Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Lincoln as a Leader
In his letter we discussed in class, Lincoln discussed how he his leadership is characterized by him acting to satisfy those he represents. He states that he is merely an agent for the people he represents, and that his actions a direct result of the interests of those he represents. Compared to the other two leadership styles, I feel that Lincoln's is the most practical. Plato's style is ideal, but it is way too impractical. Also, I feel that Machiavelli's style is not sufficient enough to stand on its own. Instead, I think that it is a part of Lincoln's style. By acting as an agent for those a leader represents, the leader's self- interest is to satisfy the interests of those he or she leads, which incorporates Machiavelli's style into Lincoln's. I also think that Lincoln's leadership style is the most common in both the business and non-business worlds. In the corporate world, CEO's act as an agent to the shareholders (owners of the corporation), and makes decisions based on the shareholders’ best interests. In the non-corporate world, doctors and attorneys act as agent to their clients, and makes decisions that are to their clients' best interests. Even here at Shippensburg University, club presidents act as an agent to their club members, making decisions that are for the good of the club members.
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I half agree with you on the lincolnian style of ethical managing. I believe that this style is the most practical and yields good result when followed. However I do think that some margin should be taken in the example of corporations. They have an extremely large impact on the environment around them and are crucial for us. We need them, and they need use, so for a corporation to blindly follow that rule may be a flawed direction. Instead intelligent analysis of its decisions should be made as to ascertain and ill effects it may have on its interconnected environment.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with what you are saying. I think that when relating it to business, Lincoln's style is the best choice, mainly for practical reasons. The style of Plato would be the best but it seems to difficult to attain. Unfortunately however, I feel as if there are too many people using the Machiavellian approach to management.
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