Leadership Analysis of Abraham Lincoln

Leadership Analysis of Abraham Lincoln

Introduction

The role of action logics has largely been ignored in the context of leadership and leaders in the past were judged by the presence of generic leadership traits. Individuals rich in specific leadership traits were known to be effective leaders of their times. However, action logics represent a true picture of a leader's efficiency since it takes into account the implications of the environment as well as the leader's reaction in case of his power being challenged. Such types of situations are highly significant in the context of leaders since it brings out the intricate leadership qualities in the context of action logics.

Those leaders that practice the 7 types of action logics have been known to be highly effective. Such types of leaders do not over rely on the generic leadership traits and thus seek to enhance their specific action logic. We would analyze the leadership skills of Abraham Lincoln in the context of 7 transformations of leadership. In the context of our analysis, we would look to ascertain the leadership efficiency of Lincoln on the basis of 7 transformations of leadership. It would not only bring about the strengths exhibited by Lincoln but would also reveal many weaknesses that were inherent in the leadership of Lincoln (Rooke & Torbert, 2005).

Opportunist

The opportunist is not considered a leader since he just uses the world around him for his own vested interests. Such types of leaders are characterized by a high degree of mistrust, excessive manipulation and egoistic approach. Clearly any leader that is ego centred would not be concentrating on the benefits of his followers. Instead, he would use the followers for his own selfish motives. Abraham Lincoln clearly does not fall in this category as he enjoyed a high level of trust form his followers and devoted his energies for the betterment of his followers. Abraham Lincoln was never an opportunist as personal wins were nonexistent for him (Jackson, Meyer, & Wang, 2013).

Diplomat

The diplomat through his efforts seeks to minimize the presence of conflicts. A Diplomat directs all his energies towards gaining control of his own behaviour rather than gaining control of external events. An acute diplomat would gain an enduring acceptance by coordinating with groups on a regular basis as well as performing his own roles in an efficient manner.

Lincoln is considered to be a proficient politician that practiced pertinent skills of getting adversary groups to work together in the attainment of a common goal. In addition, Lincoln had the added quality of balancing competing elements in an appropriate manner. His efforts went a long way in securing victory for Union forces over the Confederacy. His personal direction of war efforts is still etched in minds of his followers and thus went a long way in exhibiting his leadership effectiveness.

His diplomatic dealing of the border slave states are ample proof of his leadership qualities (Roberts, 2013). He was a truly diplomatic leader since he strived to ...