“Leadership Is The Way To Make Things Happen Through Human Beings Who Believe In Change”.

“Leadership is the way to make things happen through human beings who believe in change”.

Most of the time throughout history, humanity has been changed for the better. Countries, governments, organizations, and families need leaders to survive in critical and desperate situations. Abraham Lincoln and Anne Mulcahy are examples of those types of leaders. Through difficult moments they succeed with the three most relevant characteristics that the two leaders have in common are listed as the following:

1. Believers in human beings.

2. Believers in change.

3. Believers in themselves.

Believers in Human beings:

Their approaches to request information were very similar. Ask for advice at any level, questioning, and analyzing the situation in an open door environment. Such are the reflections of their belief in human beings. Both were deeply involved with their clients, and coworkers, because they believed that they may help them in certain important decisions making. For instance, Abraham Lincoln always stayed in touch with customers, suppliers. Those groups regarded him as a people person. However, Anne Mulcahy was regarded as a sales person. She maintained a very close relationship with Xerox’s clients. For example, she cited in the following comment “I started out in sales, and literally hounded the streets for the fist ten years of my carrier” .

The art of leading people is a very complex process. Development in the process of life starts in the family, school and all activities of living. However their knowledge in human beings, determined how they behaved, how they are motivated, how they are facilitated to implement various strategies, to persuade and turn whichever situation, in the way that they need, determines how people overcome all their challenges.

AL and AM were great orators. Their love of conversation was one of the most important skills needed to bring a clear message. They could find a way solving a problem, and to bring the best solution. AL raised the emotions of his audience. He drafted the Emancipation Proclamation, and wrote thousands of letters around the world with bible quotations, and he was a powerful public speaker another interesting characteristic of AL is the strategy of silence in difficult situations. Sometimes this technique was very important in crucial moments.

Both believe in strong Alliances. This proved to be an important strategy in their decision making involving key people. AL ignored the presidential protocol and understood the human behavior throughout. “He treated people the way he would want to be treated, and they way that others wanted to be treated” .

Believers in change

AL and AM believed in change. Their passions were clearly visible in their actions. They were the principles actors in this process. They planed, calculated, and implemented to make this transformation take place. By the same token, they clearly discerned about the failure, the pain, the discomfort. They were strong believers in the cause, but most importantly, they found a light at the end of their tunnel. Failure was not an option for them.

Confusion, desperation, and urgency all combined to give Lincoln the perfect opportunity to act .

A mutual fear brings peace” , these two thoughts contrast the crises of Xerox to the civil war in the United States. Each individual was ready to display his part of the leadership objective, each one was more involved in compromise to survive than to die. AL and AM understood that when real changes were needed, it required hard work, clear commitment and accountability. AL frequently worked