Abraham Lincoln, Sixteenth U.S. PresidentTo live is to experience failure. There appears to be no way around it. Sooner or later, everyone fails. Some failures are small and private, such as indulging in a donut while on a self-imposed diet. Other failures are larger and more public, like flunking out of school. . . . All of us experience failure many times in our lives. Some fail miserably and get over it quickly, while others let it completely take over their lives. However, failure is not a permanent state, and there are actions that can facilitate recovery.Boss & Sims (2008)Abraham Lincoln was the 16th president of the United States. At first, it might seem strange to have a story about him in a textbook on entrepreneurship. When you study Lincolns life closely, however, you begin to recognize an entrepreneurial quality to Lincolns political career that served him well. Regardless of the field or industry in which you happen to work, the ability to think and act like an entrepreneur can prove very helpful in the attainment of successas was the case with Lincolns rise to the top of his political world. This case study specifically addresses Lincolns capacity to manage and leverage failure along the pathways of his ultimate ascent to the highest office in the land.Abraham Lincoln was no stranger to failure. In fact, he is often typecast in popular culture as the man who failed at everything leading up to his stunning election as President of the United States. In truth, Lincoln did experience many heartbreaking tragedies and failures in his life. Accompanying these failures, however, was a consistent string of successes and growth that eventually paved the way for him to realize the extraordinary position he achieved in the governmentand later on, in the history books.From the loss of precious loved ones to the loss of elections; from professional failures to experiencing terrible bouts of depression, Lincoln was no stranger to defeat and adversity. But Abraham Lincoln did not become great because of his failures. Everyone fails, but not everyone goes down in history like Abraham Lincoln. The thing that defined greatness in Abraham Lincolns life was how he responded to failure and defeat. By choosing not to let his failures define or break him, he was able to turn his greatest defeats into inspiring victories.Abraham Lincoln was born and raised in obscurity in the backwoods of Kentucky and Indiana, and his familys social class positioned him better for splitting rails and planting crops than pursuing politics. His father was an uneducated man whom Lincoln never had much understanding of, nor affection for. His mother died of illness when he was only nine years old.Although he had little opportunity for formal education, Lincoln not only learned to read and write but developed a voracious appetite for books. He was known for reading anything and everything he could get his hands on, although he had only limited time to spend reading due to the unremitting demands of farm life.The events surrounding Lincolns entrepreneurial spirit and rise in politics began in his early twenties when he left home to strike out on his own. Some of his early adventures included river-boating down the Mississippi to transport a load of cargo on a flatboat headed to New Orleans. When he and his colleague reached their destination, Lincoln witnessed a slave auction for the first time in his life. The callous nature with which human beings were whipped and rounded up like animals to be sold at auction disturbed him. His firsthand observations of slavery in the Deep South left a lasting impression that would influence his thinking for the rest of his life.In 1832, Lincoln served as a volunteer in the Illinois militia during the Black Hawk War, a brief conflict involving the US territories of Illinois and Michigan and a coalition of Native Americans led by a chief called Black Hawk. Here Lincoln showed early signs of leadership capacity, being elected captain of his company. Around the same time, he and a friend from the militia purchased a small general store.While managing the store, Lincoln became known for being unusually honest, a trait that would figure prominently in his reputation for the rest of his life. Famously, if Honest Abe found he had accidentally overcharged a customer, he would walk as far as necessary to return the customers money. What is not so well known is the fact that the business soon failed, leaving Lincoln and his friend deep in debt. Not only that, but Lincolns friend died, leaving half of the debt completely unpaid. Though Lincoln was not legally obligated to cover his friends debt, he insisted on paying the full amount to their creditors. It took several years, but Lincoln eventually paid the debts in full.In 1832, while the store was still a going concern and his business partner still alive, Lincoln also got his start in politicsand with it, his first dose of election failure when he lost his bid to become a member of the Illinois State Legislature. He learned from his mistakes, however, and after gaining more knowledge, experience, and polish on the stump, won election to the same body in 1834.In 1835, Ann Rutledge, his romantic interest at the time, died of illness. This turn of events was devastating to Lincoln. It would be seven more years before Lincoln would eventually marry.In 1836, Lincoln won re-election to the Illinois State Legislature, where he would serve for a total of 12 years. That year, he also was admitted to the bar and began practicing law, a career he would pursue for much of the rest of his life.In the early 1840s, following his marriage to Mary Todd, Lincoln began setting his sights on the United States House of Representatives. He failed in his first attempt to win election, but succeeded in his second attempt in 1846. For partisan political reasons, he agreed to not run for a consecutive term in 1848. In 1854, Lincoln made another run at national office, this time running for the U.S. Senate representing Illinois. He lost. In 1856, he was considered as a nominee for running mate of presidential candidate John C. Frmont in the newly formed Republican Party, but he lost that bid too. In 1858, he again ran to represent Illinois in the U.S. Senate, but was again defeated.Despite his poor election performance during the 1850s, Lincolns political star continued to rise through a series of speeches that began attracting a nationwide audience. These speeches included the famous House Divided speech (June, 1858), the Cooper Union address (February, 1860), and his legendary Senate debates with Stephen Douglas (1858). Although he lost the election to Douglas, his articulate speeches and debates propelled him into the national spotlight where he became a prominent contributor to national political conversations.Riding this wave of attention and publicity, Lincoln was able to apply all the skills he had developed over the course of three decades into his campaign for the presidency in 1860. A remarkable series of events followed, shaped in no small part by his own adroit political entrepreneurship. Abraham Lincoln, the prairie lawyer from Illinois viewed as a dark horse candidate, was able to win not only his partys nomination but also the general election, becoming the first Republican president.Political tensions surrounding the issue of slavery had been running high throughout the 1850s, and Lincolns victory sent shock waves that exacerbated hostilities. Before Lincoln was even inaugurated, the states of the Deep South had seceded from the union, initiating a conflict that burgeoned into the Civil War. Despite the enormous challenges of the war, along with his own personal tragedy when his son Willie died of an illness in 1862, Lincoln was able to again defy the odds and win re-election in 1864. In his final months in officeand on EarthLincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, brought about the passage of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution to end slavery nationwide, and led the Union to victory in the Civil War. Five days after the Confederate surrender, he was murdered by an assassins bullet, cementing his legacy as a national martyr.Lincolns greatest achievement is found in the opportunity for success he opened up for others, particularly African Americans. His words from the Gettysburg Address are a continual reminder that all men are created equal, going on to inspire generations of successful African American entrepreneurs. Seen through a long historical lens, Lincolns courageous actions can be credited as setting the stage for Barack Obama to achieve the same office of President that Lincoln once occupied. 2. What failures or tragedies have you experienced in your life that could potentially serve as a platform for future joys and successes?3. Consider the opportunities Lincoln opened up for others, particularly African Americans. What is something you could do as an entrepreneur to open up new avenues for others who may not be as fortunate as you?
