Personal Management, photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

Change is a constant. It’s always been with us, it always will be, and it’s never easy. That’s something that doesn’t change.

But the challenge of dealing with it is greater today because the pace of that change is accelerating. Only fifty years ago, we had decades to adjust to significant changes. Today we often have only a year or two. Science, technology, transportation, and communications are advancing so rapidly that all of life seems to be in constant transition.

That means that at times you may have to be ready and willing to make major changes to your business and your life. You must be willing to abandon everything you’ve built, if necessary, in order to survive and prosper.

Most people can’t do that. People naturally don’t like change because it creates uncertainty. They instinctively resist it because they fear the unknown.

Effective change management is learning to anticipate the need and deal with it on our own terms. We must anticipate change so we’re not surprised by it. And we must anticipate where their market or industry is headed so we can get out in front of it.

Wayne Gretzky, one of the greatest hockey players of all time, captured the essence of this principle when he said, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

Prospects frequently ask me “What if we try something different and it doesn’t work I respond the same way each time, “Do you think sticking with the status quo is a viable option? How’s that working for you?”

Obviously it isn’t or I wouldn’t be there.

We change only when the pain to change is less than the pain to remain as we are.

Nothing wrong with that. But too often we don’t recognize how much pain we’re in until it’s too late.

Many of today’s business owners and managers are in denial. They are refusing to face the seriousness of the changes that are occurring in the workplace from such things as -

• Global competition.
• Advances in technology.
• Automation.
• Increased governmental intervention.
• Immigration.
• Changing values and motivations of workers (Gen X, Gen Y).

What are you doing as a leader to anticipate change?
What are you doing to stay current with new market and employment trends?
What are you doing to encourage and help your employees upgrade their skills and knowledge?

If you’re like most business executives, I’m afraid your honest answer would have to be, “Not nearly enough.”

You are your company’s change agent.

That means that you must intentionally develop your company’s workforce and processes to stay in front of change. Personally dealing with change is one thing. Helping others deal with it is another.

You can help people more effectively manage change by -

• Helping them understand the reasons for it by taking time to communicate clearly about the issues and the options. Make sure everyone involved understands the rewards of change and the consequences of not changing.
• Considering the impact of changes on the people involved and taking steps to minimize adverse effects.
• Giving people opportunities to share in the positive benefits of change. People want to know WIIFM? (What’s in it for me?)
• Implementing new policies, procedures, and approaches as organized components to well-conceived plans rather than as knee-jerk reactions to circumstances.
Get in front of it or you and make it easier to manage.

Strock examines Roosevelt’s unique approach to leadership throughout his life and especially as President. He identifies a dozen primary areas where Roosevelt demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills.

T.R., as he was affectionately known, seized the role of leadership where ever he went. He knew no fear and confronted every challenge with vigor and courage. Roosevelt was a lifelong student, reading all the time. In fact Roosevelt read on average a book or two every day! He maintained that pace while President. He was as a consequence able to converse on any subject with people of all nature of expertise.

He was a team builder. He knew how to build loyalty and maintain it. He always got the very best on his team. He also knew how to challenge and motivate men and would get the best out of them. In part he did this through his own incredible stamina and accomplishments. He set the standard and example for all who worked for or with him.

He was a great public speaker and writer. Long before President Reagan was elected T.R. was a great communicator.

He was a firm believer in personal responsibility and integrity and never wavered from his loyalty to country and family.

In this book Strock does a good job of studying the man and demonstrating through example how he mastered and used all these powerful leadership traits to accomplish more than most Presidents before or since.

At the end of each chapter Strock summarizes the chief leadership principles that he has discussed. His summaries are often direct quotes from TR or are paraphrased. As an example, after the first chapter he lists seven important traits of a leader including focus of energy; seek leadership on one’s own terms and avoid indebtedness to others; love their people; be committed to service; build a life based on service; do one’s duty and seek to deserve success rather than seeking success.

This book is a little goldmine of Roosevelt’s best leadership traits and philosophy. At 238 pages it is a good read.

Theodore Roosevelt on Leadership
James Strock © 2001 by JamesStrock.com, Inc.
Published by Prima Publishing, Roseville, California, div. of Random House.

