Team of Rivals – Call 1 questions
I look forward to starting our reading of “Team of Rivals” in just less than a month.
Call #1
Wednesday, June 13
8pm new york time
Dial-in #: 1-800-615-2900 (Toll Free in USA and Canada)
pass code: [email Ramona at Creative Good dot com to get the pass code]
For our first call, I have put together the following questions to guide your reading.
Call #1 Questions
Chapters 1-5 (pages 1-169)
1. The book opens on the eve of the Republican party convention in Chicago in 1860. A dominant theme in these early pages – and expanded on later – is Lincoln’s ability to forge “an unusually loyal circle of friends.” How important to leadership is the ability to develop friends and work with rivals? Goodwin notes that the mid-nineteenth century American culture supported and allowed for close male friendships. It seems that that culture has changed and while American society today is more open in some regards, it does not seem to support the same kind of intense male friendships that were common among the young frontier generation of Lincoln’s time. Do these cultural changes hurt men’s ability to lead today, and, perhaps, help women who do not suffer the same restrictions on their friendships? Think about Lincoln’s ability to create strong friendships, the role the culture of his time played in that, and the challenges men and women have as leaders today.
2. What did you learn about Lincoln’s childhood that you didn’t already know? What was surprising or memorable about his childhood? How was his upbringing different from that of his rivals?How do you think his childhood experiences impacted his development as a leader? How were the conditions all “the rivals” faced similar or different from growing up in America of the 21st century?
3. What was the role of storytelling and reading in Lincoln’s life? How did his reading habit contribute to his ability to learn and lead? “…in an age when speech-making prowess was central to political success…Lincoln’s stirring oratory had earned the admiration of a far-flung audience…” (page 9). “It was through literature that he was able to transcend his surroundings.” (page 51). Given the advent of mass communications, including the internet, what application do reading and storytelling have to developing leaders today?
4. Lincoln had a simple platform in the 1840s: “a national bank, a protective tariff, and a system for internal improvements.” (page 90). Was Lincoln’s ability to simplify to the important issues – likely informed by his storytelling skills – a critical part of his leadership ability? Do all successful leaders need to know how to focus on the most important issues? What’s the difference between simplification and “dumbing down.” Is there a difference? Do today’s political leaders simplify like Lincoln did? Or in a different way?
5. Doris Kearns Goodwin disputes the idea that Lincoln was constantly depressed but she also recounts a period of severe depression (page 98). Lincoln experienced political defeat, his friend Speed returned to Kentucky and he was distraught. What seemed to pull Lincoln out of the depression? Is his commitment to his “legacy” (or “long-term ego”) healthy? Is it necessary for a leader to want to leave a legacy? Is that a necessary part of leadership?
6. Coming out of his depression, Lincoln speaks to a temperance society in Springfield, Illinois (page 100). What’s important about this speech and how Lincoln handles it?
7. Consider Lincoln’s first and only term as a senator in Washington. He opposed the war and paid a short-term political price for it. Perhaps it was a mistake or perhaps it was the right thing to do. Nevertheless, he eventually was elected as president. What can we learn from how he handled his one term in Washington? How in general did Lincoln handle setbacks and slights throughout his career?
After each call I will email you with the chapter specific questions for the next call. These questions set the agenda of our discussion and address valuable nuggets within the text. At some point I will approach you, in advance, and ask you to help introduce the the ideas that the question addresses during the next call.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Best,
Ramona
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Chapter Breakdown:
Call #1: 6/13
Chapters 1-5 (pages 1-169) 169 pages total
Call # 2: 7/11
Chapters 6 -11 (pages 170-319) 149 pages total
Call # 3: 8/8
Chapters 12-15 (pages 321-423) 102 pages total
Call # 4: 9/19
Chapters 16-19 (pages 425-521) 96 pages total
Call # 5: 10/24
Chapters 20-22 (pages 522-596) 74 pages total
Also please read Pericles’ Funeral Oration from “Thucydides,” about 7 pages total
The text can be found at: http://tinyurl.com/3k8ox
Wikipedia entry: http://tinyurl.com/38mhax
Call # 6: 11/14
Chapters 23-26 (pages 597-749) 152 pages total
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Meta Questions:
Lincoln’s leadership style can be described as a managed tension between collaboration and sticking to his guns on key principals and decisions. What can we learn from this balance that can be applied today as managers attempt to bring change to their organizations? What are the lessons and stories from Lincoln that give us ideas on how to work differently?
Does lincoln have an ego? if yes, how does he manage it? would it be relevant to say that he subverted his short-term ego in order to serve his long-term ego? If so what can we learn from him in the day-to-day management of our own egos?
Lincoln was the original council member – i.e. he knew how to ask for help not only from peers, but from rivals. Not only did he build a “team of rivals,” but he also knew how to ask from help from the great books, history and from his customers, the citizens, especially the common citizens of the then-still-young republic. As council members what can you learn from Lincoln that can help you develop as leaders and improve your own “asking for help discipline?”
