Learning from Lincon: Leadership Practices for School Success

Summary (from the publisher): What can 21st century educators learn from the example of a 19th century president? In this intriguing and insightful book, authors Harvey Alvy and Pam Robbins show how the legacy of Abraham Lincoln can guide today's education leaders - principals, teachers, superintendents, and others - as they tackle large-scale challenges, such as closing the achievement gap, and everyday issues, such as communicating with constituents. The authors identify 10 qualities, attributes, and skills that help to explain Lincoln's effectiveness, despite seemingly insurmountable odds:

1. Implementing and sustaining a mission and vision with focused and profound clarity.
2. Communicating ideas effectively with precise and straightforward language.
3. Building a diverse and competent team to successfully address the mission.
4. Engendering trust, loyalty, and respect through humility, humor, and personal example.
5. Leading and serving with emotional intelligence and empathy.
6. Exercising situational competence and responding appropriately. 
7. Rising beyond personal and professional trials through tenacity, persistence, resilience, and courage.
8. Exercising purposeful visibility.
9. Demonstrating personal growth and enhanced competence as a lifetime learner, willing to reflect on and expand ideas.
10. Believing that hope can become a reality.

Chapters devoted to each element explore the historical record of Lincoln's life and actions, then discuss the implications for modern educators. End-of-chapter exercises provide a structure for reflection, analysis of current behaviors, and guidance for future work, so that readers can create their own path to success - inspired by the example of one of the greatest leaders of all time.

Review: This book is designed to be a reflective tool for educators to use in building their leadership skills, based upon the example set by Abraham Lincoln. The authors divide the book into ten chapters, each one of which addresses a skill or quality that Lincoln possessed that educators could use in their own leadership roles. Lincoln was remarkable humble, open to criticism and advice, was able to overcome personal troubles, was a lifelong learner, and a great communicator who stayed true to his vision throughout his presidency.

For me, the greatest takeaway from this book were the numerous personal examples given about Lincoln's wise actions. I was particularly impressed by his refusal to allow personal slights against him affect his decisions regarding who was the best person for a particular job. Lincoln "did not let petty differences serve as obstacles to the greater good" (p.41). The example of William Seward, who Lincoln appointed Secretary of War was particularly remarkable, as Seward had referred to Lincoln before this as "that giraffe" and "that creature from Illinois," yet Lincoln "never carried a grudge, he said later, because it didn't pay" (p.41).  

Additionally, I found the book's point regarding speed of learning in today's world very relevant. The authors argue that "in our contemporary world, intelligence is often equated with speed of thought," yet Lincoln once wrote, "I am slow to learn, and slow to forget that which I have learned. My mind is like a piece of steel - very hard to scratch anything on it, and almost impossible thereafter to rub it out" (p.139-140) I found this particularly relevant in relation to today's world, where technology and the Internet had allowed instant gratification to become the world and speed to be rewarded or favored. Yet not every one learns in this manner, and slowness is not an indication of lack of intelligence. 

Although it is without question that Lincoln was a remarkable leader who others would be wise to emulate, I did not like his this book offered him up as a paragon that should be followed exactly. Only a cursory sentence is given that suggests that Lincoln was not perfect in every way. Additionally, as I am not a teacher or a principal, the concluding pages of each chapter, which relates the chapter's discussion to school practices, weren't entirely relevant to me in an administrative role at a community college. Additionally, each chapter concluded with reflective questions and a place for the reader to jot notes or ideas. I did like that these provoked thought and discussion, but the questions seemed repetitive to me.

There is much to learn from Lincoln. If only more individuals could be as humble, as open to criticism, as willing to admit when they were wrong, as deliberate in their words and actions as Lincoln was. While clearly Lincoln lived in a different time and place, many of his values and leadership skills can be adapted to today's world, as this book so clearly illustrates.

Stars: 3