through with his actions. The truth was not always easy to deal with. Phillips also talked about the importance of dealing with criticism. He would try to defend himself against any negative criticism that he heard, especially if “was particularly damaging tot he public’s view of his principles” (Phillips 69). He cared about how he looked as a leader to the nation. We said in class that a leader is one who is able to be true to yourself and your people, “Honest Abe”, as he was nick named, was defiantly a “true” leader. The third part of the book dealt with many of the qualities that we discussed as being important for a good leader to have. For example, Lincoln was a decisive leader. There was an issue as to what was going to happen at Fort Sumter. Against many other individual opinions, especially the Democratic Party, Lincoln made the decision to keep the troops at Fort Sumter, which is what he originally said he would do, even though it brought much criticism his way. He didn’t change his mind when the pressure was on and that made him a notably decisive leader, one that should be studied more closely by leaders of today. The last part of the book dealt with communication, which would probably be considered a “buzz” word of leadership today. The part that many people forget about when it comes to communication is the listening. Lincoln listened and when he spoke, the people listened. Phillips talks about the use of story telling as an effective way of communication between leaders and their followers. When a leader uses a story or personal anecdote to relate a situation to the employees, it makes many individuals feel more comfortable. It is also a useful technique for making a situation relevant to the majority of a group. Phillips said that Lincoln “could talk to anyone, brilliant scientist, wily politician, visiting head of state, or simple backwoods farmer” ...
