“Some single mind must be master, else there will be no agreement in anything.”
- Abraham Lincoln quoted in the book Lincoln On Leadership by Donald Phillips
Yet our 16th President was among the most inclusive leaders ever documented. In Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin details Lincoln’s intentionality in selecting a cabinet made up of people who opposed his key positions on many topics of the day.
Team of Rivals is easily one of the five best books I’ve ever read, and Lincoln on Leadership occupies a place in my office library, too.
The single mind, the leader, must set the vision and direction. The team must debate multiple ways to “get there.” It was true in the 1860’s. It’s more true than ever today.
Let’s hope some clarity emerges, and someone comes alongside to get us through these times.
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