During this session, we will take a bus to the Gettysburg National Military Park, where a licensed battlefield guide will lead a tour of the important sites from day one of the Battle of Gettysburg. This session will include a review of General Buford’s actions, a discussion of the history of the battlefield sites, and time for questions and discussion with our guide. We will start and end the session with a classroom style discussion, led by OPEN MINDS Senior Associate, Ken Carr, who will highlight the leadership lessons learned from General Buford and the application of those lessons to the health care market today.
General John Buford played a critical role in the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg; his defense of the “high ground” set the stage for the Union’s eventual victory over the Confederate army. General Buford believed that a leader’s duty is to ensure their team is “positioned and prepared” for the challenges ahead—a good lesson for any leader, whether in the midst of a battle or in the midst of health care reform.
Before the start of the Battle of Gettysburg, General Buford’s troops were some of the first Union forces to enter the town of Gettysburg. Recognizing that he was facing a large concentration of Confederate troops, General Buford had positioned his forces to maintain the high ground of Cemetery Hill, South of Gettysburg, where they were able to hold off the Confederates until reinforcements could arrive. By maintaining the tactically superior position in Gettysburg for the Union, General Buford set in motion the eventual victory for the North. General Buford’s case study highlights the importance of strategic positioning and anticipatory leadership. (Limited to 45 participants)