The Ultimate Decision- Making Classroom
One of the most important leadership attributes needed is the ability to make quality decisions under stress. I was challenged by one of my clients to help a group of leaders develop better decision-making skills. After much thought and research, I decided, instead of sitting them in a classroom and showing videos, having a few discussions and practicing role-plays, to take them into a real life environment.
What better way to teach decision-making than to immerse the participant in battlefield strategy where life and death hang in the balance? Hindsight 20/20 vision allows people to analyze and understand how and why certain decisions were made and then judge the outcome.
We boarded buses one crisp cool morning bound for Gettysburg Pennsylvania, headed to study one of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. On this hallowed ground 160,000 men fought over a three-day period culminating in over 50,000 casualties.
For the next two days we studied the battlefield and learned from retired military generals. They took us through the decisions made by the leaders of the North and South. As we walked Pickett’s charge and heard the cannon fire in the distance and experienced the July heat as our guide painted a step-by-step picture of what it was like on that 3rd day of July in 1863, we learned how decisions made in the heat of the moment ultimately impacted the outcome of the battle. It was humbling.
On our third day, to bring the experience to a more personal level, we challenged our group to a paintball battle simulating Pickett’s charge. Separating into two teams, the blues and the grays, we lined up in a field across from each other. The blues were holding the high ground, just like General Meade’s troops, and the grays, like General Lee’s troops, were marching up the hill to capture the high ground.
Each “soldier” was equipped with one paintball gun loaded with only one paintball bullet. If you’ve ever played paintball you know when you get hit, it hurts. As you look down and see this red splotch on your stomach, you know you’re dead.
That’s when the horror of the decision to send these confederate soldiers up the hill became real. Not only did General Lee’s decision to march up the hill affect the lives of thousands of soldiers and their families, but also it affected the outcome of the war.
It was a sobering reminder of the consequences of your decisions.
And, while most of us will most likely never have to make those types of life and death decisions, by studying them under those extreme circumstances, we learned:
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Our decisions affect the lives of those we lead and their families as well;
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Having enough facts helps us make wiser decisions;
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Sometimes we have to act quickly and go with what data we have;
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The importance of having a plan and working the plan;
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The importance of analyzing the results and making adjustments;
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Loyalty and trust are the basic tenets of a well-disciplined team;
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And finally, getting hit by a paint ball at close range hurts!
So, the next time you want to teach your leaders about decision-making, consider the battlefield. As a learning laboratory, there is no better. The lessons learned will stay with your leaders long after you’ve left the battlefield.
Lorraine Grubbs is an author/speaker and business coach. You can learn more about the work she does at: www.lorrainegrubbs.com
