Milking And Managing Conflicting

A brief recollection of one chapter in our nation’s history tells of great wisdom. In 1861, upon entering office, Abraham Lincoln brought with him two things: one, the idea that a lot of differing ideas and preferences for governing would be useful to him in administering the government in the face of what everyone knew would be a coming war; and three men who ran against him in the election and who harbored just those contrary notions of what Lincoln should do. They were William Seward (who would fetch us Alaska), Salmon P. Chase (who would become the sixth Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court), and highly respected elder statesman Missouri senator Edward Bates.

In her wonderful book, “Team of Rivals”, Doris Kearns Goodwin describes how Lincoln knew to get the best of what each man had to offer and to manage their often obvious and unrestrained dislike of one another.

Goodwin pointed out that Lincoln would apologize in writing to an advisor or cabinet member saying that if he was hurtful it was not his intent. When he was angry with one of them he would write a blistering letter, put it aside and then note the next day that it was never signed and never sent.