You may purchase this book Here or from the Books page

Moral Leadership, photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

These days change is a constant, there is always something changing somewhere for some reason. It is almost impossible to work anywhere without going through some type of change. Change isn’t a bad thing and in today’s business world change is necessary to survive. However, if not executed properly change can be damaging to a company, it can negatively impact employee morale as well as disrupting productivity. No matter how big or small the change is, employees will have some type of reaction to it and often it is the smaller changes that cause the biggest grief. One reason for this is simple; management often underestimates how people will react to small changes. Although we don’t always listen, human nature tells us that people react differently to things; one person may perceive a change as a major event and another person perceives it as insignificant. It is this difference that can lead to trouble.

For management it is a mistake to assume that a change is “no big deal”. For example in an ill fated change at one company, people’s chairs were changed to a more ergonomic type. Or at another company management decided that rearranging the workspaces would be more efficient, so they changed where people sat. In both cases these seemingly small changes caused major issues. Now the unfortunate thing in both cases is that management simply made the changes and the next day when the employees came in their stuff had been moved or their chair was gone. A simple beneficial change to management was very upsetting to the employees because their personal space and stuff had been violated. Granted one could argue that it is really the company’s stuff, but let’s face it; people take temporary ownership of their space at work so they take it personally when someone messes with it.

Another example involved changing a time clock. Seems like a fairly innocuous change doesn’t it? Guess again. The regular time clock was changed to a hand recognition clock. For those of you who have never seen one, you put your hand down on the reader and the clock recognizes it as you and records your time. It eliminates the need to remember to bring a security card with you and was thought to be something that would help employees, especially those who regularly lost their cards. The backlash was extreme. Part of the problem was that employees weren’t told prior to purchasing the clock, they were told once it was installed and ready for use. The other problem was human nature, everyone reacts differently to things as mentioned earlier and some people felt that their right to privacy had been violated. No one in management saw that coming. Not only did this cause some bad feelings, it also took a lot more of management’s time in damage control than anticipated. Time is one thing no one has in excess these days so avoiding problems like this should be a priority.

So how can situations like this be avoided? Part of the answer is easy, treat all changes the same no matter how big or small they are. Larger changes always have impact, so management often anticipates that there will be reaction to the change and therefore they spend a lot more time planning and communicating. However, even small changes should be planned and communicated effectively. Let’s look at some ways to make sure the changes, whether big or small can be implemented smoothly.

Whenever possible involve employees upfront and get their feedback and buy-in. It may not be practical to get all employees together unless you have a small company so it makes sense to use a small group (focus group) to be a representative sample of the workforce. If you are unionized, use the union representatives and a group of employees. You may also want to involve the Union Stewards, which will give you a chance to explain it to them first hand as opposed to them hearing from an employee that may not have gotten the message straight or maybe they just don’t like whatever the change is. Being up front about the change is going to be a lot better for everyone than perhaps trying to get the change through and making apologies later.

As strange as it might sound, when you pick the employees for this focus group, pick the ones that are known for finding loop holes or the ones that always seem to find the negative in everything. If you manage to get their buy-in the whole change will run a lot smoother. Use the information gathered from the employees to formulate your communication plan and the content of the communication. Now that you know some of the concerns that employees have, you can address them up front.

If you can’t ask for input up front (and sometimes you can’t) make sure that during the communication you let people ask questions and address concerns. As you communicate keep one very important point in mind, people will always want to know first and foremost, “what is in it for me” (WIIFM). It is very important to tell people why the change is happening, but it isn’t enough to just tell them the benefits to the company, what is the benefit to them? If the only benefit is tied to the overall good of the company than you need to tie that back to job security of a stronger company or the ability to be more efficient which will lead to being able to service customers better, whatever the case might be.

The best way to communicate most changes is in person, so that people can ask questions and you can address concerns. However, following up in written format is also beneficial, it not only is good for getting to those people who missed the meeting, but some people absorb things better in written form. Just as human nature makes people react differently to changes, it also makes how they process information different. Some like to hear things verbally, others like to read it and some need repetition. The bigger the change the more communication you will need. Closing a plant for example needs continuous communication in various forms to be effective. Changing a time clock might need a focus group meeting, a full employee meeting and posted memos or emails.

Whatever the change, remember not to underestimate the impact on employees, you and your management team might not be able to come up with why people wouldn’t like something but your employees who are looking at it from a different perspective certainly might. Preventive communication is your first defense against having to run damage control after a failed change. The more you can communicate and address how employees will be impacted are the keys to successful change management.

