Perspective: The secret to Abraham Lincoln’s success

In August 1864, Abraham Lincoln invited Wisconsin Gov. Alexander Williams Randal and Judge Joseph Mills to the Soldier’s Home for a discussion on emancipation measures. Later, Mills recorded in his diary, “I was astonished at his (Lincoln’s) elasticity of spirits.”

When most Americans report on why they think Lincoln was the nation’s greatest president, they often remark on his significant achievements: he efficaciously pursued a political struggle and civil war that preserved the Union, ended slavery and created the possibility of civil freedom for African Americans. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address is considered one of the greatest presidential speeches in American history, but his other discourses, such as the “House Divided” speech, are also regarded as distinguished.

But underlying Lincoln’s achievements and speeches was his ability to be open-minded, to change his thoughts and opinions, and to listen and learn from others, including those who had opposing viewpoints and were cruel to him. In psychology, this ability to thoughtfully consider different perspectives and opinions is called cognitive elasticity or cognitive flexibility.

Conversely, cognitive rigidity is the inability to adapt or change mentally, and this condition is often at the root of many mental health disorders, relationship problems, hatred and interpersonal and community conflict. Cognitive inflexibility predicts extremist attitudes. I believe Lincoln’s greatness flowed from his “elasticity of spirits” and esteem for compromise.

Edwin M. Stanton served as the nation’s secretary of war under Lincoln and is credited with turning a deeply dysfunctional War Department into a high-functioning cabinet that helped the North win the war. What is most remarkable about the Lincoln-Stanton relationship, however, was Lincoln’s attitude toward Stanton.

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Lincoln first met Stanton in the summer of 1855, seven years before Stanton would serve as secretary of war, and in short, Stanton treated Lincoln with contempt. This stemmed from a a court case in which both men were involved, McCormick v. Manny, which pitted outstanding patent lawyers against each other.

Lincoln had been asked by George Harding (representing Manny) to prepare legal briefs, as the trial was to be held in Chicago, and Harding wanted a local lawyer who understood Illinois law. When the case was transferred to Cincinnati, Harding removed Lincoln from the case and partnered with the powerful and brilliant Stanton. However, Lincoln was not informed of his removal, continued to work on the case and traveled to Cincinnati to be part of the Harding team.

After Lincoln and Stanton meet, Stanton took Harding aside and reportedly called Lincoln a “long-armed ape” and said “He does not know anything and can do you no good.”

In those days, traveling lawyers stayed at the same hotel and ate meals together, but Stanton and Harding excluded Lincoln and would not invite him to their table for meals or to chat. But Lincoln’s “elasticity of spirits” took over as he stayed in Cincinnati for the entire week as he wanted to study how a magnificent and nationally known lawyer (Stanton) argued a case.

So moved was he by Stanton’s work and legal argument, Lincoln recalled that he stood in “rapt attention” and later revealed to friends Ralph E. Emerson and his wife Adaline Elizabeth Talcott Emerson that he had never witnessed a presentation so brilliant and thoroughly prepared. He determined from the experience that he should study the law better in order to improve his own skills.

Lincoln had the cognitive flexibility to direct his mind to learn from someone who treated him poorly. In today’s climate of divisiveness and conflict, what Lincoln did is practically unimaginable. At their next encounter, six years later, Lincoln would offer Stanton the most powerful cabinet post because he knew he needed Stanton’s superb skill set to win the Civil War.

In the language of modern-day psychology, Lincoln had a “growth mindset” that allowed him to reframe his thinking despite Stanton’s repudiation and insults.

Cognitive elasticity is often at the foundation of complex thinking, humility, thoughtfulness, forgiveness, compassion, empathy and outstanding decision-making.

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Stanton’s private secretary, E. A. Johnson, made it very clear how “utterly and irreconcilable unlike” these two men were. As one example, Johnson said that Stanton was all dignity, sternness, and would take hardships with a groan, while Lincoln all simplicity, good nature, and would find a funny story to tell during hardships. Yet Johnson said that both men were better when harnessed together.

Lincoln’s “elasticity of spirits” eventually led him to rethink and recast core constitutional principles (e.g., the federal government could not use armed force to prevent a state from seceding) and altered the Constitution’s framework. His cognitive flexibility directed him to issue the Emancipation Proclamation on Jan. 1, 1863, which declared “that all persons held as slaves” within the rebellious states “are, and henceforward shall be free.”

Throughout his life, Lincoln was always known to carry a book, and he used much of his free time reading the Bible and books about all sorts of diverse issues — which, in itself, is an action of listening to another person in a sustained manner, which creates the skill set for cognitive elasticity.

And to be fair to his famously diverse cabinet, many of the men Lincoln relied on also had the skill set of cognitive flexibility, including Stanton and Secretary of State William H. Seward.

Lincoln admired compromise like many other great leaders, including George Washington, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Jane Addams. Despite his efforts, extremists in both the North and South united to bring about the war that Lincoln had striven to avoid.

Imagine how America would be today if more Democratic and Republican leaders had Lincoln’s “elasticity of spirits.”

Rodney B. Dieser, who has a doctoral degree, is the author of seven books and more than 100 academic articles. He is a professor of recreation, tourism and nonprofit leadership at the University of Northern Iowa, and works as a licensed mental health counselor at Wartburg College, a private Lutheran liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa. The views expressed here are his own.