Rating: 
Summary: Detailed insights into the life of a great man and leader
Review: I had bought this book along with a number of others, and it is my nature to read more than one book at a time. This book however was not put down until finished and no other book shared my reading time during that period. Enjoy it and learn from the life of one of the greatest leaders the world has known. The writing style makes you feel that you are actually there during the civil war, contemplating with Abe how to handle a particular situation.
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Summary: BE THERE
Review: I had ordered 12 books. The first to be picked up was LINCOLN ON LEADERSHIP. and I finished it before starting any other. The book makes you feel the presence of the great man. I enjoyed it immensly. I learned a lot from it and am looking forward to rereading it.
Rating: 
Summary: Bottom Line: Great topic but not a very interesting read.
Review: I liked the topic and focus of the book, and I think it's a worthwhile subject to explore. However, the writing was not particularly engaging and I really had to force myself to get through the book. The book is divided into four sections. Each section contains some specific subsections with examples of Lincoln's style. I liked the format and organization of the book, but the writing in each section tended to stray from the topic in question. At the end of each subsection, the author has listed some "Lincoln Principles". These were an interesting idea, but not implemented well. Sometimes language was not updated for our time, and sometimes words seemed to be put in Lincoln's mouth - in fact, I wondered what he would think after reading this book! There's no question that Lincoln was a powerful leader; whether or not he was "the greatest leader this world has yet known" is debatable. However, he practiced a very effective leadership style similar to Likert's System 3 of management, Blake & Mouton's Team Management theory, and level 4 of Vroom-Yetton's Leader-Participation Model. But I was particularly struck by the similarities to Kunhert and Lewis's Transformational Leadership Theory. The description seemed to be written specifically about Abraham Lincoln. He inspired great loyalty, lived by his principles, motivated people to do their best, and was arguably the greatest communicator to hold the presidency. Overall, I think we can all learn from Lincoln's leadership style. I plan to be less dictatorial and more persuasive - I noticed that Lincoln used persuasion to great effect. He was also adept at delegating and relied heavily on subordinates, something I'd like to work towards.
Rating:
Summary: Bottom Line: Great topic but not a very interesting read.
Review: I liked the topic and focus of the book, and I think it's a worthwhile subject to explore. However, the writing was not particularly engaging and I really had to force myself to get through the book. The book is divided into four sections. Each section contains some specific subsections with examples of Lincoln's style. I liked the format and organization of the book, but the writing in each section tended to stray from the topic in question. At the end of each subsection, the author has listed some "Lincoln Principles". These were an interesting idea, but not implemented well. Sometimes language was not updated for our time, and sometimes words seemed to be put in Lincoln's mouth - in fact, I wondered what he would think after reading this book! There's no question that Lincoln was a powerful leader; whether or not he was "the greatest leader this world has yet known" is debatable. However, he practiced a very effective leadership style similar to Likert's System 3 of management, Blake & Mouton's Team Management theory, and level 4 of Vroom-Yetton's Leader-Participation Model. But I was particularly struck by the similarities to Kunhert and Lewis's Transformational Leadership Theory. The description seemed to be written specifically about Abraham Lincoln. He inspired great loyalty, lived by his principles, motivated people to do their best, and was arguably the greatest communicator to hold the presidency. Overall, I think we can all learn from Lincoln's leadership style. I plan to be less dictatorial and more persuasive - I noticed that Lincoln used persuasion to great effect. He was also adept at delegating and relied heavily on subordinates, something I'd like to work towards.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Leadership Book!
Review: I read this book very carefully and am really impressed with the guidance it gives. I am also impressed with the insights it gives on Lincoln. It's a shame that there is the one extremely negative review of this book. Obviously that reviewer was in an extremely foul mood! I am studying many books on leadership and find this to be among the best. While it doesn't break leadership down into a step by step set of instructions, I find that this cannot be done for as complex a subject as leadership. Leadership has to be learned through studying excellent leaders and modeling their behavior. This book gives an excellent modeling session on Linclon and his leadership style.
