Past provides guide to future leadership

Patrick Cataldo

Walking softly across the hallowed ground where thousands of soldiers died, one quickly understands the words President Abraham Lincoln used to pay tribute to those who fought the Battle of Gettysburg. He was right when he said the world

would long remember what those soldiers did there.

More than 50,000

Americans lost their lives in three days, turning the tide of the war in favor of the Union.

As most of us have heard, it is unwise to ignore the lessons of the past. But could the officers and soldiers engaged in that monumental struggle actually have something to say to 21st century business leaders?

Apparently, they can, and do.

Starting with the notion that nothing makes a stronger impact than experiential learning, Jeff Mc- Causland, Ph.D., established the Gettysburg Leadership Seminar. What’s unique about the famed Civil War battle is that for two years preceding it, the larger and better equipped Union army had been losing to the Confederate army. The key factor in this was Confederate leadership. At Gettysburg, the leadership advantage shifted to the North.

McCausland uses the strategic and tactical decisions made on the field of battle to illustrate how strong leadership in war and in business often make the difference between failure or success, victory or defeat.

Before setting foot on the battlefield, participants are taken through a one day, pre-program seminar of the battle, step by step, decision by decision, in order to see how leadership decisions determined the final outcome of the battle.

McCausland, a visiting professor for the Dickinson School of Law and former dean of academics at the U.S. Army War College, works with Tom Vossler, a retired military officer and a Gettysburg battlefield guide. They bring leadership lessons to life and apply them to business as the group moves from place to place at the national historic monument.

Examples of this practical application abound:

•The Union victory was largely based on its leaders’ abilities to identify, occupy, fortify and hold the hills. Taking the high ground in battle is paralleled with business leaders identifying, and protecting, the company’s strongest competitive advantage — its high ground.

•The idea of “managing upward” in an organization is made clear by Gen. James Longstreet’s unsuccessful attempt to discourage Robert E. Lee from ordering the ill-fated Pickett’s Charge.

“This is not a course in military history or in military strategy,” said McCausland. “It is (a program) in leadership development. The lessons learned engage executives in thinking about the choices they make and the consequences of their decisions.”

Participant feedback provides positive testimonials.

“This has been a thought-provoking, mind-enhancing experience that gave me a greater insight into my role as a leader and those being led,” one said.

“The seminar helps you better define leadership inclusively, to recognize it within yourself and others. But the seminar better shapes ideas and action for using that leadership,” said another.

Whether it is leadership learning or experiential learning in or out of the classroom, what matters most are the lessons that executives learn that help them manage better in both good and bad times.

Join me on my blog, “Thinking Ahead in Business,” where the discussion on using experiential learning will be continued, or write to me at pac21@psu.edu. Patrick Cataldo is associate dean for executive education at Penn State’s Smeal College of Business.