Leaders get the words right

Secretary of State-elect, William Seward, worked on Lincoln's inaugural address "for hours" before Lincoln applied his finishing touch. Doris Kearns Goodwin notes that "Seward's revisions are evident in nearly every paragraph" (Team of Rivals, page 325).

Lincoln was humble enough to let others help him get better. Because he solicited suggestions and incorporated them we have these amazing words which the President delivered to a nation on the verge of civil war:

"I am loth to close. We are not enemies, but friends, We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature." March 5, 1861.

Leaders take the time to get the words right. One way they do this is by asking others to help them in the process. What communication project is on your plate? Who can help you "get the words right"?

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This week's post from the World Leaders Group is called, "How Leaders Thrive In Hardships." You can click here to get it.