Smith School Takes Leadership Lessons from Gettysburg

The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business has partnered with the Gettysburg Foundation to develop customized leadership programs that integrate lessons from the historic Civil War battle, the school announced this week.

The intensely experiential programs will push participants to think differently about individual and organizational challenges through engagement in action-oriented sessions, both on the renowned Pennsylvania battlefield and in the classroom.

“As one of the most well-documented and studied battles in American history, the Battle of Gettysburg offers a rich set of characters, personalities, and examples of leadership decision-making that resonate in many organizations even today,” says Greg Hanifee, executive director of the Office of Executive Programs at the Smith School.

“The programmatic ties between leadership education and history in the Gettysburg programs are truly unique, but our process of customizing content around each client’s culture, goals, and needs is the same successful model we use in all of our custom executive education programs.”

Program designs range from two days to one week and are tailored to meet a specific organization’s needs and talent level.  The interactive learning experience provides participants with the opportunity to build leadership skills and develop stronger teams. Specific learning objectives may include leadership, teamwork, conflict management, communication, strategy and innovation.

The program incorporates a multi-sensory experience including battlefield tours, lectures, discussion sessions, videos, role-playing, and team exercises, all led by Smith faculty and a professional guide and executive trainer from the Gettysburg Foundation.

(image credit: Flickr user Soaptree, CC 2.0)