By: John Woodward on June 25, 2014
At the top of my list of movies I most disliked is Terminator 2. My friends pressured me into see this movie in a theater years ago. I am a light comedy kind of guy, so an intense, shoot ‘em up movie is never to my liking. And this movie was the worst. The bad…
By: Miriam Mendez on June 24, 2014
Growing up in New York City one of the yearly school outings was a trip to Washington D.C. One of our significant points of interests was the Lincoln Memorial. As you walk in, lying between the north and south chambers is the central hall containing an enormous white marble statue of Abraham Lincoln. According to…
By: Cedrick Valrie on June 23, 2014
It has often been advised for leaders to be lifetime learners. This is good wisdom, but does imply that it takes a lifetime to learn new skills? According to the book, The First 20 Hours: How to Learn Anything… Fast, by Josh Kaufman, many new skills do not take as long to acquire as one…
By: Cedrick Valrie on June 23, 2014
Controversy is inevitable as long as two people are gathered together. One of the major controversies facing the local church is to openly allow gay couples within the local church. Some churches/denominations have split over the controversy. Others have made it clear that all are welcome with open arms. Ultimately, we must answer the…
By: Cedrick Valrie on June 23, 2014
President Abraham Lincoln is by far my favorite US president. No matter the book, article, or social media conversation about him, I get this sense that there is a consistent honesty about his life, legacy, and leadership, even amongst his rivals. Doris Kearns Goodwin highlights several of his leadership characteristics in her book The Team…
By: Julie Dodge on June 23, 2014
“Here’s the truth: ‘finding’ time is a myth.”[i] I’ve never been a highly disciplined person. I work well to deadlines, but pacing myself for something without a deadline has always been a challenge. When I care about something, however, I make time to do it. And what do I care about? People, mostly. The problem…
By: Clint Baldwin on June 23, 2014
When I consider Goodwin’s delineation of Lincoln choosing, Stanton, Chase, Seward, and Bates – his direct political rivals – to become major figures of his political team, I am reminded of the writer Baltasar Gracian and his text The Art of Worldly Wisdom. Gracian was a 17th century Spanish Jesuit philosopher who among other things…
By: Michael Badriaki on June 23, 2014
Doris Kearns Goodwin’ book “Team of Rivals” was a knee read because it covers an extraordinary period of American history. The author’s narrative focus is on the sixteenth president of the United States of American Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet. The stage is set with the scene of the national Republican convention in Chicago in…
By: Mark Steele on June 21, 2014
Hiring is both a science and an art. A few times in my career, I have used tried and tested hiring processes by carefully screening candidates, carefully choosing behavioral questions, using multiple panel interviews, and still hiring the wrong person. Lincoln had a similar experience when he found himself hiring multiple generals until he finally…
By: Richard Rhoads on June 20, 2014
Stories are powerful! Embedded in story is the ability to touch another soul. Story goes beyond communicating facts at a purely intellectual level, rather, story communicates by touching the intellect, emotions and the soul of another. For myself, most of my upbringing was filled with story. My dad, the great fisherman, would at least once…
By: Mitch Arbelaez on June 20, 2014
This book is a totally believable world of blood thirsty vampires in the mid 19th century where our hero Lincoln slays his way to the White House. The action, the suspense, what a great read. There are even pictures that prove all of it to be true……Oh, sorry wrong book. We were suppose to read…
By: Julie Dodge on June 20, 2014
Would I follow that guy who got the job I wanted? It was an unlikely thing that Abraham Lincoln was elected president in 1860. His Republican competitors, by outward appearances, were far more qualified. William Henry Seward had a stellar political career as Governor of New York, and U.S. Senator. Salmon Chase served as Governor…
By: Telile Fikru Badecha on June 20, 2014
Doris Kearns, in her book, Team of Rivals: The Political genius of Abraham Lincoln, eloquently writes the story Abraham Lincoln, America’s greatest president and his three competitors, William Henry Seward, Salmon Portland Chase, and Edward Bates for the Republican nomination for the presidency of the United States in 1860s. I especially enjoyed reading about the…
By: gfesadmin on June 20, 2014
I continue to draw and glean from our reading of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s book, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. In the several weeks since I finished our reading there are several traits that I continue to reflect upon, ones I hope to carry with me in my own leadership development. Among…
By: Richard Volzke on June 20, 2014
Listening to the audiobook, Team of Rivals by Goodwin, provided interesting insight on effective leadership. The author used Abraham Lincoln as an example of how one can develop leadership ability throughout their lifetime. Lincoln’s leadership style is relevant in today’s culture and there is much we can learn from his life and presidency. The book…
By: Bill Dobrenen on June 19, 2014
I will never forget my first reading of the Lord of the Rings. I loved Tolkien’s characters, especially Frodo and Samwise Gamgee. Although Frodo and Sam loved each other deeply, they did not always agree – especially about how to deal with Gollum – the obvious antagonist in the story. Sam was at times ready…
By: David Toth on June 19, 2014
As a young pastor in my first full time pastoral position, I began facing conflict from one of the families in the church. It was a fairly small church averaging just under 100 in Sunday morning attendance. There were about five families that had been in leadership in the church for over 30 years. The…
By: Sam Stephens on June 19, 2014
One may assume that with the volumes of published material on the life and leadership of Abraham Lincoln, nothing more remains to be written. Doris Kearns Goodwin through her book A Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln proves that assumption wrong. She does provide some fresh insights on the man who from…
By: Stefania Tarasut on June 19, 2014
There are a few things that I noticed as I read through Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin over the past couple of weeks. First, you don’t always have to be the best… all you can do is your best today. Goodwin suggests that Lincoln made the decision to be a second choice nominee…
By: rhbaker275 on June 19, 2014
Dores Kearns Goodwin in Team of Rivals attributes Lincoln’s defeat of his contenders for the Republican nomination to Lincoln’s being the “shrewdest and canniest of them all.”[1] In the aftermath of the general election to the presidency, Lincoln incorporated each of his rivals into his leadership cabinet, as well as opposition party leaders. Such an…
