The Role Of Abraham Lincoln As A Charismatic Leader

When asked to choose a historic leader our group without question immediately thought of Abraham Lincoln. Being the 16th President of the United States Lincoln had to deal with one the bloodiest war in American history, the Civil War. What better way to display leadership then to figure out how to unite an entire country again from being torn apart. The country was torn on the issue of slavery. The South believed that blacks should be held as slaves, while the North believed slavery as a whole should be abolished. With seven states seceding from the Union, it should’ve been impossible to unite the country together again. As for Abraham Lincoln, this task was not too far from reach. Abraham Lincoln being the charismatic leader he was “...motivated
“Followers accept the legitimate rights of formal leaders to set goals, make decisions, and direct activities” (BOOK 373) this essentially means that the army must follow his command since he is their commander and chief. Lincoln is not using hard power as a way to punish those who disobey, or reward those doing right. Lincoln is essentially giving orders in which those underneath him will follow either with commitment or compliance. By believing in his vision which the Union did they were able to achieve an army that was committed to fighting for liberty and justice for those enslaved in the
In order to be successful it is said that leaders must possess the ability to lead with both the head and the heart. “Leaders have to use their heads to tend to organizational issues such as goals and strategies, production schedules, structure, finances, operational issues and so forth” (BOOK). Being the President of the United States, Lincoln had to set goals and strategize throughout his tenure in the office. For example, when he decided to abolish slavery he knew he would have to have a well thought out strategy to have everyone on board. Also, he needed incentives for each sides in order to attempt to make it go smoothly. After being President for two and a half years Lincoln was not on the right track for success. Strategy was something he needed desperately, Lincoln changed his ethical tone and became more assertive. “After many frustrating exchanges with a string of ineffective generals, Lincoln gave up his submissive style in favor of a more assertive tone” (SOURCE). Becoming more assertive with the generals made them realize that Lincoln was no longer messing around. He then gave direct instructions and was firm with his actions creating better generals and in turn a better military. In addition, Lincoln used his head in the office by being able to learn while on the job. “Lincoln was able to acknowledge errors, learn from them, and then move. In this way, he