February 19, 2014

Cydcor Reviews Lincoln by David Herbert

Cydcor Reviews LincolnIn honor of President’s day, Cydcor chose to review Lincoln by David Herbert to study one of America’s finest leaders throughout history.

Description of this book: This biography covers the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States.  Lincoln was raised in rural Indiana in a poor household.  The book follows Lincoln’s perspective as he picked himself up through poverty and through political savvy made his way into prominence quickly.  The book examines his character, his key advisors, and reveals his human flaws as well as his greatness.  The author, David Herbert, is a Pulitzer Prize

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because: Biographies and autobiographies are excellent sources of inspiration for anyone looking to achieve professional goals. Lincoln is an especially beloved figure for Americans because he was raised in poverty and came from a disadvantage to well educated men raised in wealthy homes in cities.  In many ways, Lincoln is the best representation of the American dream, that hard work and persistence will always pay off.  Cydcor highly recommends any manager to take time to read and learn about prominent figures in our culture, not just for inspiration but to improve critical thinking skills and improve confidence.

Our favorite part: Herbert does an excellent job of making sure to incorporate the realities of being president into the book.  He explores how decisions were made based on the information available to him, rather than taking the traditional route of glorifying the historical figure retrospectively.  It is important to look at leadership objectively and understand that decisions must be made regardless of whether you have all the facts.  Leadership is about being able to make the best judgment calls you can at the time it is necessary.

Follow Cydcor on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Pinterest for more inspiration and leadership advice.