Lessons From President Lincoln’s Cabinet of Misfits

**The following is a excerpt from a Leadership Lab group newsletter**

What would you do with a competitor that publicly talked trash about you? Or, what about a team member who challenged your authority so much it nearly broke up your organization? American history books have a little known story like this that will blow your mind. 

Clearly, I’m not cut from the same cloth as President Abraham Lincoln, because his reaction shocked me. Honest Abe experienced this exact situation and responded by adding them both (and others) to his now infamous Presidential Cabinet known as his ‘Team of Rivals.’ Lincoln built a Cabinet that had representatives like his Secretary of State, New York Senator, Willian H. Seward, who vehemently disagreed with him and Edwin M. Stanton, a Democrat who publicly shamed the president. 

As a result, President Lincoln and the United States reaped the benefits of exposure to diverse idea sets. Democrat and Republican concepts could bounce off of each other for a chance at a “truer” reality from which to make decisions. 

The best information comes from diverse, well-challenged positions. 

From a Leadership Lab perspective, the underlying principle is key. Growth and progress come from disconfirming information. That’s true by definition and the mechanics of change. Knowing that is one thing. Building an organization, like President Lincoln chose to do, is another. 

Now, more than ever, we’ve got to be deliberate in our design of how we can expose ourselves to divergent, disagreeable ideas. Life at baseline is siloed and information often gets filtered in ways that confirm our perspective. Or, disconfirming information is present in ways that enrage us (to keep our attention) rather than change us. 

Curated, algorithm-enhanced silos are dangerous. 

Your job is to create your own Team of Rivals to productively challenge your perspective. 

There are several actionable ways to try this on:

1. Unofficial Board of Advisors. This is the easiest option and probably doesn’t need to include letterhead and branded polo shirts. This path would be about building a small circle of friends and colleagues from outside of your organization that can be a sounding board for negative feedback and challenge. Give them the green light, build trust, and challenge your assumptions with them.  
2. Create an Organizational Container for Rival Attitudes. Look around your organization. If either everyone agrees or disagreement is avoided… Danger! Danger! You need two things to be an effective change making organization: First, you need unique perspectives and styles. And, second, you need to build a culture of trust and willingness strong enough that that information is exchanged.
   

While Lincoln’s story isn’t license to surround yourself with toxicity, the challenge is on you to create an environment that will break your frame and battle test your ideas. If your team feels eerily agreeable, beware!