Learn from Lincoln

To become a great copycat, study greatness. Find stories and lives to power your dreams, like Tolstoy's tale of meeting barbarians and their request. Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explains.  

“‘But you have not told us a syllable about the greatest gen­eral and greatest ruler of the world. We want to know some­thing about him. He was a hero. He spoke with a voice of thunder; he laughed like the sunrise and his deeds were strong as the rock and as sweet as the fragrance of roses. The angels appeared to his mother and predicted that the son whom she would con­ceive would become the greatest the stars had ever seen. He was so great that he even forgave the crimes of his greatest enemies and shook brotherly hands with those who had plotted against his life. His name was Lincoln and the country in which he lived is called America, which is so far away that if a youth should journey to reach it he would be an old man when he arrived. Tell us of that man.’"

Many call Abraham Lincoln our greatest president. In addition to making hard decisions like issuing the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863 and overseeing the Civil War, he was a great statesman and raconteur. 

We don't get a full picture of Lincoln from history class. And Lincoln informs lessons about sports. 

"Never signed, never sent." Lincoln wrote "hot letters" to express his anger. But he held them and put them aside. He knew that widening the space between anger and response allowed for a more nuanced answer. That's a great lesson for us. Delay discussions with unhappy players, parents, and administrators to allow heads to cool. 

Lincoln's melancholy. Lincoln suffered from chronic and recurrent depression. He lost many loved ones in his life. His friends often worried for his mental health. Always take care of our sanity. 

Relaxation, not always good for you. During the Civil War, Lincoln knew the value of rest and relaxation. One of his favorites? He went to the theater over a hundred times. Unfortunately, that work-life balance also caught up with him. I saw a fragment from Lincoln's skull at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology over three decades ago. 

Modesty, but not false. Lincoln knew that he wasn't an expert on everything so hired rivals Bates (Attorney General), Chase (Treasury), and Seward (State) as valued cabinet members. You don't have to be best buddies with coworkers but always have good people around you. 

Being great at anything means learning as much as possible and applying it with imagination and persistence. 

Lagniappe. Culture wins. 

10 Things Teammates Don't Let Teammates
Do In CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURES
1. Cut Corners
2. Whine & Complain
3. Make Excuses
4. Act Selfishly
5. Disrespect Each Other
6. Divide the Team
7. Trash the Coaches
8. Embarrass the Program
9. Give Up
10. Let Teammates Down#HoldemAccountable

— Jeff Janssen (@janssenleader) February 1, 2018

Lagniappe 2. Make practice hard and games are easy.