Full Agenda & Schedule Of Events

During his wartime and presidential leadership, General Dwight D. Eisenhower (as he preferred to be known in his post-presidency) believed that trust was a critical leadership attribute, especially in turbulent times. Coming up in the military, Ike’s leadership style differed from those before him. He possessed a steady, calming way of looking at the critical issues. He dedicated himself to a cause higher than himself. Eisenhower did not abide by publicity-seeking but believed in accountability and being humble in his authority to make consequential decisions.

Ike considered himself a team player, bringing others along to address that cause. Eisenhower’s leadership approach involved the importance of the study, contingency planning, and being surrounded by diverse opinions. He believed that wisdom does not reside solely in one man’s mind. Eisenhower also incorporated stress management into his day-to-day to stay outwardly calm and exercise optimism. He believed that optimism starts from the top and works its way down. He believed in the importance of morale and making winners out of everyone. Join OPEN MINDS on this one-of-a-kind tour of the Eisenhower farm and learn more about General Eisenhower, his legacy, and his family.

The bus leaves the hotel at 9:45 am for the Eisenhower Farm Tour.

Abraham Lincoln, the 16^th President of the United States, left a lasting impact on the town of Gettysburg, even though he was only here for 24 hours.

Join OPEN MINDS and Larry Korczyk, licensed battlefield tour guide, as we follow in President Lincoln’s footsteps and walk the very same path that led to the President’s delivery of the Gettysburg Address in the National Cemetery. The walking tour will start at the Gettysburg Lincoln Railroad Station behind the Gettysburg Hotel, will continue to the David Wills House, where Lincoln stayed overnight, and will proceed to the Presbyterian Church. Come away inspired by a national leader who spoke only 272 words that will be remembered for centuries to come. This experience will begin and end with a classroom session to discuss Lincoln’s leadership style and what we can learn from him in today’s tumultuous times.

*Appropriate walking shoes will be needed for this tour.

During this session, attendees will take a bus to the Gettysburg National Military Park for a private walking tour around Little Round Top. This session will include a review of the Union Army’s defenses on day two of the battle, a discussion of the history of the battlefield site, and time for questions and discussion with our guide. The session will start with a classroom-style discussion, highlighting the leadership lessons learned from Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and applying those lessons to managing your health care team.

Colonel Chamberlain and his 20th Maine regiment’s defense of Little Round Top is perhaps one of the most famous confrontations of the Battle of Gettysburg. This session examines how he, in times of great distress, recognized the power of strategic thinking, made the necessary quick decisions, and preserved the overall goal of the Union Army. Colonel Chamberlain’s own battlefield experiences help us to realize the importance of good leadership and to examine transactional and transformational leadership styles. Little Round Top is one of two rocky hills located in the South of Gettysburg and the position of the far-left flank of the Union army during the Battle of Gettysburg. On the second day of the battle, Union troops undefended this strategic ground, leaving the Union line open to attack from Confederate forces. Colonel Chamberlain was ordered to guard this position and quickly understood the strategic significance of the small hill—meaning that his regiment must hold the Union line at all costs. In the last moments, as all seemed lost, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge that almost doubled back on its line, capturing over one hundred soldiers and maintaining the Union defense of the high ground of the battlefield.

This session will take a bus to the Gettysburg National Military Park, where a licensed battlefield guide will lead a tour across the field where Pickett’s Charge occurred. This session will include a review of Generals Lee and Longstreet’s relationship and decision-making styles, as well as time for questions and discussion with our guide. Attendees will start and end the session with a classroom-style discussion highlighting leadership lessons learned from Pickett’s Charge and applying those lessons to today’s health care executives.

Pickett’s Charge may be the most infamous incident at the Battle of Gettysburg. Retrace the steps of General Robert E. Lee and General James Longstreet as they made the decisions that would ultimately determine not only the outcome of the Battle of Gettysburg but possibly the outcome of the Civil War.

On the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, the commander of The Army of Northern Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, found himself at odds with his trusted commander, General James Longstreet. Generals Lee and Longstreet disagreed at several critical points during the Battle of Gettysburg. The most significant disagreement between the two officers came when Lee first talked to Longstreet about the planned Pickett’s Charge on the afternoon of July 3. Longstreet reluctantly agreed to Lee’s plan. This is an example of leader vs. follower command disagreement. The assault required the Confederate troops to march nearly a mile over an open field and climb several fences under open fire from the Union line. This disastrous end to the battle resulted in a fifty percent casualty rate among the Confederate troops and is seen as the decisive end to the Battle of Gettysburg and the turning point or high-water mark for the Confederacy in the Civil War.