Getting Past Those who Would Subvert- Focus on the Idea, not the Man

Leaders who mean well have nevertheless been forced to confront those who work against them for reasons of jealousy, spite, or zealous ambition. It's a difficult reality leaders must face- Some people just hope a leader will fail for the sake of failing.

Abraham Lincoln was confronted with tests to his leadership throughout his presidency. His treasury secretary, Salmon Chase, continually challenged Lincoln's capability and worked to subvert him from  the start to the finish of his cabinet career. Chase was known to have suffered from a lack of credibility among his friends and colleagues.¹ In the last months of 1862, he played a major role in precipitating crises that twice threatened the fragile stability of Lincoln’s cabinet as a result of his ambition and attempts to overcome the need to build his reputation.² He was, Goodwin points out in her acclaimed work, "Forever brooding on a station in life not yet reached" and Lincoln had the misfortune of having to manage his secretary's personal weaknesses despite the treasurer's great capabilities.³


Lincoln kept his attention on Chase's treasury initiatives despite the distractions his secretary threw at him, and sometimes contested these strategies if he felt they were wrong. Lincoln “[Focused] on the ideas [and] not the man” when dealing with Chase.⁴ Concentrating on his insecure cabinet secretary's professional work allowed Lincoln to rise above the pettiness of Chase's social-emotional foibles and keep the treasurer's agitation in check for three years during the height of the civil war. 

Educational leaders face the struggle against those who would see them fail. It would be wise to keep the fight about the ideas and not about the personalities at play. 

This post is part of my "Leadership Lessons From American Presidents" series.

1. The Lehrman Institute, Abraham Lincoln and Salmon P. Chase, Abraham Lincoln's Classroom.  Retrieved from http://www.abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org/abraham-lincolns-contemporaries/abraham-lincoln-and-salmon-p-chase/

2. Beard, R. (2014). The rise and fall (and rise) of Salmon P. Chase. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/07/02/the-rise-and-fall-and-rise-of-salmon-p-chase/?_r=0

3. Goodwin, D.K. (2006). Team of rivals: The political genius of Abraham Lincoln. New York: Simon & Schuster.

4. Signer, M. (2015). Becoming Madison. New York: Public Affairs