Volume IV, Number 6

February, 2009

Learning from Lincoln

One of the most powerful letters ever given in defense of an action of a responsible party was Abraham Lincoln’s reply to Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune. Mr. Greeley had written an open letter to Lincoln in the form of an editorial entitled “The Prayer of Twenty Millions” on August 19, 1862 in which Greeley demanded certain actions and clearly intimated that the Lincoln administration was floundering, purposeless, on the war.

Lincoln responded to Greeley in this way on August 22, 1862:

Executive Mansion,
Washington, August 22, 1862.

Hon. Horace Greeley:
Dear Sir.

I have just read yours of the 19th. addressed to myself through the New-York Tribune... As to the policy I "seem to be pursuing" as you say, I have not meant to leave any one in doubt.

I would save the Union. I would save it the shortest way under the Constitution. The sooner the national authority can be restored; the nearer the Union will be "the Union as it was." If there be those who would not save the Union, unless they could at the same time save slavery, I do not agree with them. If there be those who would not save the Union unless they could at the same time destroy slavery, I do not agree with them. My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union. I shall do less whenever I shall believe what I am doing hurts the cause, and I shall do more whenever I shall believe doing more will help the cause. I shall try to correct errors when shown to be errors; and I shall adopt new views so fast as they shall appear to be true views.

I have here stated my purpose according to my view of official duty; and I intend no modification of my oft-expressed personal wish that all men everywhere could be free.

Yours,
A. Lincoln.

Delineating single focus points was one of Lincoln’s true strengths. Let’s learn from him. Consider: To what degree does your team know exactly what it stands for and how strong are your team’s actions that demonstrate their resolve, especially in the tough times?

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