"We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth."
The 160th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, celebrated this New Year’s Day, offers not only the remembrance of one of the most important events in our nation’s history, but also the opportunity to revisit the transformational presidential leadership style that led to its adoption.
For perhaps the most enduring message of this anniversary is that there will always be a need for transformational leadership; that there will always arise in the course of organizational challenges the need for leadership capable of uniting constituents around the principles of a “future worth striving for.”
“The Emancipation Proclamation” is, indeed, a mouthful—both grammatically and historically. Mention it to most people and you’ll draw a pause. Some will conflate it with the Gettysburg Address. For others it will prompt memories of the SAT exam. Still others will envision Charlton Heston on Mt. Horeb with the Tablets. And some will - somewhat accurately - associate it with the abolition of slavery. And they’d all be kind of close.
Like many momentous decisions, the Emancipation Proclamation was as much the byproduct of political pragmatism as it was that of unbounded idealism. While President Lincoln was absolutely committed to ending slavery, his paramount objective was “to save the Union”, and in the fall of 1862 that was no sure thing. Thus the Proclamation was styled as a military measure, granting freedom to slaves who escaped the South to join the Union Army. This linked emancipation in the public minds with the restoration of the Union, paving the way for the adoption of the Thirteenth Amendment, which formally abolished slavery by 1865.
How Lincoln navigated opposition from his cabinet (the so-called “Team of Rivals”) and the public, and what he viewed as constitutional limitations on his authority, has been described by the author Doris Kearns Goodwin as “transformational leadership.’’ Kearns Goodwin defines this as the ability to “inspire followers to identify with something larger than themselves—the organization, the community, the region, the country; to call for sacrifice in the pursuit of moral principles and higher goals.”
This is different than “transactional leadership,” which Kearns Goodwin describes as relying more on an appeal to the self-interest of others, using quid pro quos, bargains, trades and rewards to solicit support and influence behavior.
To be sure, Lincoln was not above using transactional leadership, as he did when making the argument that by enticing slaves to join the Northern Army, it would “reduce the burden on white soldiers in saving the Union.” But according to Kearns Goodwin, it was his transformational leadership, through the Proclamation, that convinced the vast majority of Union troops to view emancipation not only as militarily strategic but also morally right, thus changing the battlefield balance.
The importance of transformational leadership still rings true 160 years later, for organizational leaders as well as for governmental officials. In her book, Leadership in Turbulent Times, Kearns Goodwin itemizes Lincoln’s leadership traits in a manner that are readily transferrable to today’s leaders of all stripes:
- Acknowledge when failed policies demand a change in direction: By mid-1862, Lincoln realized that military operations alone were insufficient and that changing tactics (e.g., ending slavery) were necessary in order to restore the Union.
- Gather firsthand information, ask questions: Lincoln often left the White House for the battlefield to inform himself first-hand of the military situation and troop morale.
- Anticipate contending viewpoints: Even though his intentions were well known, he welcomed—and considered—reactions from his cabinet, whether for or against the Proclamation.
- Exhaust all possibility of compromise: Lincoln aggressively considered a policy of compensated emancipation in the border states before proceeding unilaterally with the Proclamation.
- Assume full responsibility for a pivotal decision: Once made, Lincoln’s decision was “fixed and unalterable.” The Proclamation “and all its responsibilities were his alone.”
- Know when to hold back and when to move forward: Lincoln possessed an acute sense of timing, “moving in conjunction with propitious circumstances.”
- Understand the emotional needs of the team: Aware of the complex personalities of his “Team of Rivals,” Lincoln engaged with an ongoing degree of attentiveness to them.
- Refuse to let past resentments fester: Lincoln was guided by the “principle of forgiveness” in dealing with his cabinet and others; “it is enough if the man does no wrong hereafter.”
- Protect colleagues from blame: Lincoln steadfastly refused to let a subordinate or colleague take the blame for his own presidential decisions.
- Control angry impulses: Lincoln would refrain until his own anger subsided, counsel others to do likewise and “readily forgive intemperate public attacks on himself.”
- Keep your word: Lincoln’s willingness to follow through with the Proclamation was sustained by “the honor and weight of his word,” [which was] “the ‘chief gem’ of his pride.”
- Collective interest above the self interest: Lincoln rejected numerous peace proposals that did not include the end of slavery; he was willing to risk electoral defeat for the cause of emancipation.
The pure historical message of this anniversary is how Lincoln’s moral courage transformed the course of the Civil War and the fate of the Union.
In giving freedom to the slave, we assure freedom to the free—honorable alike in what we give and what we preserve. We shall nobly save, or meanly lose, the last best hope of earth.
This hope was, of course, the fledgling American democracy.
Today, the organizational challenge demanding transformational leadership may be a change in strategic direction; a vigorous corporate social voice; a consequential business decision; the realignment of workforce culture; “bet the farm” reliance on an untested product; or the refinement of the corporate mission. There are, no doubt, others.
It will be forever important to remember the role that slavery played in American history. But it is equally important to remember the leadership style that sustained the efforts to abolish it, and how it is possible to emulate such a style today.
I never in my life felt more certain that I was doing right, than I do in signing this paper.
