was known to praise in public and reprimand persecute in private. Even when given, correction was constructive. Such was the case for Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker.
Upon handing Hooker command of the who was fired by Lincoln as commander of the Army of the Potomac, Lincoln offered a startlingly candid assessment of Hookers strengths and weaknesses. Though the general disagreed with some of the negative points, he also came to admire — .Union Army. Hooker came to admire the president and later compared the letter to a missive from a father to a sonsaid the letter with which he was fired was like one written from a father to a son. Though Hooker may have been surprised when Lincoln accepted his letter of resignation, injudiciously sent in protest because of a disagreement with Army headquarters, he The once-fired general later sought and was given permission to escort Lincoln's funeral procession to his Illinois home.
4. Encourage innovation. Lincoln's presidency had many firsts, from income tax and military drafts to a national banking system and Department of Agriculture. But Lincoln also loved technology. He was the first person to receive a transcontinental telegram and the only president to be issued a patent, for a device to lift boats over shoals. He would shoot newly designed rifles in open areas near the White House's back yard to ensure the design worked before being sent to troops. And he urged others to "think anew and act anew."
5. Keep searching until you find your "Grant." Lincoln did not have a military background and needed a true leader for his Union Army. Its commander, Gen. Winfield Scott, was well-regarded but of strong reputation, but weighed in at 300 pounds and was 70 years old. Scott recommended Robert E. Lee, but the noted strategist was not willing to pass military forces through, let alone fight, his beloved Virginia.
Lincoln settled on Gen. George McClellan, who earned often called "the young Napoleon." He had high marks for his skill in training troops and won some battles, but wouldn't take the chances necessary to ensure victory. Lincoln felt the army of the Potomac had become little more than McClellan's bodyguard, and fired the general. And so began a pattern for Lincoln: He would talk to his generals, set expectations in writing, then re-engage after a few months. If there was still no progress, they were fired. It was not impatience, but rather an approach necessary to identify the fighting generals, Phillips said.
6. Be decisive. When a decision is made, be decisive in subsequent action. Lincoln's search for the right leader lasted three long years. But he found his man Lincoln found his leader in Gen. Ulysses S. Grant, and the war ended one year later. Many in Washington circles didn't like Grant, and it didn't help that he Grant voiced a disdain for any position that would seat him in the capital, and away from his troops. But that was music to Lincoln's ears. Grant followed the presidents's example of empowerment and delegation, which enabled Maj. Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman's famed March to the Sea, as well as the successful Shenandoah Valley and Wilderness campaigns.
Such an examples provides the a model for success in many situations just about anything military members we face today, Phillips said. The author closed by challenging the OldAbe's carrier'sofficers and crew to live up to the legacy of its namesake.
"With that tradition and legacy comes responsibility," he said. "No matter how good it was in the past, it can be better. The question is, what kind of Navy will you hand to those who come after you?"
