Team of Rivals

“For all the attention this work has received, I’m surprised we haven’t taken to heart what Lincoln tried to accomplish during a time of crisis (the American civil war). Lincoln faced one of the greatest challenges to a presidency, but he understood that he needed the people around him – no matter their previous relationship or ideological differences – to steer through a crisis together and fight for the greater good. It’s a valuable lesson for all of us. Strong leaders must always find a way to build a coalition, to build the broadest consensus to move the cause forward. Lincoln set the standard for this kind of leadership.” Read more...

The best books on Progressive America

Antonio Villaraigosa, Politician

“This is just about the best book on politics I’ve ever read. You have to be a bit careful because with somebody like Lincoln there is such mass of material out there, but what Doris Kearns Goodwin has managed to do is to give it a freshness and a depth that is very rare – it’s an unputdownable historical account……There’s an amazing account of the nomination campaign of these three: William Seward, Salmon Chase, and Edward Bates. If you had had political bookmakers back then, Lincoln would have been fourth favourite. This has an incredibly detailed account of how he turned it round and how he won. And then he gave all the top jobs to his rivals, like Obama in making Hillary Clinton Secretary of State.” Read more...

Alastair Campbell on Leadership

Alastair Campbell, Politician