8 Things I Learned on the Battlefield of Gettysburg
As a life-long learner, I take personal and professional development very seriously. It’s important, at least to me, to take full advantage of each and every opportunity to learn. Never squander these chances.
A few weeks ago, I joined 27 other CEOs on the historic Battlefield of Gettysburg to gain some insights into strategic leadership. The field trip was led by Doug Douds, former USMC Col., Strategist and Special Assistant to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Our collective goal was to learn how to apply these takeaways off the field and in the office.
Let’s begin with a quick history lesson. The first three days of July 1863 were the bloodiest of the Civil War. The Battle of Gettysburg saw 165,000 soldiers at war with 72,000 horses and 10,000 mules. The terrain was densely wooded, sloped and strewn with boulders. Managing the logistics of a battle of this magnitude and topography was non-trivial. General Meade, who was assigned to lead the charge only a few days before this historic battle, forever secured his place in history by emerging from that bloodbath with a Union victory over General Robert E. Lee’s Confederate invasion of the North. He won by securing the hills. This battle marked the turning point for the Civil War. However, the toll was staggering: more than 51,000 soldiers perished in less than 72 hours.
Col. Douds opened dialogue asking the CEOs in attendance to draw parallels between their daily work and the events that took place on the battlefield more than a century ago. We were asked why this field trip would be important to CEOs. One parallel identified is the responsibility leaders have for others. In battle, the decisions of military leaders affect the lives of their soldiers. As business leaders, we are responsible for the careers and livelihoods of our staff. This is the burden and honor of leadership. In battle, leaders make forward progress with physical courage. In business, we lead with moral courage.
The US Army War College teaches four key leadership principles. One, context counts. Two, words are powerful and require that you use them with precision. Three, relationships matter. And four, logistics determine the art of the possible. Let’s dig into each of these to see how they apply to managing businesses in today’s lean and agile environments where building high-velocity 10x teams is a business imperative for success.
Everyone has something to share. Not only did we learn from our host of the field trip, but we learned from each other, which was an equally valuable experience.
Being in Gettysburg on that historic site gave me the opportunity to walk away with eight observations. This is what I learned on the battlefield:
As was the case in the Battle of Gettysburg, the squadrons who secured the highest hills first gained a competitive advantage. Drawing another parallel between leading on the battlefield and leading from the office, as leaders, we must have an acute awareness of our high grounds (strengths) and our vulnerable flanks (weaknesses). Success is correlated with maximizing utilization of our strengths: in business terms, this translates to staying focused on our core competencies. We must also remain acutely aware of how and where our business is vulnerable. To do so, we must analyze how our customers perceive their experience with us, what our competitors are doing and how the market is trending or shifting. Once known, we need to develop strategic plans to protect our flanks and reinforce our weakest links.
As leaders, we love to delegate tasks. Doing so is an inherent component of our role. However, we can empower our people by telling them why we are assigning the task. Tasks and purpose are the essence of how and why we are in business. By taking the time to explain the relevance of the given task within the context of the bigger picture and what everyone else is tasked with doing, the person assigned will better understand his/her role. And hence, his/her purpose. Context will also illuminate the importance of executing the task with quality and in a timely manner.
Everyone needs mentors and everyone should mentor someone else. We learn best by following the example of others. By investing in our mentees, we can help them achieve their greatest potential. In so doing, we rise up with them learning how to hone our leadership skills and are rewarded by reaching down the ladder to pull someone else up. Who do you mentor? And, if you’re not mentoring someone, why not?
Cognitive dissonance must be challenged and kept in check. It creates tension and inner conflict because our beliefs and behaviors are at odds with each other. For most of us, it is the equivalent of an imaginary mental speed bump. If we regard that imaginary speed bump as a means of slowing us down just enough to think about our next move and how we intend to communicate it to our teams, then it is valuable. However, if we learn to manage it, we will become more confident in our ability to make decisions.
Challenge ideas to make them more robust. Create “Red Teams” who exist solely to poke holes in projects, concepts, approaches and so on.
There is enormous value in looking back at what you did. To do so, conduct an operational postmortem: note the lessons learned and disseminate them to your team. You’re on the front lines and must keep moving forward but you need to learn from your mistakes as well as repeat and refine the things that you did that worked well.
Vision is important, of course. However, if you have a vision but are unable to get everyone aligned to it because you have failed to communicate it effectively, your vision will never be realized. Connectedness is valuable. Create opportunities to connect with your teams. Host a Town Hall, and offer open office hours. Equally important is the requirement that you create a place where people feel safe to speak up and push back.
Communication is critical. Write a blog, send emails, texts, or whatever it takes but choose your words carefully. Be consistent, not repetitive, and be ruthless about communicating non-stop.
Connecting with your team by regularly providing context and access to foster trust, build relationships and instill a sense of purpose. And, we all need purpose. Without it, why should our business exist?