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Buy or borrow the book:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/258463
Library: http://www.borrowabook.org/
Brainwashing?
As always I enjoyed our discussion yesterday evening…… but I wanted to say something about my use of the term “brainwashing”
I think Sean’s frustrations with the text’s digressions are shared at times by all of us. My use of the term brainwashing was extreme but I don’t think it applies just to linear thinkers, nor did I mean it as pejorative as it may have sounded last night.
What I was trying to say is that we all are brainwashed in our way of processing information,,,, we’re creatures of our time… just as my bricklaying grandfather had meticulous penmanship, I write fairly decently. and this year I’ve had to deal with students who are whizzes at computer graphics and can’t seem to use their hands to draw or cut and paste. Hand skills change with the demands of time; so too do thinking skills.
My point is that we are all brainwashed: taught to think in the linear constructs of our culture. As (the great) Bob Marley said ” We build your penitentiaries, we build your schools, brainwash, educate us and make us your fools” To the degree that higher education has become high level jobs training and not a liberal education Bob has an overstated but valid point. Even Academia (or at least many of the souls that seem to dwell within it) can be seen as another high end job training program. Which is why I love our little ad hoc reading group so much and don’t want to be branded as someone biased against linear thinkers – hey, I wish I could be one!
Which gets me to what I look for in the writings of H – his “digressions”: For me, the two primary interests are the existential and human constants of a person’s life regardless of the era in which he/she lived and the specific cultural uniqueness that was then and except for documentation is now lost forever.
But that doesn’t mean I don’t care about the facts of warfare and history. or that Sean and I are oppositional voices. In fact he and I were the two individuals most skeptical at the number of troops, and I found one of the most fascinating chapters the descriptions of bridge building – which I would have been more skeptical of, had I not seen the article on Inca bridges in last week’s Times.
As for the business world – the way I see it; its the seat of contemporary power….. why would I not expect it to attract the best and the brightest – and to honor those folks? but …. I wouldn’t admit to bias against such folks except to say that they think differently than I do and seem to my limited experience to place a premium on efficiency of thought.
The entrepreneur I used to work for was very linear and focused, but he was also very able to think outside the box, to bring his full attention to something and work it through in a unique way. I really respect that. This individual didn’t waste time with addenda and diversions: he was a man of action. I think he was like Darius and the type of person Xerxes would have liked to be.
In a way the different ways of thinking are like Xerxes and Artabanus conversation in Book 7 chapter 48 (which reminds me of Zorba the Greek and the famous dialogue about water: Zorba says ” if you look at it under the microscope you will never drink it, and you’ll die of thirst”)
I’m not saying all business people are like Darius, but he was a type that I recognize, decisive and proactive, just as visual people are of a different type. Unfortunately in modern American society we are increasingly associating only with people of our economic caste, class and type. I think that it is dangerous when we limit ourselves and become biased and brand one another.
Hope this makes it clearer, I love all our different voices.
Fondly
Hedy
PS I forgot to mention last night how surprised to find three things in chapter 7 First chapter 16 b that ” dreams do not come from God…..” ; then the existential burden of chapter 46 “this makes life, despite its brevity seem all too long,”; and finally that old saw “if you could share your problems with a group of other people you’d want to leave with your own” to paraphrase chapter 152.
PPS When I looked up the citation for the last entry I rediscovered this gem of H. speaking in his own voice: ” My business is to record what people say, but I am no means bound to believe it, – and that may be taken to apply to this book as a whole.” pg. 468 ch.152. looks like H. nailed it!
Book 7 Herodotus – audio recording
Here’s the audio recording for Herodotus Book 7. Listen online ordownload the mp3 file and listen to it as a podcast on your ipod.
Youtube version of the Cosby Noah story
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfU92tDr8rg?wmode=transparent]
-Noah from Bill Cosby’s routines
Team of Rivals 2007 – Schedule, Book link
Welcome to the reading group for “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” – one of the best books about leadership published in the last decade.
Your next step – buy or borrow the book:
Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/258463
Library: http://www.borrowabook.org/
—
Schedule of phone calls
Wednesdays 8pm NYC time
– June 13
– July 11
– August 8
– September 19
– October 24
– November 14
I will send a reminder ahead of time with details, such as chapter
breakdowns, questions to guide the reading and the dial-in number.
Thanks,
Ramona Piagentini
Analyst
Creative Good
P.S. here is a fun Team of Rivals clip from the daily show:
http://tinyurl.com/37kmmq
PLEASE NOTE:
– the clip features a brief interview with the author
– you may have to watch an ad first
Exodus – questions and recording
Folks,
Our call tonight went very well. Thank you.
Here’s the recording:
Download ConferenceRecording-4018012-803808.mp3
Below are the questions we discussed.
Phil
– What is Exodus? A liberation story or a story about the glory and power of God?
– If Exodus is a liberation story why does God “harden Pharoah’s heart” repeatedly thus stopping Pharoah from releasing the Jews earlier?
