The Leadership Qualities of Abraham Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln did more than abolish slavery, end the Civil War, and serve as the United State’s 16th President. He also was the perfect model of leadership who demonstrated emotional intelligence, communicational skills, and displayed himself as an outstanding listener. It is because of these traits that he was known as one of the best leaders in the world. The first leadership quality that President Lincoln possessed was emotional intelligence. Although Lincoln did not have as much education and experience that previous presidents had, no one questioned his leadership. That was because of his high degree of emotional intelligence. Lincoln has since been known as a president who was able to control his emotions and handle stress and criticism well. This characteristic of leadership inspires me because one can’t be a leader if they can’t control their emotions and handle it in a mature way. Besides emotional intelligence, Lincoln also had the ability to communicate and connect with others which lead to much of his success. The President was aware of the importance of establishing bonds with everyone he knew and always strived to gain the respect of those who knew him. Lincoln has since been known has a renowned storyteller who could involve his audience in his visions and stories. An example of this was Lincoln's speech in 1863. After Edward Everett gave a two hour long speech that has been forgotten, Lincoln gave a ten sentence speech that has become one of the most famous in the world. Much of Lincoln's success was due to the fact that he established himself as a good communicator and knew how to convey messages clearly. In my opinion, communicational skills are one of the most important characteristics of being a leader. To be able to convey thoughts and visions to millions of people is not easy and Lincoln, although having no previous experience doing so, was still able to earn the title as being one of the best leaders in the world. Like every president, Lincoln too had to deal with many conflicting viewpoints. Throughout the many conflicts, however, Lincoln was a man who listened to the different perspectives. Lincoln understood that listening wasn’t always an indication of agreement but that by doing so it showed respect. He was a president who listened to different views, and justly and respectfully deciphered his decisions based off of what he had heard. This trait inspires me to be a better leader because instead of thinking that only my opinion is right, I should listen to others and then decide what is just.

Cite this page