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11 Lincoln on Leadership <br />11 The president did not always take kindly to people who <br />were not involved in the day-to-day operations of the <br />'government making demands upon him or telling him how <br />il he should run the war effort. But, rather than harshly <br />turning Y awa such individuals Lincoln would ease them <br />out of his office with a short, appropriate anecdote. For <br />example, when a delegation of politicians from the West <br />' invaded his office making excited demands, he simply shut <br />them off by responding: <br />"Gentlemen, suppose all the property you were worth was in <br />gold and this you had placed in the hands of (one man) to carry <br />across the Niagara River on a rope. Would you shake the cable <br />and keep shouting at him `Stand up a little straighter, stoop a little <br />more, go a little faster, go a little slower, lean a little more to the <br />south'? No, you would hold your breath, as well as your tongue, <br />and keep your hands off until he got safely over. " <br />The Government is carrying an enormous weight. Untold <br />treasure is in their hands. Don't badger them. Keep silent <br />and we ,will get you safely across.' <br />1 Donald T. Phillips, Lincoln on Leadership: Executive Strategies for Tough Times, Warner Books, <br />Inc., New York, NY,1992, pp. 90-91 <br />1 <br />