{"id":473,"date":"2009-03-25T16:14:48","date_gmt":"2009-03-26T00:14:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=473"},"modified":"2009-03-29T22:44:01","modified_gmt":"2009-03-30T06:44:01","slug":"lincolns-leadership-among-rivals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/lincolns-leadership-among-rivals\/","title":{"rendered":"Lincoln’s Leadership Among Rivals"},"content":{"rendered":"

The uber-attribute of admissions is leadership. Yes schools want to see intelligence and achievement, but when discussing personal qualities, leadership is at the top of every admissions professional's Most Wanted List.<\/p>\n

You can read volumes about leaders and leadership -- good and bad. I just finished reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln<\/em> by Doris Kearns Goodwin. In it, Lincoln comes alive as a consummate leader.<\/p>\n

According to Goodwin what qualities made Lincoln into one of the most admired if not the most admired president in United States history? Here are a few:<\/p>\n

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  1. Willingness to turn to rivals<\/strong> if he felt they were best qualified for a position. It didn't matter to him whether they had hurt or helped him previously. The man simply refused to bear grudges. \"With malice toward none; with charity for all;\" was not just a nice phrase; it was a way of life. And that bigness of spirit propelled him to heights of leadership.<\/li>\n
  2. Patience with others. <\/strong>While Lincoln could forgive rivals, those around him nurtured their peeves, disagreements, and grudges. Lincoln deftly navigated a hornet's nest of egos and rivals.<\/li>\n
  3. Willingness to share praise <\/strong>when things went well and shoulder responsibility when things went wrong. He garnered trust from subordinates as a result.<\/li>\n
  4. Combination of principles and shrewdness. <\/strong>He didn't seek fights he couldn't win, but he kept his eyes on the values that were truly important to him and pursued them with consistency.<\/li>\n
  5. Gift for using humor<\/strong> and stories to make his point and defuse tension.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    In your essays, when can you show a bigness of character -- a willingness to reach out to competitors or rivals? Can you show a principled approach to leadership? Can you discuss a time when you told a joke to score points and release tension, and then turned the tide toward your point of view?<\/p>\n

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