In March of 1861, newly inaugurated president Abraham Lincoln had a difficult choice to make. His electoral victory had been slim; he didn't garner a single vote in the South, and many of the southern states had taken his election as a reason to leave the Union completely. The country was divided into armed camps, with war on the horizon.

With the looming prospect of war occupying his thoughts, Lincoln had to decide who would head up the various departments in his fledgling cabinet. The State Department, the War Department, the Treasury Department, and even the Post Office had no leadership with the departure of James Buchanan's administration. Even in 1861, the demands of the Presidency were too numerous for one person, and so Lincoln was faced with the task of filling his ranks.

He could have rewarded his supporters with Cabinet positions, which is a common practice, even today. It would have been quite easy for Lincoln to have simply brought along those who already agreed with him. Perhaps, it would have made those difficult first days a little easier to have men who already admired and respected him in positions of power.

But that wasn't what Lincoln did.

Lincoln looked outside of his inner circle, searching for men who could bring together the disparate factions within the Union, because it would take all of them, working together, to weather the coming storm. He chose his chief political rival, Senator William Seward of New York, as his Secretary of State. The Republican nomination had nearly fallen to Seward, but Lincoln was able to wrest it from him on the third ballot. Nevertheless, Seward agreed to come aboard to lead the Department of State. Salmon P. Chase of Ohio became the Secretary of the Treasury, and the famously obstinate Edwin Stanton took up the reins at the War Department.

In these men, all of whom were more experienced and better known than he was, Lincoln was assured to get the information he needed to hear, rather than the things he wanted to hear. When they agreed to serve, it wasn't because of any special fondness for him, but for a higher duty, something greater and more important than any one person. Lincoln came to rely on these men, giving them his trust, allowing them the freedom to do their jobs. In time, the men came to respect Lincoln and each other. Under their guidance, the nation endured through the bloody nightmare that was the Civil War, coming out bruised and battered, but whole, with Lee's surrender at Appomattox Court House in April of 1865.

Lincoln surrounded himself with people he respected, putting his personal feelings aside to achieve something he could not have done on his own. It is a lesson that still resonates today. In a world where the Like Button is king, cultivating a sense of humility, respect, and perspective might seem almost revolutionary. But it's these qualities that help us build lasting relationships in both our business and personal lives. When you're on a team, whether it's on a basketball court, in an auto shop, or even in your own home, you're a part of something bigger than yourself, and if you put aside your ego and do what you can for the greater good, you'll discover that you can accomplish far more as part of the team than you can by yourself, and that shared success will be far sweeter than anything you do on your own.