During my final semester of graduate school I took a class titled, “Leadership Ride: Lessons from Gettysburg”.
The objective was simple — to study the Civil War’s most decisive battle and apply the lessons from it to business and investing in the current day.
Conventional?
Not in the least bit.
Invaluable?
Undoubtedly.
In the first few weeks of the class, we explored why strategies leading up to and during the battle evolved. We also compared how tactics were carried out and what differentiated generals like Robert E. Lee from George Meade, Richard Ewell from Joshua Chamberlain, and John Buford from James Longstreet. We then dove deeper into where mistakes were made, opportunities seized, and gains taken or lost.
After ten classes on campus, the “Ride” concluded with a two-day tour of the battlefield, which included spending time at places like Seminary Ridge, Little Round Top, Devil’s Den, and the Peach Orchard.
At the end of our second day at Gettysburg, we found ourselves atop Cemetery Ridge, which represented the Union Army’s critical defensive position and where the battle ultimately came to an end.
On this chilly afternoon in mid-April, our guide turned to us and asked a seemingly simple question,
“Who thinks they know what ultimately determined the outcome of this critical battle in early July 1863?”
As you might expect from a class of eager MBAs, nearly everyone had an answer — communication breakdowns, failures to take strategic positions, inferior resources on the Confederate’s side, the Union army’s ability to maintain the high ground, and even the weather, to name a few.
While our guide acknowledged that these factors certainly contributed to the battle’s ultimate outcome, he told us he was looking for more. He then peered down at Seminary Ridge, which served as the launching point for the