Rating: 
Summary: A look into the mind of Lincoln and what made him great
Review: I received this book as a gift when I took a supervision course via my employer. It is a fairly easy read and gives one a look inside Lincoln's mind and what made him such a great leader during the Civil War. Lincoln's was so great and so important that he knew he could leave few things to the judgment of others. Lincoln had to rely on his own experience and knowledge of things so that he would not be given less than perfect information and advice from people who wanted to impress him, please him or who had other agendas. Lincoln's management style of MBWA (Management by Walking Around) was born out of the need to have firsthand information when it came to making many decisions while running the country during the Civil War. MBWA is a skill he excelled at, and many managers could make good use of this method. When my current boss first arrived in our organization, I advised him to come out and visit as much as possible in the workplace. I had not yet read this book on Lincoln, but I had had a leader in the past who did such things and he was the best I ever had. It was only after reading this book that I understood why that particular boss had been such a good one, and why I still remember him to this day (this was 20 years ago). My current boss recently made a surprise visit in the workplace and found much wrong. It gave him a look at the real story of how things are and how it differs greatly from some of his junior executive officers' version of things. The points in this book are just as true today as they were in Lincoln's day. I can fully understand why the instructor of my supervisor's course gave this book as a gift to the students.
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Summary: I had to keep remembering this man lived a 100+ years ago
Review: I used this book for a final paper in a MBA class on Leadership. I had to keep reminding myself that Lincoln lived and utilized these leadership qualities over a hundred years ago. His book and strategies became a companion to my text. I will no doubt continue to use it in my job structure today. I highly recommend it.
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Summary: Excellent as a leadership text and as a mini Lincoln bio
Review: I was initially attracted to this book because of its author, who co-authored Coach K's leadership/coaching manual. It was not long into reading this book, however, that I found the Lincoln that Phillips describes as fascinating as ever. The stories about Lincoln contained in this text illustrate well the leadership principles that Phillips tries to communicate to his readers, and the book is well-balanced between the episodes of Lincoln's life and career, and leadership tenets. Especially helpful (as in the Coach K book) are the summary pages at the end of each chapter (in this book, they are called "Lincoln principles"), which highlight and reinforce the important lessons from the previous pages. Having read this book, I not only have a renewed respect for our 16th President, but I also have a better understanding of leadership and how the principles in this book, exemplified by Lincoln, are applicable in daily life. Additionally, the book is neither exceptionally long nor very "technical," so it lends itself to reading in only a few sittings, which I found a positive aspect also.
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Summary: Great stories, but nothing new here
Review: If you are looking for some magical new insight into leadership, this isn't the book for you. Although the ideas are ones you have heard before, the author does a great job of giving you demonstrable actions you can take by demonstrating how Lincoln exhibited the quality/trait in his own life. Not for the innovator, but certainly great incentive for the new executive!
Rating:
Summary: Fantastic Study of a Phenomenal Leader
Review: If you want a stimulating and thoroughly researched leadership primer for leaders at all levels, then do not miss this gem of a book by Donald Phillips. The only drawback to reading this book was that I was limited to five stars in reviewing it-it deserved much more. Donald Phillips wrote one of the best leadership books I have ever read. He skillfully blended many effective historical references (letters, speeches, vignettes, and anecdotes) with modern management and leadership theories to create an easy-to-read performance and character analysis of one of the very best leaders our country has ever known. This remarkable book could (and should) serve as a "wake-up call" for the many self-proclaimed leaders in all walks of life who fail to understand the adage, "Leadership is action, not position." Some of the book's timeless leadership themes demonstrated and often perfected by Lincoln included: *Leaders foster trust and build effective relationships with subordinates. *Leaders are persuasive vice coercive; coercive dictatorships violate the basic rights of individuals.
*Leaders build leaders, not followers, though vision, patience, and persistence for long-term effectiveness vice short-term gains or conveniences.
*A leader who constantly maintains his honesty and integrity, and shows compassion and mercy, will inspire all around him or her to loyalty and great achievements. Phillips, in his preface, perfectly described the book's value to the leaders of today and tomorrow... "Since leadership principles are usually expressed rather abstractly, there is a great need for simple, concrete illustrations. Tangible examples make the difference; people relate to them. That's what the study of Lincoln gives us - tangible examples from a widely recognized great leader. Therein lies the basic premise of this book. I hope that present and future leaders in all walks of life will be enlightened (as I was) by the remarkable leadership genius of Abraham Lincoln and then will use that knowledge to improve their own skills."
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