1. Find The Obvious -

2. Help Employees Grow - Show the employees of your small business how to learn. In the knowledge economy we have today, Drucker believed continuous learning is the key for growth.

3. Teach - To become a better learner…teach. Drucker taught American history, Japanese art, religion and statistics during his career, because teaching requires learning new concepts, not just facts.

4. Measure Yourself - Whenever you make a key decision, write down your expectations of the outcome, then go back nine months later and see how things turned out. Drucker did this regularly in order to identify his strengths and weaknesses as a decision-maker.

5. Be Curious - “My greatest strength as a consultant is to be ignorant and ask a few questions,” said Drucker. Be sure to ask your employees lots of questions to keep them focused on your goals.

6. Seek Consistency - Look for inconsistencies between what is and what ought to be in your small business. Then, set out to align things in the way you know they should be.

7. Know How Customers Think - Seek innovation, not novelty. Innovation creates value, while novelty creates amusement. To determine the difference, ask yourself not “Do we like it?”…but “Will customers pay for it?”

8. Make Things Better - “The test of a leader is not what happens during his lifetime, but what happens when he leaves.” The only thing that matters is how leaders touch the lives of those around them.

9. Create Systems - “Efficiency is doing better what is already being done.” Look at all of the moving parts in your small business, then systematically determine how to do each of them better.

10. Manage Yourself - “Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.” Focus on “Genius Time” – those things that have the biggest impact on your small business.

11. Go All In - “Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes… but no plans.” Make sure your team commits to achieving each of your goals…and theirs.

Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved.

Team Leadership, photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

With the rapid changes in technology and globalization the past decade has seen organizations of all types undergo change more than ever before. The experiences of other organizations that have undergone change initiatives large and small serve to teach us about what works and what doesn’t work when trying to introduce and implement change. Though varying sources stress competing factors as critical to the success or failure of these initiatives, certain underlying themes are common among theories. In this case, we examine the “don’ts” of implementing change in an organization. Outlined below are the five most common mistakes made by organizations when introducing a change implementation program and tips for how to avoid these pitfalls.

1. Not Building a Task Force

One of the biggest mistakes senior management makes when introducing change is to assume that key management will back the proposed effort. Not developing a team dedicated to the introduction and implementation of change puts more pressure on the key drivers. Moving too fast without winning over adequate support from the organization’s leadership may cause conflict and confusion down the road. Top leaders must recruit and work with a team strategically formed to introduce and implement change. This team must be made up of influential leaders. The members should be individuals who are known for exhibiting strong relationship management skills as well as task management skills. The chosen task force will be crucial in encouraging adoption of change by staff members at all levels. Even after forming a designated task force and ensuring lower level management is on board, change leaders must remain personally involved and committed to the effort. It is important to remain enthusiastic and positive about the organization’s goals and aligning one’s thoughts and actions to support the transformation process to the end.

2. Assuming Responses to Change Will be Unanimous

If you have been reading about change management, you have undoubtedly come across the notion that staff members are likely to approach change with fear and resistance. These are common themes in a litany of challenges organizations facing change must strive to overcome. Even so, you mustn’t make the mistake of thinking that everyone feels the exact same way. It is a common mistake to assume that everyone within an organization will be on the same page (on one end of the spectrum or the other) when it comes to change. Even fear and resistance, which are common in transformation scenarios, exhibit themselves to varying degrees in individuals.

Since individuals adopt change at different rates, evaluate who your early adopters (those likely to accept and embrace new concepts, technologies, etc.) are and leverage them in your strategy to execute change, while patiently nurturing those who are slower to accept change. Consider inducting some early adopters into your change coalition and enlist their help in influencing others and encouraging them to open up to new ideas and ways of doing things.

3. Not Providing Enough Face Time

This mistake relates to changing employees behaviors versus shifting their attitude or improving their knowledge. The ultimate goal is to change the actions of employees. Improving knowledge or attitudes is chiefly a means to that end. As the cliché says, “actions speak louder than words.” Behaviour is impacted by one-on-one communication and counseling. Group training sessions, mass communications and computer-based information transmissions are excellent ways of improving knowledge, but not such excellent ways of changing actions and behaviours.

