Owning Up to a Mistake

During the Civil War, Vicksburg, Miss., became known as "The Gibraltar of the Confederacy." Sitting on a high bluff along the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, Vicksburg was viewed as the key to controlling the war.

General Ulysses S. Grant of the Union army had an unorthodox plan to attack Vicksburg that cut against almost everyone’s opinion, including that of President Abraham Lincoln.

But while Lincoln may have disagreed with the plan, he allowed his general to proceed, trusting that he knew better. Lincoln and Grant never met face to face. All of their interactions came via the mail service, meaning Lincoln was essentially blindly placing his entire faith into the hands of someone else.

But Grant's strategy proved to be successful — leading Lincoln to take pen in hand and write the following letter:

My dear General,

I do not remember that you and I ever met personally. I write this now as a grateful acknowledgment for the almost inestimable service you have done the country. I wish to say a word further. When you first reached the vicinity of Vicksburg, I thought you should do, what you finally did -- march the troops across the neck, run the batteries with the transports, and thus go below; and I never had any faith, except a general hope that you knew better than I, that the Yazoo Pass expedition, and the like, could succeed. When you got below, and took Port-Gibson, Grand Gulf, and vicinity, I thought you should go down the river and join Gen. Banks; and when you turned Northward East of the Big Black, I feared it was a mistake. I now wish to make the personal acknowledgment that you were right, and I was wrong.

Yours very truly, A. Lincoln

Lincoln acknowledged his mistake, and instead of half-heartedly conceding that he was wrong, he documented his misjudgment and acknowledged Grant’s sagacity.

Lincoln showed incredible strength with the selfless, apologetic gesture, something many powerful leaders fail to do. While some might feel this weakens Lincoln’s leadership, it actually provides valuable strength.

When a team knows the leader is willing to admit mistakes, then its members will acknowledge their own. More importantly, they won’t hesitate to try something different out of fear of blame.

The letter by Lincoln paved the way for his administration to have an opinion forum and an open dialogue to search for the correct answers.

As leaders, we all need to follow Lincoln’s apology example, and while in today’s environment, documenting anything can prove risky, we need to send a message to those who follow us that we are capable of owning up to a mistake.

Never underestimate the power of a letter over an email. Words on paper mattered in 1863 — and they matter more today.