As I write this, the last Americans are exercising their right to vote.

Either way, we woke up this morning to a new reality

You get to choose what you do with that reality.

You can celebrate that your person won, feeling self-satisfied and gloating to the “ignorant” people who voted the other way.

The outgroup is always either ignorant or, worse, evil.

But are they really?

We can demonize, or we can build.

And we can attempt to unify.

The man who tried to grapple with unity over division more than any other in American history was Abraham Lincoln.

So control what you can control. And keep building.

8 Ways to Lead Like Abraham Lincoln
(in life and business)

1. Lead with unity: Lincoln called for unity in his Second Inaugural Address with the phrase “With malice toward none, with charity toward all.” Honestly I didn’t think about this line much until today. How many people really take this attitude?
   

2. Adapt: Lincoln was president during an incredibly dynamic time. He had to go with the flow. He once stated, “ "I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me"
   

3. Be pragmatic (but with principle): Lincoln had his principles, but he knew that he had to be realistic in order to get results. For example, he was slow to advocate for emancipation of the slaves. While it’s easy to say now what the “obvious” decision should have been, Lincoln was playing chess — and for the long term.
   

4. Practice empathy: The best way to respect other people and their differences is to empathize. Although Lincoln could be angered easily in his youth, he consciously grew into a leader who exercised care with everyone he met.
   

5. Show grit: The Civil War was not much of a surprise. Lincoln could have backed down as tensions rose. But he stuck to his principles and continued to do so through years of strife and personal ridicule.
   

6. Inspire: A leader needs to communicate exceptionally well. This means:
   
   (a) Vision
   (b) Clarity
   (c) Inspiration
   
   That last one is underrated by HR directors. Yet we all want to be inspired. It’s why MLK’s famous speech still echoes today. It is your right and duty to motivate your people.
   

7. Learn continually: Lincoln had almost zero formal education, describing the little schooling he had as “defective.” Yet he taught himself enough to become a lawyer and a consistent top-3 pick for best U.S. president ever (by presidential scholars).
   

8. Dare greatly: Okay, Brene Brown wasn’t alive then, but that’s what she would have said Lincoln did. The risks Lincoln took are incomprehensible to the rest of us. He ultimately paid with his life.

Outro

“Life doesn’t need a soundtrack. Life is a soundtrack.”
—Sri

I’m a fixer. I picture Abe Lincoln as a fixer, too.

48 million likes on Spotify can’t be wrong.

Cheers

Find me at thewarriorpoet.com and on LinkedIn.

Get unstuck, and crush it. Double period.