Abraham Lincoln

Staff your team with people who disagree with you, as diverse viewpoints strengthen decision-making more than homogeneous agreement.

Lincoln formed a Team of Rivals, deliberately hiring people from other political parties and people he disagreed with. He believed their differing points of view would make the country stronger, not weaker.

Do the right thing even when you could easily avoid it, demonstrating character through action when no one would know the difference.

When Lincoln's Secretary of State Seward was incapacitated with broken arms and jaw, Lincoln visited him and conducted business in person rather than using the excuse to avoid him. He did the right thing despite it being easily avoidable.

Choose words for their accuracy and truthfulness rather than their grace or glory to communicate with maximum clarity and impact.

Lincoln was a master of language precisely because he was largely self-educated. He chose words for fundamental accuracy and truthfulness rather than elegance. His simple yet sophisticated use of language made his ideas enduring and memorable.

Craft a compelling narrative of your mission using clear, repeatable language that clings to memory and shapes how people understand your purpose.

The Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural Address demonstrate how Lincoln used specific phrases that became canonical. Modern entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs use the same approach with maxims like 'insanely great products' that define entire companies.

“Words and the ability to weave them into webs which cling to the memory are extremely important in forwarding political action.”

Your early self-education and intellectual cultivation matter more than formal credentials in determining your ultimate impact.

Lincoln was largely self-educated, taught himself morality, and had no formal parental guidance. Yet he became one of the great moral leaders in history. His self-directed learning and growth proved far more valuable than any credentials.

Stay active and engaged in work you find meaningful rather than allowing melancholy or depression to create inaction or brooding.

Lincoln suffered from occasional bouts of depression but was always busy doing things he wanted to do that were worth doing. He channeled his melancholy into productive activity rather than allowing it to immobilize him.