– If Exodus is simply about the power of God why has the story held such resonance through the ages and, for example, become the basis of liberation theology?
– Moses asks God his name. The Hebrew of this part 3:13 – 3:15 is a play on words. The Hebrew for “I am” or “I will be” is eheyh. Changed into the third person this would be yihyeh or in an older form yahweh, which was likely the prunciatino of YHWH. Knowing this makes this passage both more fun and more meaningful.
– Throughout Exodus God is the main actor – controlling both the Egyptians and the Jews – except when Moses argues with God after the Israelite rebellion (the rebellion led by Moses’ brother while Moses is up on Mt. Sinai the first time)? God is put in a bad position after this incident – to destroy the Jews or to restore them to favor are both difficult choices that frustrate God’s plans. How does God resolve these tensions.
– Why is so much time spent in Exodus detailing the design of the sanctuary?
Phil
Herodotus Book 7 Questions to ponder
I hope you are enjoying Book 7 as much as I am. I am sure that we will be referring to the current movie “300” at some point, but in addition I have put together some more historical questions for us to ponder for our next conference call on Monday May 14. Please feel free as always to air your thoughts or add any other questions for us to consider through our ro2 listserv before May 14.
Andre
Question #1
The decision for the Persians to invade Greece is a highly significant one. Starting in chapter 8, what are Xerxes’ reasons for doing so? Are they based on national security? personal revenge? tradition? anything else?
After Xerxes’ dreams convince the Persians to invade, does that make Mardonius’ reasons any stronger? Why or why not?
Question #2
In chapters 27-29, Pythius voluntarily offers Xerxes a great amount of resources to help the war effort. Xerxes appreciates the offer, but becomes angry at Pythius soon after (38-39). Is Xerxes justified in doing so? Does this story, which surrounds Xerxes’ order to ‘punish’ the Hellespont, show Xerxes’ madness? wisdom?
Question #3
The Ancient Greeks believed that “hubris” or ‘overweening pride’ would lead to a just punishment from the gods. In which instances in Book 7, does Herodotus show Xerxes’ “hubris?” In which instances is Xerxes prudent? How does Xerxes compare with his predecessor Darius in balancing “hubris” with prudence?
Question #4
Before the Crossing of the Hellespont, Xerxes and Artabanus have a dialogue that begins with the ‘sadness in life’ (chs.46-52). Both Xerxes and Artabanus have differing views on this and on the coming invasion of Greece. How does Xerxes justify his position vis-a-vis Artabanus? Given the situation and regardless of the outcome, do either Xerxes or Artabanus have the stronger argument?
Question #5
Given Xerxes’ decision to allow the three captured Greek spies to see his whole Persian force (ch. 147), what is Xerxes’ strategy as he approaches Thermopylae? Even with the exiled Spartan king Demaratus’ advice, what does Xerxes nevertheless cling to as his military advantange? What advantage to the Greeks is Xerxes constantly overlooking? Why?
Question #6
The Delphic oracle predicted for the Spartans that “either their city must be laid waste by the foreigner or a Spartan king be killed” (ch. 220). Was this the main reason Leonidas decided to remain at Thermopylae? What other reasons are there? Was the battle of Thermopylae militarily significant or merely symbolic?
Question #7
What are your favorite stories from Book 7? Which, if any, have you heard about before in movies, books or popular media?
Bill Damon (RO1)
For the last twelve years, I have been with Harvard Business SchoolPublishing, publisher of the Harvard Business Review, HBS case studies,and HBS Press books. The early part of my work at HBSP had me doingtech support, database administration, desktop application/UIdevelopment, and Intranet design and development. For the last fiveyears I have been a system administrator, developer, business analyst,and usability resource for our e-commerce site.
My new position as Findability and Metrics Analyst was recently createdin response to HBSP’s renewed focus on online customer experience. Inthis position, I’m helping to lead efforts to improve our site searchand SEO. I’m also implementing new reporting tools and leading aconsumer electronics research team to evaluate how new devices willchange our customers’ content consumption habits.
CANE summer institute
Check out www.caneweb.org
The are presenting Beyond Antiquity, the Legacy of the Classical World, from July 9-14, at Dartmouth.
Jean Bolgatz
Joyce Haas (RO1)
Joyce Haas is a product manager at WebMD Health where she currentlyleads the search experience across the various health information sitesin the WebMD network. Prior to joining WebMD, she was a Vice Presidentwith Tavistock Lifesciences, managing early stage biotech andbio-informatics investments and working closely with the managementteams of Tavistock’s portfolio companies. Prior to that Joyce was thedirector of Product Management at Cariocas, a venture funded SiliconValley software company that used proprietary algorithms based on gametheory to create integrated promotions focused on engaging consumersthroughout the product life cycle. She also worked with Monitor Companyand Goldman Sachs.
Joyce has a MA in economics from the University of Amsterdam and an MBA from Harvard Business School.