R
ecently, I had the
opportunity to attend an
ASBO Leadership event
in Gettysburg to study
the leadership style of
the Commanders involved in that
conflict. I love history and it was
a real treat to get to attend and
immerse myself in history for a few
days. I had the great fortune to have
the same history teacher each of my
four years of high school and found
myself thinking about Mr. Buchanan
- I hope students in your district can
learn from a Mr. Buchanan! He was
one of my most favorite teachers.
Truthfully, I had to keep checking
my “scorecard” for the different
Commanders to see what “team”
they were on. As the d ay wore on,
I reflected that both the North and
South were fighting passionately for
ideals that they believed in similar to
the manner in which we fight battles
every day defending public education
to our detractors who are equally
passionate about their beliefs. In all
honesty, there are days when I am
at the capital in Austin that I have
to pull out my “scorecard” before
walking into an elected official’s
office to ensure that I understand
their passions and can frame our
“story” accordingly.
Prior to this event, when I thought
of the Civil War and the battle
at Gettysburg, I thought only of
Generals Grant and Lee. I had
forgotten about the importance of
the “Management Team” members
who reported to Grant and Lee and
their role in the outcome of the battle
at Gettysburg. In fact, General
Grant wasn’t even at Gettysburg.
He was dealing with his own
problems in Vicksburg. He had to
trust his team to hold strong in his
absence. Conversely, General Lee
was facing an aggressive Union Army
on several fronts and was forced to
make strategic decisions without the
information he needed as his trusted
advisor veered off path and wasn’t
available to provide him with mission
critical information – a problem that
each of us faces at various points in
our career.
In fact, George Mead was placed in
charge of the Army of the Potomac
by President Lincoln only three days
before the battle at Gettysburg.
Meade recognized that others in
the Army had deeper experiences
TASBO.ORG
than he did and sought to win their
support by inviting the commanders
of the various regiments to his
headquarters for a meeting on the
evening of July 2nd prior to the
beginning of the Union Army’s full
assault on General Lee’s troops to
ask for their input and planning.
Ultimately, the other commanders
deferred to his position and with
a little coaxing by the more senior
General Butterworth he was able to
formulate a plan that would defeat
the confederacy at Gettysburg. How
many times do we as leaders assist
our leaders quietly from the rear,
helping them succeed and thus
ensuring the success of the children
in our districts?
FROM THE DIRECTOR
LEADING
AGAINST
THE ODDS
TRACY GINSBURG, ED.D.
TASBO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Contrast that to Confederate Lt.
General Richard Ewell, who was
placed in charge of his regiment in a
similarly hasty manner by General
Lee and instructed to move forward
into position on the night of July
2nd to defend a critical portion of the
battlefield. He elected to delay and
rest up his men until the following
morning. Consequently his men
were not in position and able to
defend the Confederate position. His
indecision contributed to the loss
at Gettysburg. I can think of many
times that I have procrastinated,
worried, and put off making difficult
decisions. Usually, the problem is
not as big as I have imagined and I
chastise myself for making the task
seem insurmountable. However,
there are times when my position is
not as effective as it could have been
if only I had addressed the problem
early on.
I had forgotten about the
importance of the “Management
Team” members who reported
to Grant and Lee and their role
in the outcome of the battle at
Gettysburg.
My favorite moment of the event
occurred at the National Cemetery
when ASBO President Anthony
Dragona solemnly read President
Lincoln’s Gettysburg address.
President Lincoln was preceded
that day by Edward Everitt, a
former president of Harvard and
representative of the United States
who spoke for two hours.
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