On this 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg I read a number of articles and a quote from one in particular from CBS News jumped out at me. I will give you the extended passage from the article and not comment but simply suggest that readers might think about what implications this suggests for leadership and organizations.

With momentum on his side, Robert E. Lee launched a dramatic march
around the south end of the Union position along Cemetery Ridge. Under
the direction of James Longstreet, Confederate forces advanced to the
heart of the Union line on Cemetery Hill, catching Union generals off
guard.

Allen Guelzo,
author of “Gettysburg: The Last Invasion,” says the surprise attack
would have worked if not for a flurry of desperate actions by low-level
Union soldiers who kept the Confederates at bay. Those acts of heroism
included a last-minute bayonet charge by the 20th Maine volunteers to
hold Little Round Top; a suicidal charge by the 1st Minnesota volunteers
that thwarted two Confederate brigades; and a last-minute rush by a
brigade of Ohioans, Indianans and West Virginia volunteers that saved
Cemetery Hill.

“That’s the real story of the July 2nd
fighting and, in some senses, the real story of Gettysburg itself,”
Guelzo said. “The (second day of battle) was decided not by the genius
of great generals but by the initiative of some very ordinary but some
extraordinarily well positioned individuals who on their own initiative
did the right thing.”