In the Footsteps of Leaders

The Gettysburg Foundation Leadership Program

By Karen Hendricks

Photo by Casey Martin

Licensed Battlefield Guide Sue Boardman leads a tour group.

Since 2007, more than 100 clients have retraced the steps of officers across the Gettysburg Battlefield, studying movements and decisions made in 1863 in order to gain 21^st-century insights into leadership and communication styles.

“The battlefield is an experiential place,” explains Sue Boardman, licensed battlefield guide and leadership program director of Gettysburg Foundation. “The setting is so compelling…and the decisions made on the battlefield provided immediate and dramatic results.”

Boardman and a small team of licensed battlefield guides provide customized leadership programs for corporate groups ranging in size from 12 to 25 members, with programs lasting 1-2 days. More than 75 percent of their corporate clients are repeat customers. And since its founding in 2007, the program has always topped the previous year’s number of tours. In 2014, they provided 41 tours.

Corporate clients include such well-known companies as:

·       The Boeing Company

·       Lockheed Martin

·       Sherwin-Williams Company

·       The Hershey Company

·       Trader Joe’s

·       Crayola

·       White House Military Office

·       University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business

Which Union and Confederate officers provide the most interesting case studies? “General Lee had a specific style of leadership…he was very aloof,” says Boardman. “So, he did not do a lot of specific communicating. He had lost his senior strategist, Stonewall Jackson, whom he replaced two weeks before the Battle of Gettysburg. Gen. Ewell had never served at that level and was also deficient in communications.”

Additional Civil War leadership styles presented within the program include:

John Buford: A middle management officer and the first Union general on the battlefield, he seized a battle-winning opportunity even though it was outside his job description.

James Longstreet: A Confederate general, he is known for making one of the toughest calls of the battle when he had to choose between the advice of his staff on the ground and his superior’s orders.

Joshua Chamberlain: This low-ranking Union officer provided a timeless example of “thinking outside the box” and “coolness under pressure” on the Gettysburg Battlefield.

Here’s what clients had to say:

“In both the private sector and in government, the most prized attribute for any executive is leadership. Leaders impart vision, set the agenda, and inspire. And most successful leaders are not ‘born’—they are made. The Gettysburg Leadership Experience is an ideal program to help “make” future leaders. I engaged with the national treasure called Gettysburg while I was superintendent at West Point, and l have taken business leaders on battlefield ‘staff rides’ in my current position with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In every case, the feedback from participants clearly indicated that their exposure to the Gettysburg battlefield, through the ‘lens’ of leadership, was one of the best development opportunities they had ever encountered.”

Lieutenant Gen. (Retired) Dan Christman, Former Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point

“This was the best battle staff ride I ever experienced. I am a retired colonel USMC and have had three previous battle staff rides at Gettysburg.”

Martin J. Sullivan, Lockheed Martin

“The way the moves were broken down and used as leadership philosophies was a terrific learning tool.” 

Anthony Ferrera, CSX

“The feedback I've received from the group has been nothing short of remarkable. Both days of the conference worked exceptionally well together and I am convinced that it was an extraordinary experience for everyone. I believe the educational value of the program was unmistakable and I look forward to working with you in the years ahead to bring other groups of our talented Franklin & Marshall community to the Battlefield. Thank you again for all that you did to make this event such a resounding success.”

Steven P. O'Day, J.D., Senior Associate Dean of the College F&M College

“As we all gathered at the airport on our way home, we reflected on what each of us got from [the Footsteps program] and it is not an understatement to say that it will be ‘life changing.’”

Dan Bane, Chairman and CEO, Trader Joe’s