Will Rogers once said, "A man only learns in two ways, one by reading and the other by association with smarter people." We can learn a lot about leadership by reading about the experiences of history's greatest leaders. One of my other resolutions for 2016 is to actually finish reading the tall stack of books that I purchased in 2015! However, we don't always have the time to sit down and read a book. That is why I am a firm believer in the power of all forms of media - we can learn through the experience of others by watching a movie or television program, listening to a documentary on the radio or the Internet, watching a lecture, or enjoying a play. For example, the TED talks (www.ted.com) are a great way to learn, especially when you don't have a lot of spare time. TED's mission is to disseminate ideas in the form of short (less than 18 minutes), inspirational talks on a variety of subjects, including leadership and management. There are also a number of great movies that provide excellent lessons on leadership. One of my favorite movies of all time is the 1993 movie Gettysburg, which was based on Michael Shaara's historical novel The Killer Angels. The movie has an all-star cast, with Martin Sheen as General Robert E. Lee, Tom Berenger as Lieutenant General James Longstreet, and Jeff Daniels as Colonel Joshua Chamberlain. I have read the novel (just once) and watched the movie many, many times. While the novel was superb, this may be one of those rare instances in which the movie is as good as, or maybe even slightly better than the book! The movie is packed with lessons on leadership.
One of my favorite scenes in the movie occurs when the Union forces are marching towards the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, the regimental commander of the 20th Maine, is preparing his troops for the long march ahead, when 120 deserters from another Maine regiment (2nd Maine) are brought to him. The 2nd Maine Regiment had been decommissioned, as many of the men in the regiment had signed 2-year enlistments. The 120 "deserters" had signed 3-year enlistments. However, they felt that because their regiment no longer existed, they should be allowed to return home as well. Chamberlain's 20th Maine regiment was short-handed, so the addition of 120 experienced soldiers was very welcome. The problem was that the "deserters" were refusing to fight in the coming battle. Moreover, because the Union army considered these men deserters, Chamberlain was free to administer punishment for desertion, which in this case was death.
Chamberlain talks to the 120 men of the 2nd Maine and convinces most of them to join his 20th Maine and fight (Chamberlain's speech to the men of the 2nd Maine). If you take a good look at what Chamberlain does, I think you will see a great example of Abraham Maslow's "Hierarchy of Needs" (Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs). The concept here is that individuals are personally motivated to satisfy certain needs - there is a hierarchy of needs, such that when an individual satisfies the basic needs on the lowest level, then and only then will he or she seek to satisfy the needs on the next level. The lesson for a leader is that in order to motivate other individuals, a leader needs to make sure that the lower basic needs are satisfied first. In Chamberlain's case, one of the first things that he does is to make sure that the 120 men from the 2nd Maine have something to eat (satisfying one of the most basic physiological needs) before he even addresses their other concerns. He pulls their spokesman aside to listen to his explanation of the overall group's concerns - he sets a tone of psychological safety for the spokesman to be able to talk openly and honestly about their concerns. Chamberlain also tells the men that he isn't going to shoot them for desertion (again, establishing safety). After satisfying the men's need for safety, he moves to the next level in Maslow's hierarchy ("social"). He talks to them as a fellow soldier from Maine - he tells them about the proud history of the 20th Maine. He tells them that he will let them choose their fate (basically, fight or remain a prisoner), which earns their trust and respect. He allows them to maintain their own self-worth.
The movie Gettyburg has many more lessons on leadership, which we will discuss in future posts. Read the book, watch the movie, or do both! I can promise you that you will learn a lot.
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