Lesson #1: Leadership in Action is Leadership Defined
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
—Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The assignment was daunting, the orders direct. Hold the flank. Lieutenant Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, a former professor of language and rhetoric at Bowdoin College from the state of Maine, had been given the most important assignment he had ever received. At the battle of Gettysburg, July 1–4, 1863, during America’s Civil War, as the leader of the Federal Army’s Twentieth Maine troops, Chamberlain and his men were tasked with holding the line to the extreme left of the Federal’s main body of troops. He and his men were dug in yet spread out on the part of the battlefield known as Little Round Top. To his advantage, Chamberlain held the higher ground as the terrain of Little Round Top proved a natural stronghold. In order for the Confederate troops to overcome Twentieth Maine’s position, they would have to fight uphill. Measurably a daunting task as presented, but not an insurmountable one. Chamberlain was determined to hold the flank and positioned his men to take full advantage of the terrain, which provided natural cover in the form of trees and rocks along with its steep incline. As the Confederates would engage in the uphill battle, Chamberlain would instruct his men to hold their position, defend at all costs, and repel the attackers back down the hill.
Chamberlain was confident in his plan. Hold the flank.
He and the Twentieth Maine troops were ready to disrupt any Confederate aggression aimed at the Federal forces from the extreme left of the main body of Federal troops. However, Chamberlain also realized the gravity of the situation. If he and his men were unable to ward off the Confederate attack, the Federal Army would be exposed, attacked from the side and ultimately from behind. The flanking maneuver is designed to attack an opposition army at it least defensible point, and Chamberlain’s Twentieth Maine soldiers were the focal point of that least defensible opposition.
Under the leadership of Colonel William C. Oates, the Confederate Fifteenth Regiment Alabama Infantry were given their own set of orders. Attack and overcome the Federal left flank. Their plan was to attack the Federal forces at their least defensible and most vulnerable point, force the Federal defenders off of Little Round Top, and ultimately engage the Federal main body of troops from the side and behind. Their goal and the results they hoped for were clear. While an uphill battle, victory could be accomplished. If successful, it would change the outcome of the war.
Oates believed that success in this endeavor would mean certain victory for the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia at Gettysburg and would open the path for a march to take Washington, DC. He and his men were determined to overcome Chamberlain’s tactical advantage through a series of assaults designed to overwhelm the Federal firepower and position. Oates knew that he could outgun and outman the Federal troops despite their positioning. He would attack and overcome the Federal left flank. The Federals would not be able to withstand a relentless, continuous series of assaults, and thereby the Confederate Fifteenth Regiment Alabama would be successful in this battle.
Oates was confident in his plan. Attack and overcome the Federal left flank.
On the second day of the Gettysburg battle, July 2, 1863, Oates launched his plan. Wave after wave of Confederate soldiers braved the difficult terrain and made their way up Little Round Top. Relentless in their efforts, the Confederates displayed a fierce aggression in meeting the uphill challenge. They fought with intensity and determination to oust the Federal defenders.
Yet each time they advanced, they were met with an equally fierce and determined group of Federal soldiers, steadfast in protecting their position. The battle was waged throughout the day, with both sides suffering heavy casualties. Yet neither side would retreat or relinquish their effort. To add to the drama, the Federal soldiers were running short on ammunition. Maybe Oates had been right. If he could outgun and outman the Federals, the Confederates would gain Little Round Top and win the battle.
What Oates did not forecast and calculate correctly, however, was the leadership skill of his opponent, the college professor turned soldier Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain. As we was faced with having little to no ammunition, the logical directive for Chamberlain would have been to fall back, retreat, and get to a position of fortitude to reinforce his troops. In doing so, however, while strengthening his troop’s position, he would be giving up Little Round Top. He would be allowing the Confederates to enact their strategy to push his men off of the landscape, which held the key to battle victory or defeat.
His next decision proved to be the turning point in the day’s battle.
Rather than withdraw his troops to regroup to safer ground and thereby forfeit a prime piece of battle real estate, Chamberlain determined his best plan of action for the sake of the main Federal Army was to repel the Confederates from Little Round Top and thereby ordered an attack on the Confederates, a bayonet attack no less. His Twentieth Maine soldiers, exhausted from a day’s fighting with the enemy and many without ammunition, were going to run down the hill directly into their oncoming opponents. They would do this in a series of single-line waves, like a hinge on a door swinging open and shut. As the first wave went down the hill, the second wave would follow and swing into the enemy, bayonets extended, placing life and limb for both attacker and defender at highest risk. Hand-to-hand combat.
Hold the flank.
As brutal as that sounds—and one can only imagine the horror of the scenario—Chamberlain gave the order, and the Twentieth Maine troops engaged the Confederates with a strategic leadership tactic Oates had not anticipated. He was now the defender under extreme attack from the Federal soldiers. The surprise maneuver proved Chamberlain’s decision-making to be correct as the Twentieth Maine was successful in clearing the Confederates from advancing on Little Round Top and thereby was successful in following through on their orders to hold the flank.
Chamberlain’s quick and critical thinking as the leader of the Twentieth Maine, under extreme pressure, is not only to be admired but also a lesson through which to learn. Leadership is not passive, theoretical, or cavalier. True leadership is founded in action-oriented opportunities. It is focused, proactive, influential, and strategic, yet it is the leader’s actions, especially in crisis, that impact the results.
There is no leadership without action.
Everything in a plan designed to move a business forward is just a plan. It is nothing without the subsequent action of the owner/leader to engage and properly execute the plan. Having a strategy is like having good intentions. Proper execution of the strategy delivers results.
True leadership is demonstrated by influential actions. In a time of crisis, that particular moment will reveal everything one needs to know about the leader. In Chamberlain’s situation, his bold and courageous decision demonstrated superior recognition and leadership in action. Although with a level of high risk, he determined forward aggression to be his best course of action, his best option. His decisive action was to throw away the textbook military training that called for him and his men to fall back, retreat, and get to safer ground. I can only imagine how serious he was in making his decision to attack instead of retreat. And he did so in a short amount of time under extremely difficult conditions.
Exemplary leadership is founded in action and deemed a success or failure through the measurable results of those actions.
In this book you will find content consistently focused on leaders who acted to define their leadership skill set rather than on textbook theories or philosophies. The examples provided are true-to-life situations, opinions, thoughts, actions, and stories that will be easy to relate to your own situation. Some examples are from my own experiences, yet the majority are from renowned business leaders, friends, family members, and associates.
All lessons learned offer a significant leadership characteristic illustrated in an actionable scenario. I believe you will find this book to be an easy read yet will also find it to have depth in knowledge and provide practical applications to both your professional and personal life.
Also, there’s a little bit of humor at the end of each lesson designed to lighten the load of this serious topic.
Enjoy.
Courage: Mental, physical, social, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. Leadership in Action: As a leader of the sales and revenue generating team, there is nothing that better demonstrates courage than being called on to explain to the board of directors a shortfall to expectations in quarterly sales results. There is no place to hide, nowhere to run. Telling it like it is takes courage, and bluffing is not an option.
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