Two weeks ago, I had the privilege to visit Gettysburg with other PLA members, we were accompanied by President Barron as well. On this trip we learnt about the battle of Gettysburg, a significant turning point during the civil war. What made this experience more meaningful was the way we got learn about the history, instead of the usual historical tour we were rather taken through a leadership journey that ultimately decided the outcome of the Gettysburg battle.
Our guides had immense experience and knowledge about the battle, I was baffled by how they had the numbers and answers for every single question that we had. Our tour was conducted in a way that we went through the challenges and decisions that the Union and Confederate armies had to make on each day for the days that the battle took. My highlight on that tour was when we went through the “second day” of the battle. In the evening of that day the Union army had taken up significant positions on the battle field and had managed to defend them. That night Robert Edward Lee commander of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia and MG George Gordon Meade commander of the Union Army of the Potomac displayed their different leadership styles, and this played a significant role in determining the outcome of the battle.
Robert E Lee was disappointed with his generals because they had not followed his orders properly but instead of sitting everyone down together and discuss further actions he talked to his generals individually and gave them instructions on what he wanted them to do. Meade on the other hand sat down with his generals and together they came up with a plan to defend and ultimately win the battle on the next day. Day three of the battle the confederate army suffered heavy losses and ended up losing the battle, which was Robert E Lee’s first major loss since taking over as commander. Meade on the other hand had just been appointed commander by Abraham Lincoln three days before the battle of Gettysburg, but the collective effort he had with his generals led to his success against the confederates.
Learning about this helped me understand how crucial communication is in every setting. It can be a small team completing a school project or even a large multi-million dollar corporation, communication is still key to ensure success.
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