Forbes published an interview with a historian Doris Kearns Goodwin about Abraham Linkoln as a leader. It has a curious fragment where she says about his appearance, which was almost repulsive (maybe they prettified him a little for a 5-dollar banknote). But when he started telling stories… It’s a pity we can’t make a short video with him on his leader competencies.
We look at pictures of Lincoln and he never looks like he’s smiling and his beard makes him seem distant. He’s not a conventionally handsome face, to say the least. Those people who lived with him at time said that once he began speaking, got a smile on his face and told stories, this whole vitality came to his face. ...Once he began talking, that’s what people were mesmerized by. On TV, if he ever had to be on cable talk shows, he’d be able to eviscerate the other side with his humor. I’d like to think that he’d get elected today.
