링컨 대통령의 집현(集賢)의 리더십

Abraham Lincoln’s Leadership to Gather and Empower Wise-men

The aim of this paper is to study the personnel policy of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th American president. President Lincoln’ purpose was to preserve the Union and to emancipate slaves. Lincoln had no other option but to fight the Civil War to achieve this purpose. Who can successfully achieve this difficult task? When Lincoln was elected as president, he did everything in his power to seek guidance from wise-men and able-men. In fact, Lincoln had been an unknown lawyer before he was to be president. He was involved much less in the old-boy network, regionalism, and family connections than his peers. He also did not possess the personnel connections, and the foundation of a strong political party as his rivals. Nonetheless, Lincoln was elected as president. He was able to overcome his political shortcomings by taking advantage of the strangest personnel policy ever in history. The personnel criterion of Lincoln was a practical reality in itself. He was free to close associates, surroundings, and even political party. He tried to gather all wise-men even though they were his struggling rivals. They were Seward, Chase, and Stanton. Lincoln saw the truth from them and thought that “the best way to win an enemy is to turn the enemy into a friend.” Lincoln did not give up his plan to gather the wise-men who would be able to achieve his purpose with regard to the victory of the Civil war. As a leader, Lincoln made attempts to seek after other leaders and ultimately selected General Grant. Lincoln gathered wise-men who were wiser than he was, and preserved the Union with the victory of the Civil war, and abolished the slave system. Lincoln deterred the social and political severation and applied the following point, “First Who… Then What”, in order to preserve one America. A different thing is not bad or incorrect, but only different. When a political party, region, or school are different, they are only different. Most politicians know the simple truth, but they do not practice this fact. Lincoln knew this simple truth and readily practiced it. “To gather wiser men than I” is the best way to be a successful leader. From this meaning, Lincoln was not the past but are still present progressive and great light for the future.