Crafting Your Public Image: Lessons from Abraham Lincoln

How Lincoln used image-making to build a cult of personality and win the presidency

Crafting your public image isn’t just a cheap tactic for politicians. It’s a powerful skill opening up a world of opportunities.

Yet, most still rely on their raw selves to win.

Learn key cult-building lessons from the greatest leader in US history: Abraham Lincoln.

Quick Lincoln Biography

For those who are unfamiliar with what I mean by “the greatest leader in US history,” here is some context about Abraham Lincoln’s life.

Lincoln embodies the American dream on its own. He was born into a poor family and did not have a prestigious education. He taught himself everything he needed to know about politics until he reaches the presidency.

But it’s not all.

What distinguishes Lincoln from being great to be exceptional is what happened next. He became president during US history’s worst constitutional, military, and moral crises. This led to the Civil War, which resulted in the abolition of slavery.

Lincoln achieved his lifelong dream of becoming president and led his country to fulfill his ambitions.

He gave a voice to every American.

But behind these heroic qualities was a genius of politics, a skilled strategist, and a master calculator who knew how to manipulate.

The Birth of an Icon

We can all learn from the techniques that Lincoln used to reach the highest office in the land. That’s the focus of today’s post.

So.

Let’s return to Lincoln’s early years…

Anyone who has ever practiced Judo knows that you have to be strategic to win.

Putting an opponent on the ground depends not on one’s own force but on one’s ability to use the opponent’s force.

Lincoln knew that he couldn’t compete with his opponents face-to-face.

No experience, no education, and wasn’t the son of…