Ab Lincoln included people in his team that balanced his qualities and above all over attributes, he seemed to be a person who was true to himself and set on his goals. Preferring not to make enemies along his chosen path, he allowed those who could do better than he to do their jobs and be the facilitator or the glue to create a team that was greater than the some of it’s parts. He chose to collect people and opinions that differed from his own to get the job done, but once a decision had been made, he never looked back. This is the part that I took away from Doris Kearns Goodwin’s great opening talk for EduCause 2007 about the US leader. While many people in IT leadership positions are not likely to be faced with many of the issues he was, he took to heart some timeless ideas that continue to prove useful:
- Share credit, or don’t look for credit – great things happen without names attached
- Shoulder the blame for those working below you
- Be aware of your own weaknesses and build a team to balance them
- Control emotions, don’t hold grudges, burn bridges or do anything to wrong another – remember it’s a all a game in the end and after playing hard against an opponent, you should still be able to shake hands at the end of the day
- Stay true to your goals
- Relax, don’t take yourself too seriously
- Visit the trenches that you are leading
- The narrative art is the root to teaching others and creating a history and a culture to build on and from.
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