One of the key mistakes made by organizations when implementing change is assuming that disseminating knowledge alone is adequate in executing change. By focusing solely on communicating new ideas within the organization en masse, leaders are neglecting the type of communication that effectively shifts behaviour patterns. Honest, open, interpersonal dialogues are more effective in changing behaviour. This is where your organization’s change task force can make a big impact. Though these types of communication require greater effort, they are more effective in affecting change.

4. Not Sticking to the Vision

Once the decision to change has been made, the change coalition recruited, and the need for change communicated, you may feel that you’re on your way to a successful transformation. A common mistake made by organizations when implementing change is not defining, communicating, and sticking to a clear vision for what direction the necessary change must take. Even when a clear vision is defined and communicated in the early stages of change, often times leaders get sidetracked and fail to integrate and align all initiatives to be consistent with said vision. Management and staff at all levels must continuously analyze whether projects and activities are consistent with the overarching goals of the organization.

5. Failing to Plan Small Successive Successes

An important part of sticking to the vision is to create opportunities to achieve smaller goals along the way. These small successes will not only work directly toward achieving the desired change, but will create positive feelings of accomplishment and the drive to pursue the next goal. Overlooking the value of setting small, attainable stepping-stone goals makes organizations miss opportunities to motivate staff and make change enjoyable and rewarding. Not defining clear milestones toward the desired change can make the end result seem far off and unattainable.

If you’re in the beginning stages of the change process, you’ll be well prepared to avoid the mistakes that others have made. If your organization has already been on the road to transformation for a while, you may or may not have experienced these issues firsthand. No matter which stage of the change process your organization is in, it is never too late to consider the dangerous pitfalls that may sabotage your efforts.

Personal Management, photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

Introducing change can be a pretty messy affair, and may well open a Pandora’s Box of never ending problems. The main resistance to change is people, for people are creatures of habit, and tend to prefer staying within their comfort zone, the status quo. As such, it is pertinent that as leaders and managers, we carefully manage the introduction of change in a way that can produce maximum effects for our team.

In this leadership lesson, we shall look at five principles that we can follow as we set out to introduce change that is effective and lasting.

1. Be Accountable

Often, simple changes that are introduced, that are otherwise acceptable, are complicated by the lack of accountability. What does this mean? It simply means that people reject change as it was not properly explained to them. All too often, we as leaders and managers implement grand and elaborate changes that seem to be foolproof, but fail to take the simple step of adequately explaining it to our team. To us, the plan is easy enough, and it would appear to us that it doesn’t take a whiz to be able to execute the plan. However, this egocentric way of thinking fails to realise the fact that while the plan for change is so clear to us, it is probably covered by a veil of mystery before our team members, unless we take the time to explain exactly what we intend to achieve and how we hope to have it done. Giving a clear account of out plans would make them so much more accountable, and definitely more acceptable.

2. Gain consensus

While formulating the plan, we often get overly excited with our plan for change, and belief that it would be the most effective plan, and would most certainly bring about results. However, again this egocentric view fails to take into account the thoughts of the team members. In this case, such a plan amounts to a one-sided plan as it comprises only the ideas of the leader or manager, and not from the team as a whole. Gaining general consensus or seeking multiple opinions from the team members would most certainly generate a better rounded plan which has little flaws, and more importantly give the team members a sense of belonging to the plan, as if their opinions and views counted in the formulation of the plan. As such, they would be more likely to accept and support the plan for change, rather than accepting a plan they believe lacking their point of view and are do not identify with.

3. Allow for time to adjust

As mentioned, a team consists of people, who are by nature resistant to change, rather than mindless robots. As such, it is critical to allow a period of time for the team members to accustom to the new procedures or environment or culture. This time is needed for the team members to get a hang of the new way of things and learn through experience. It would be unwise to be too harsh or critical during this period of time as it should be set aside as the time for learning and acclimatizing.

4. Clarify your expectations

Not only should you clarify your plan for change, it is also crucial to clarify what is expected of the members. Specificity is needed here. The outcome of this clarification is that each member should be aware of what constitutes a successful change, or what is considered to be the new norms for the new style of work. Useful statements would be, “I know I have achieved success in change when…”

5. Reward

It helps to reward successful change. When your team eventually reached the desired outcome, it would help to reward them. It could come in the simple form of a verbal affirmation, physical rewards, or rewards in terms of concessions. While this may seem like a carrot given by a transactional leader, it is more important as a signal to the team that they have arrived at the intended outcome, and that you as the leader or manager have recognized this fact. This adds on to the accountability of a leader and manager as discusses in the first point.

