Home  >  131 Leadership  >  131.008 Leadership - Transform yet heed public opinion

Transform, yet heed, public opinion

Abraham Lincoln often said that a leader’s job is to transform, yet heed, public opinion. During the Civil War, he would often come to a decision before anybody else, then begin influencing public opinion in various ways toward his desired outcome, listening to opinions, gathering as much data as he could, and never trying to force the outcome. Invariably, without rushing, and often despite great pressure to move faster, his decision would prove to be exactly what public opinion wanted and needed, at the right time to make the difference. Even when others said he was slow as molasses, he never moved faster than he was comfortable with. Never bowing to pressure, never compromising his values.

Source:
Graph: