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Friday, May 7, 2004
YOUR BUSINESS: Ashok Nalamalapu
What can Joshua Chamberlain teach us?
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One of the heroes who preserved the Union during the Civil War was from Maine: Joshua Chamberlain rose to the occasion and showed amazing leadership skills during the battle at Little Round Top at Gettysburg, where he earned a Congressional Medal of Honor. Perhaps Providence called Chamberlain, a teacher at Bowdoin College, to serve the country in challenging times. He took a leave of absence and joined the 20th Maine Volunteers. Chamberlain proved to be one of those rare leaders who possessed most of the qualities essential for effective leadership: caring, the ability to inspire, intelligence, perseverance, courage for taking risks, excellent communication, flexibility, empathy, setting a vision and reinforcing it, continuously learning. Let us see what business and other leaders could learn from this military leader. When Bowdoin College refused to grant him leave to go to war, he told the administration he would go to London for further studies and obtained leave. Then, he boldly joined the Army, demonstrating immense courage. Although he was not trained in the military and had no management experience, he took the risk to lead a military group. He wanted to fight for a great cause - equality for all. He was ambitious. He became a major general and then the president of Bowdoin College. He was governor of Maine for four terms. And during the war, Chamberlain showed that he cared for those he led. Superiors ordered him to take custody of mutineers from Maine who refused to fight because they believed that there was a conflict in their enlistment contract. Chamberlain received permission to kill them if they didn't obey him, but he said, "Mainers wouldn't kill fellow Mainers." He then asked the mutineers whether they had food. When he discovered that they had not eaten for three days, he immediately fed them. Later, when one of his soldiers suffered a head wound, Chamberlain sent him to the hospital to die in peace. Chamberlain even helped a few wounded Confederate soldiers, even though they were his enemies. He saluted his opponents when they surrendered the Confederate flag. He exhibited empathy toward mutineers, enemies and his men. He strove to understand the mutineers' point of view, rather than become upset with their initial refusal to fight. He told them that after the war, he would do his best to see that they not be punished. When Chamberlain learned that the Confederate army was going to attack the Union army within 10 minutes and that he had been asked to fight from Little Round Top, Chamberlain told the mutineers that there was an urgent need for soldiers. He welcomed them to join him in the battle. Chamberlain told the men they would be fighting for a great cause. He asked for their help, explaining the dangerous situation and the lack of time. He told the men they would be treated like any of his soldiers. Through his prior actions and character, Chamberlain had gained and "banked" trust prior to the Little Round Top battle. That is why the mutineers were inspired and followed his orders in the battle. These experienced soldiers, though mutineers according to the Army, played a very important role in holding Little Round Top. Chamberlain was an intelligent person. He placed mutineers on rolls and distributed them into different groups. He was decisive in ordering his soldiers to fight with bayonets when they were out of ammunition. This caught the enemy by surprise and confused them. In addition, he made a unique, strategic decision in the formation of his troops. He ordered the troops on the right side of Little Round Top to remain stationary while the left side advanced to surround the enemy. He was a great communicator. Even in the sudden, dangerous situation just before the Little Round Top battle, he remained calm and gave orders directly and to the point. He was a good listener, as he heard out the spokesman for the mutineers to understand their views and talked with others to prepare himself for battle. He consulted his tentmate, Ames, an experienced West Point graduate, for guidance, ideas and feedback. He read many books on tactics and history. This accumulation of knowledge helped him in planning the battle and responding successfully to crisis. Despite three attacks by strong opponents, he did not back down. Wounded six times in different battles, he had the perseverance to stay and fight. He fought in 24 battles. He was faithful to the mission entrusted to him - to hold Little Round Top, no matter what. He proved responsible, too, starting and stopping the battle as ordered, even though he sometimes thought he should act differently. He showed flexibility when he changed directions and the battle plan to suit the situation he faced. If we learn from this effective leader, we can be successful, too - no matter what.
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