The other day, I was cruising my bookshelves for books that I might need to move on to happier places — meaning I was running out of room. One book caught my eye. The back cover stated, “You think you have it rough? Only ten days before Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office in 1861, the Confederate States of America seceded from the Union, taking Federal agencies, forts and arsenals within their territory.” 

The book is familiar; it was first published in 1992 by Donald Phillips. “Lincoln on Leadership” is my return-to book when I need presidential wisdom. The pages are worn, and the book spine is creased; I love the astuteness of human nature that dons the pages of the book. I opened it and read the following from the chapter summary called “Lincoln Principles”: 

  • “When the occasion is piled high with difficulty, rise with it.”
  • “If you never try, you’ll never succeed.”
  • “Remember that the best leaders never stop learning.”
  • “Think anew and act anew.”

“Think anew and act anew” caught my eye. I looked up the exact quote about it. President Lincoln said: “Still, the question recurs: Can we do better?” The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think and act anew.”

Can we do better? The dogmas of the quiet past are inadequate to the stormy present. In ancient Greece, a dogma was defined as “something that seems true.” Lincoln was saying to his leaders to consider that they might think (and act) differently and that the pathways of the past will not be the pathways for the future. 

I recently lost a great candidate for a leadership position that I had been recruiting for due to the dogma of the past. She wanted to work a creative schedule. Hours that no one else was working. 

I felt the current work hours were working, and I wondered how to make this new schedule work. She turned down the opportunity due to our inability to figure out how to make the work hours work for both of us.

I went for a long walk and reflected on the whole experience. Lincoln’s words circled in my head. I was reticent about my dogma thinking (something that seems true) and how that might have influenced the scenario of the lost candidate. 

Dogmas influence daily decisions. As President Lincoln stated, “The occasion is piled high with difficulty, and we must rise with the occasion. As our case is new, so we must think and act anew.”

Martie L. Moore, MAOM, RN, CPHQ, is the President/CEO of M2WL Consulting and Chief Health and Wellness Officer for Mary’s Woods. She has been an executive healthcare leader for more than 30 years. She has served on advisory boards for the National Pressure Injury Advisory Panel, American Nurses Association, Dean’s Advisory Board at the University of Central Florida College of Nursing and Sigma, International Honor Society for Nursing. She was honored by Saint Martin’s University with an honorary doctorate degree for her service and accomplishments in advancing healthcare. She recently published “The Leadership Sandwich,” now available on Amazon.

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