Interview Transcript
Question: What are you working on now?
Nancy Koehn: I’m working on a very small book about Abraham Lincoln, which is a bit like saying I’m hailing a taxi cab on Madison and 54th at 5:00 in New York because everyone is writing books about Lincoln. But I’m writing a little book about Lincoln and what he learned at critical moments along his journey, and why those lessons matter today.
Question: Why do the lessons of Lincoln matter today?
Nancy Koehn: I realized that some of the lessons her learned – lessons of detachment, and forbearance, and compassion, and patience – were lessons that are relevant both at an individual level to each of us today, and to many of us today, but also relevant on a social or even on a global level. And Lincoln learned interestingly enough – and in this sense the book is unusual, I think – through stumbling; through as he said once in the middle of the Civil War, “through falling to his knees” because he had no other place to go.
And so I’m reconstructing Lincoln’s stumbles and time on the kitchen floor, if you will; or time on the cabin floor, if you will, in order to try and understand how leaders – all of us as teachers, and parents, and citizens – can be made into better citizens, and parents, and teachers, and leaders rather than being born.
I think we suffer a little bit in our moment right now from, “Leaders are born. Where are they?” You know, “How did they get the Oracle at Delphi?” And we’re paying less attention to how we’re made step by step – two steps forward, one back – into better and more effective leaders.
Recorded on: June 12, 2007
Nancy Koehn on the Lessons of Lincoln
Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School Professor Nancy Koehn discusses the value of reconstructing Lincoln's stumbles.
January 17, 2008 | In History, Politics & Policy
Discuss
Karim Homaifar on June 19, 2009, 8:54 PM
I have read in numerous books and articles that Lincoln suffered from very deep depressions. Maybe the time he spent in deep introspection and solitude helped him to realize the importance of the character traits that Ms. Koehn mentions: compassion and patience. We need to display these traits not only when relating to others, but also in our relationships with ourselves, especially during challenging periods in our lives. Detachment and forbearance probably allowed Lincoln to cope with the unbelievable strain of the Civil War. These can also help us to get through tough times.
I look forward to reading Koehn’s book. She seems to have found a timely topic, coupled with a fascinating person’s wisdom on the subject, to write about.
Chad Welch on June 19, 2009, 10:33 PM
What better leader to turn to during this crisis than Abraham Lincoln? Karim is correct, Lincoln’s severe depressions are well documented. Lincoln’s writings have always inspired me: his wisdom, the events in his life, his conduct as president. It’s a great idea to write about some core values he had that sustained him and can help to do the same for us. The great amount of adversity he faced in his life made him that much wiser and more capable of providing us with deeply insightful ideas.
We need the great thinkers and problem solvers of our times to help us out. Watching the Democrats and Republicans fighting over every issue is difficult to do. When is the bipartisanship that we are always promised ever going to really go into practice? Maybe it’s just a idealistic notion that will never really occur.
Meade Haufe on September 26, 2009, 5:04 PM
Why would anyone want to take business “advice” from a butchering murderer like Abe Lincoln?
Bill Burger on September 29, 2009, 10:23 AM
Sorry, Meade. You seem to be in the wrong place.
JD Brown on January 31, 2010, 6:21 AM
The lesson I learned from Lincoln was perserverence; I seem to recall his running for office numerous times and being defeated before ascending to the Presidency.
My Forebearers (those who influenced my thought processes; Kind of like, “Momma always said…”) always told me if I get up one more time than the number of times I fall or get knocked down, I’m successful.
I guess I agree without comment with Karim and Chad, and wonder along with Bill as to who stole Meade’s Prozac?
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