Some Thoughts on Team of Rivals, Pt. 1 – Review

This is a book you’ve heard about if you’re paying attention to the national political scene. It’s getting attention in light of Obama’s approach to selecting his Cabinet. Many are attributing his philosophy to the example of President Lincoln in 1860. I’ll try to share a couple thoughts on this dynamic in a day or two, but I’ll focus on the review for now to give an overview.

Given the length of Doris Goodwin’s Team of Rivals I’m going to do my review in two parts as that’s how the book is divided up. I just finished part one which consists of about the first 320 pages. The remained 430 pages or so makeup part two which focuses on the Lincoln administration and his genius ability to manage a diversity of personalities and talents in a most anxious time in our country.

Part one documents how the administration came to be and primarily explores the lives of Lincoln and his three chief competitors for the 1860 Republican nomination for President. Part one also includes the curious and fortunate manner in which Lincoln won that nomination as well as the landmark presidential election which in many ways was the final straw leading to the secessions of the southern states.

While not done, the exploration of these 4 different men (Lincoln, Seward, Chase, & Bates) is really fascinating and here’s a couple of the areas in which this book thus far is providing incredible insight and perspective:

1. Resilience – Goleman and other students of emotional maturity and emotional intelligence in leadership have highlighted this specific capacity as critical to big time leadership success. This simply means the ability to bounce back after a setback, getting back on the horse if you will after failure. If there’s anything that struck me about Lincoln’s life and especially his political career was how he displayed an almost superhuman capacity to transcend his failures and persevere until things turned around. Lincoln was not raised with the luxuries of the elite and this most definitely was a central factor in what set him apart from the men of his day. He could resolve the painful episodes of his life and keep moving towards other people and a hopeful future. In fact, Lincoln demonstrated consistently most of those areas that have been attributed to a strong emotional maturity.

• Racism – Given that the backdrop of this whole story is the controversy and crisis surrounding the institution of slavery, a dominant theme is the racist overtones in the culture at the time. Lincoln is often attributed hero status for conquering slavery. However, I’ve had questions at times as to whether that was truly because of his convictions about the dignity of all men or because it was politically expedient and necessary to the preservation of the union. Lincoln freely admitted that he did not believe in the total “equality” of blacks and whites. In fact all of the antislavery politicians, save some of the abolitionists, were racists by todays standards. However, I found it fascinating that the great Frederick Douglass identified Lincoln as the only white man he had related to that never communicated in some form an attitude of racial or ethnic superiority. Lincoln would have fallen short by todays standards, but it was very evident that he stood apart from his contemporaries by the dignity that he ascribed to blacks in his day. In fact, if he had been any more radical, there’s no way he would have been elected. It’s helped me appreciate the work many invested into the antislavery cause without judging many of them by contemporary standards. However, it also continually amazes me at the level of injustice blacks and slaves endured throughout the formation of this country.
• Fierce Resolve – I think this is Jim Collin’s term of his Level 5 leader if I’m not mistaken. This has also been called dynamic determination in many places I have been. This level of fortitude was evident throughout Lincoln’s life. He pretty much willed himself to success and achievement. He pretty much taught himself all the way along, including law school. His approach to politics, his stance against slavery, and his focus on what it would take to preserve the union all reflect this level of tenacity and resolve. The other side of the level 5 leader is humility, which he also possessed. Both of these attributes were what allowed him to forge the partnerships, loyalty, and political position that translated to his election as President. Lincoln’s competitors Seward (NY) and Chase (OH) also had fierce resolve to a significant measure, but they were short on humility in some ways and it came back to bite them. Bates (MO) had a fair amount of humility as I can tell, but he did not have a sufficient level of resolve to meet the demands of the age. These two qualities vaulted Lincoln from obscurity to President.

I have more thoughts which may come later, but these are some of my initial impressions of this book and what I’m reflecting on as I go through it. It started a bit slow as you are being introduced to all the major players and their upbringings, but it picks up rapidly as these men arrive on the national political scene.