I started out my career as a banker. First in auditing, then as a loan officer, then as a branch manager and commercial lender. In those early years I knew that learning and growing were important for me to make it to the top. That is when I began to read about leadership and management. I read a book about President Lincoln that I recently took off my shelf again (Lincoln on Leadership by Donald Phillips). As I scanned through the book I was struck by some of the incredible leadership principles Lincoln had. No wonder he was such a great leader. Most are simple yet profound. Here are some for you to ponder:<\/p>\n
“Showing your compassionate and caring nature will aid you in forging successful relationships”<\/em><\/strong> I started out my career as a banker. First in auditing, then as a loan officer, then as a branch manager and commercial lender. In those early years I knew that learning and growing were important for me to make it to the top. That is when I began to read about leadership and management. … <\/p>\n
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“A good leader avoids issuing orders, preferring to request, imply, or make suggestions”<\/em><\/strong>
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“It would not hurt you much if, once in a while, you could manage to let things slip, unbeknownst-like”<\/em><\/strong>
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Remember: Your organization will take on the personality of its top leader”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Do the very best you know how-the very best you can-and keep doing so until the end”<\/em><\/strong>
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“It’s not entirely safe to allow a misrepresentation to go uncontradicted”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Remember that it is not best to swap horses when crossing streams”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Seize the initiative and never relinquish it”<\/em><\/strong>
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“If you are a good leader, when your work is done, your aim fulfilled, your people will say, We did it ourselves”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Sometimes it is better to plough around obstacles rather than to waste time going through them”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Leave nothing for tomorrow which can be done today”<\/em><\/strong>
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“If you never try, you’ll never succeed”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Loyalty is more often won through private conversation than in any other way”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Remember, everyone likes a compliment”<\/em><\/strong>
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“The probability that you may fall in the struggle ought not to deter you from the support of a cause you believe to be just”<\/em><\/strong>
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“Remember, that the best leaders never stop learning”<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"