There’s few American Presidents who inspire, encourage, and confound like Abraham Lincoln. He was a walking paradox – an undereducated country lawyer turned politician who become (arguably) the most pivotal figure in American history at the country’s lowest moment.
For everyone who thinks the United States is divided today, it’s surely not as divided as it was in 1861 when Lincoln assumed office. When news of his election reached South Carolina, that state assembly voted to leave the United States. A number of other southern states followed suit and, in April 1861, the crisis over the nature of the Union between Federal Government and State Government and Slavery erupted in armed conflict.
This chain of events presented Lincoln with a lot of problems (that feels like an understatement to write). One of the biggest problems, in my opinion, was that his General-in-Chief of the US Army was none other than Winfield Scott. For context, Winfield Scott was admitted to the Virginia State bar in 1806. He witnessed the landmark trial of Aaron Burr, was appointed to Federal military service under the presidency of Thomas Jefferson, rose to the rank of General during the War of 1812, and led the US assault on Mexico City in 1841. In April 1861, Scott was 75 and had spent 53 years in the US Army.
The problem with Winfield Scott was that he was not fit to lead the Union Army in a conflict of rapid technological change, indefinite length, and uncertain outcome. Lincoln (and Scott for that matter) knew this, but there was nothing he could do at the onset of the war. By November 1861, conscience and political pressure led Scott to resign his position and retire to West Point (very lovely this time of year).
General George McClellan was appointed in his place and was, in many ways, Scott’s polar opposite. McClellan was young (34), brash, politically well-connected, and an anxious overthinker. This specific trait became readily apparent in the Spring of 1862 as McClellan launched his Peninsula Campaign in Eastern Virginia. He consistently overestimated Confederate strength in terms of both numbers and positions. He was reluctant to attack even when he had the overwhelming advantage and was all but ordered to do so. The campaign ended in a Confederate victory but was marked by McClellan’s indecisiveness and unwillingness to engage in the enemy.
In April 1862, Lincoln observed that McClellan, “had the capacity to make arrangements for a great conflict, but as the hour for action approached he became nervous and oppressed with responsibility and hesitated to meet the crisis.”
In a letter dated April 9, he wrote McClellan, “And once more let me tell you, it is indispensable to you that you strike a blow…the country will not fail to note – is now noting – that the present hesitation to move upon an entrenched enemy is but the story of Manassas repeated…I have never written you, or spoken to you, in greater kindness of feeling than now, nor with a fuller purpose to sustain you, but you must act.”
But you must act.
The biggest mistake so many of us make is that we simply fail to take action.
I’ve seen it in my own life, failing to do what I know was needed for fear that I might make the wrong decision.
I’ve seen it in the lives of countless men in the grip of indecision.
I’ve seen too many leaders hesitate and procrastinate until the moment passed because they were afraid of imagined consequences.
In the face of crisis, don’t hesitate. Make a decision. You must act.
Dallas Willard would often say that reality is what you run into when you’re wrong. The reality that we all face (sooner or later) is that no decision is, in fact, a decision. Inaction is an action, it’s just an ineffective one. By waiting and postponing and hemming and hawing, we are making a choice to avoid responsibility and avoid the action that we know we must take.
Take this as your cue to do just that: don’t allow the nervousness of your situation to “oppress you with responsibility”. Don’t hesitate to meet the crisis. Take action.
P.S. If you’re feeling stuck and just not sure what to do, that’s one place coaching can help. Reach out, let’s talk, and I’ll help you get moving. Or, if you’re a man and feeling stuck across the board, check out Better Men. We’ve got a great crew that’s jumped in so far and we’d love to have you.
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