Depending on your style of leadership, some of the principles listed above would matter more than others. However, the concept behind these should always be kept in mind in introducing change that is effective and lasting.

Moral Leadership, photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

When moving on to head new teams, it is often tempting to dive in to find similarities between the new team and the previous team. Indeed, for some of us our previous team may be our only reference point for us to base any decisions or comparisons on. While it is certainly effective to find similarities between teams to guide our actions and decisions, more importantly it is crucial to note the differences between the teams that may potentially make the difference.

We have previously discussed the fatal mistake a leader or manager can make, of treating his new team as if it were his previous team. Building up on this, it is essential to note the differences between the teams in order to decide on what actions are appropriate, necessary, optional or irrelevant.

The differences may be categorized in the few categories:

Culture

The culture of the team refers to the setting of team, the background relationships and unspoken assumptions. It is crucial to note the variance in cultures in order to interact with a team appropriately. For instance, a consult-and-decide method of decision making would be effective for a culture that embraces the voicing of opinion, but would not fit a culture where everyone rather keeps to themselves. Employing the consult-and-decide method would not yield much results in the latter, and would do much better with the former. However, it is worthy to note that should you as a leader believe firmly in the consult-and-decide method, it may still be implemented, but this may only be done after the culture has been shaped.

People

Needless to say, different teams consist of different people. They not just possess different abilities and skills, but also often radically different personalities. An authoritarian style may work on one, but it would back fire horribly on others. Transactional leadership styles may work on some, but others may require a more transformational approach. The level of experience may also differ, some being much more experienced in what they do than others. The degree in which we rely on their inputs would depend very much on this.

Process and Systems

Unless it is a lateral transfer to a team with a similar job scope, the processes and systems different teams deal with are often very different too. The work of a sales team varies from an administrative team. The work of a customer service team varies from a managerial team. It is critical to realise this as we transit to lead teams working on different processes and systems. Some may require more rigidity, for instance, a customer service team, which must always be present to entertain customers, versus a sales team which may place a higher value on flexibility.

Too often, it is the failure to be sensitive to the differences that make the difference that cause a leader to fumble and fall back.

See also:

• What got you here may not get you there
• There’s No Holy Grail to Leadership
• Improve Your Leadership by Being Flexible
• The Higher Intent 1- Flexibility

It’s a short book and very easy to read. And while it does not go into depth regarding conflict resolution theories like some texts, it does provide simple, practical advice that you can implement right now without knowing a lot of the modern theories out there. Much of the information in this book is presented in lists, bullet points, and a very simple to read format.

The book is organized into ten short chapters. At the end of each chapter, there is a section titled “Reflections.” These reflections are more than a review or summary of the chapters. In fact, some of the chapters are basically a review or summary of a concept. The reflections are there to make the reader think, and I liked that. There are questions for you to think about and answer to better understand yourself, and to better implement the concepts and strategies into your own situations.

The ten chapters cover these topics: Fundamentals of Conflict, Types of Conflict, Identifying Conflict Stages, Conflict Management Styles, Constructive Management Styles, Communication’s Contribution to Conflict, Emotional Aspects of Conflict, The Intervention Team, Dealing with Angry Customers, and A Parting Philosophy. There is also a short suggested reading list.

Again, the entire book is just over 100 pages long, and there is a lot of white space, so none of the topics is covered with any depth. However, for a down and dirty outline on conflict, it has some very good points. Because I work in the conflict field, I’m used to much longer texts on the topic, but I found this a refreshing little guide and primer. For many people, it will be just what they need to deal with certain situations they face.

I especially like the “Reflections” sections because it in not enough to just read about conflict. You must “Think” about it. These sections, if people will honestly do them, will assist people in understanding themselves and others in conflict situations. That’s the first step, then a person must practice conflict resolution skills and continue to use them as they grow as peacemakers.

As someone who has shelves of books dealing with all aspects of conflict, this is a nice little book to have there, and the quick read was a good review of certain concepts. For the manager or business person who only has a short amount of time to learn some basics on dealing with conflict to better perform leadership duties, this book should be very helpful.

