Lincoln's Leadership Principles

Lincoln On Leadership by Donald T. Phillips is a terrific book. One of the most useful features to the book is the section called "Lincoln Principles" found at the end of every chapter. This short summary of what was just taught is great for note taking, skim reading and re-reads. Here is one those sections:

LINCOLN PRINCIPLES

• Unite followers with a "corporate mission."

• Set specific short-term goals that can be focused on with intent and immediacy by subordinates.

• Those leaders who achieve something at the head of one group will eclipse those who do nothing at the head of a hundred.
  

• Sometimes it is better to plough around obstacles rather than to waste time going through them.

• Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today.

• Your war will not be won by strategy alone, but more by hard, desperate fighting.

• Your task will neither be done nor attempted unless you watch it every day and hour, and force it.

• Remember that half-finished work generally proves to be labor lost.