Lessons in Leadership from the Battlefield

Written by Eric Muller, Class of 2027

National Study Seminar Thursday & Friday 

The last two days of the National Study Seminar were not any different than the first three, jam packed with meetings, networking, and tours! Thursday, we spent the day in Gettysburg, PA and Friday we wrapped up in DC at the Pentagon and the US Dairy Export Council.  

My knowledge of Gettysburg didn’t go beyond what I had learned in middle school or high school American history classes. However, I was excited to learn more and how it related to my leadership journey. 

Our first stop of the day was Gettysburg National Military Park Museum. It featured a cyclorama of one of the largest free-standing paintings in North America, measuring 42 feet high and 377 ft in circumference! 

Upon arriving at the Gettysburg Leadership Experience, our teacher for the day, Chuck Burkell, framed up leadership, it is the gap that gets you from current reality to your aspired state. We need to leverage our leadership to inspire change. This reinforced some of the thoughts I’ve been having recently and further motivated me to change some aspects of myself and my leadership that are standing in the way of my goals. One quote I will adopt as a personal maxim is, “People do not resist change, perse. People resist loss” – Marty Linsky. 

We thought about leadership metaphorically as the battle of Gettysburg. History has proven that armies on high ground have the upper hand. Chuck urged us to think about our high grounds or positions of strength within our companies or personally. Next was to think about our left flank or our weak points. I think self-evaluation and reflection are important parts of leadership.  

Christina Moon, our historical guide, took us through a play by play of the battles to examine some of the leadership triumphs and shortcomings of each side. One that sticks out is the story of John F. Reynolds, a key Union commander. The morning of July 1, 1863, he was leading his men into battle at Mcpherson Ridge. Within the first moments of the battle, he fell from his horse with a wound in the back of the lower head and died. He was killed by a confederate sharpshooter. His death was a big blow to the Union Army. This sparked a leadership debate, should leaders be on the front lines? I think seeing a leader on the front lines improves morality, but I think leaders serve a greater purpose and losing them has large lasting impacts.  

We started Friday with a tour of the 9/11 Pentagon Memorial. One thing that stuck with me was how the tragedy brought people together to accomplish one common goal, rebuilding their communities and the pentagon. Donald Rumsfeld, the secretary of defense at the time, set a lofty goal of rebuilding the pentagon in 1 year. The Washington Post replied, saying there was not a snowflakes chance in hell that it would be rebuilt in that times frame. But it was, kind of… Employees who worked in the pentagon celebrated by tying paper cut out snowflakes to the ceilings once construction was completed. I think we can draw a lot from this example as leaders, when people are stakeholders in a large goal, they fully commit themselves.  

Throughout my experience in the IALP I have never heard anyone say they are content with the current agriculture environment. I think the learnings from this seminar can serve as a playbook to navigate the issues facing ag. and the goals we have for it; leadership is the catalyst of change, understanding your strengths and weaknesses, and setting lofty goals to broaden stakeholder engagement.