Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln is an insightful look into how the 16th President of the United States assembled his unique team of advisors and implemented their varied opinions to drive the nation through an unprecedented crisis. While the stated topic of this book is the leadership of Abraham Lincoln, it is also an exploration of the process of forming a successful team and the importance of compassionate yet effective leadership in times of great unrest.
Goodwin’s narrative begins with a portrait of Lincoln in the late 1850s; a relatively unknown Illinois politician who ran on an idealistic platform of nonviolence and cooperation between the southern and northern states. She then illustrates how Lincoln formed a cabinet of unyielding rivals, all of whom had their own beliefs, agendas and goals. Through their varied personalities, perspectives, and points of view, Lincoln was able to effectively deal with the deep divisions within the Union.
Lincoln’s team included a strong mix of characters including William Seward, a well known northern politician and Lincoln’s main rival for the Republican Party Presidential nomination. Although Seward was a respected politician in his own right, he championed a more gradual emancipation compared to Lincoln, creating a potent ideological tension within the cabinet. The two were also split on how to handle the southern states that had seceded from the Union; Lincoln wanted to apply a firm strategy in order to bring them back, while Seward wanted to take a softer approach.
The book also highlights the contributions of Lincoln’s other cabinet members such as Salmon P. Chase, Edwin M. Stanton, and Edward Bates. Each of these men had their own perspectives on different aspects of the Civil War and while they did not always see eye-to-eye with Lincoln’s approach, together they formed a strong collective will to move the nation forward.
Goodwin’s narrative also dives into the interpersonal dynamics of Lincoln’s cabinet, revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of the various individuals. She examines the various debates they had, their conflicts and their disagreements, ultimately showing how their differences ultimately allowed them to work together and strengthen Lincoln’s leadership.
Besides the interplay between the cabinet members, Goodwin’s narrative also provides an in-depth look into the psychological and philosophical elements of leadership. She examines how Lincoln’s powerful speeches, his humor and irony, and his empathy for the people he was attempting to lead played into his success. She notes his awareness of his own weaknesses, his awareness of the context in which he was leading, and his ability to distill complex ideas into effective policies. All of these factors played into how he was able to build an effective team from a disparate group of companions.
In the end Team of Rivals is an excellent biography of Abraham Lincoln, outlining how his leadership and his brilliant use of his "team of rivals" as both a foundation and a sounding board enabled him to penetrate through the deep divide that sat between the Union and Confederacy during the Civil War. It is an essential read for anyone interested in better understanding leadership and coalition-building, particularly in times of great change and turmoil.
