Comment on Lincoln on Leadership

All leaders should realize that they can't do everthing on their own. They simply must have people below them who will do what is necessary to insure success. Those subordinates who will take risks, act without waiting for direction, and ask for responsibility rather than reject it, should be treated as your most prized possessions. Such individuals are exceedingly rare and worth their weight in gold. And when you finally find one - as Lincoln found Grant - they tend to multiply. The "Grants" of the world will choose others in their own image, just as Lincoln's Grant chose such aggressive generals as Sheridan and Sherman rather than procrastinators like McClellan and Hooker. Corporate executives can possess great vision and be able to provide all the direction in the world, just as Lincoln did. But they can't succeed without a man like U.S. Grant to carry out the company's mission.