To get this book, click on the following link now!

How to Manage Conflict: Turn All Conflicts into Win-Win Outcomes (Handbook)

Team Leadership, photo from www.freedigitalphotos.net

It is often tempting to seek a ‘perfect’ leadership model, and use stick to it religiously. Such a model certainly has its appeal, as it would mean a strategy that would work 100 percent of the time, and this would certainly prevent much unnecessary failure and setbacks.

However, we must realise that such a ‘perfect’ model simply does not exist, for leadership is certainly not a straightforward process that may be carried out by robots. Leadership is a delicate process involving the leader, his team, the work the team does and the environment the team works in. In turn, each of these factors has multitudes of factors that may affect it. It is simply too complex for a template to be applied across.

Applying a template fails to take into account variability in people, environment, and nature of job. Just as a mould cannot fit two different polygons, a template also does not allow for teams of people radically different in nature, such as a conforming team versus a rebellious team. Neither does it allow for a ground environment versus an executive level. Neither would it fit different contexts, such a military and school contexts.

Applying a template prevents flexibility in work. By forcing teams into our ‘ideal’ model, we would be massively reducing the potential of our team. Rather, we would be constricting the team, preventing it from working flexibly to achieve better results in a much more efficient way.

Applying a template would set a team out to fail. By using a pan rather than a pot to boil an egg, we are essentially setting ourselves out to fail as a pan would not be able to fully immerse the egg in water. Similarly, should we strive to use a template to work with different things, we would be using a pan to fry an egg, and we would not produce ideal results.

By realizing that different leadership or management positions has different requirements, involves different culture and different people, we would realise the crucial leadership lesson of being flexible and modifying our approach depending on the working conditions, rather than forcing a model upon our team. This would ensure that we take the first step right as we carry out a transition in leadership or managerial positions.

See also:

• What got you here may not get you there
• Difference that Makes the Difference
• Improve Your Leadership by Being Flexible
• The Higher Intent 1- Flexibility

- Abraham Lincoln

Credited with freeing the slaves, Abraham Lincoln remains a timeless figure in American history and will forever be known as one of the greatest presidents to ever hold office. These lessons, gleaned by example, will help you develop the character traits to become a successful leader in your community, business or political party.

1. Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer

“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.” – Abraham Lincoln

The book “Team of Rivals” by Doris Kearns Goodwin documents how Lincoln shrewdly brought in many of his potential rivals into his inner circle. He gave them prominent positions in his cabinet, and took their advice into consideration. Although this caused many frustrations for Lincoln as the Civil War progressed, it also prevented these rivals from splintering off and forming a rival pact within the Republican party.

2. Be Studious

Lincoln was involved in more than 5,100 cases in Illinois alone during his 23-year legal career, despite never having attended law school due to the fact that he could not afford it. Instead young Abraham traveled from city to city in Illinois, working the legal circuit of the time as an apprentice to other lawyers until he built up his own practice.

He read incessantly, studying case law after case law every night to prepare for his upcoming cases and to hone his craft.

3. Be Modest — Keep a Low Profile

Politicians have a tendency to become flashy and ostentatious once they reach a certain level of success. Lincoln never forgot his roots, choosing to live in a plain house (when he wasn’t living in the White House) and wearing more common suits as opposed to fancy Italian-made fare. Being a man of the people helped Lincoln earn the trust of the citizens of the North.

4. Be Available — Solicit Feedback

You may be shocked to learn that citizens of Lincoln’s era could quite easily obtain the ear of their president. Can you imagine if our current leaders would actually meet, face to face, with every person who wanted to give their feedback on the handling of our foreign wars and other government policies?

Actually hearing the stories and complaints from family members of Union Army soldiers must’ve surely made an indelible impact on the president. Indeed, he would even meet with constituents while mulling some of the more difficult decisions of his administration, such as the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.

5. Never Give Up

Lincoln was defeated over seven times before finally being elected to President of the United States. While he did have some success in between those defeats, it is clear that had Lincoln given up earlier in his career, this nation as we know it may very well not even exist today.

As you face setbacks in life, think of the example of Abraham Lincoln. From humble roots he rose to hold the most powerful position in the land, only to face perhaps the toughest choices a President of this land has ever had to make.