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President's Message
 Happy Holidays from Gettysburg!
At this time of year I always take the time to reflect on the wonderful relationships we’ve formed over the past two decades with you, our friends and clients. We are most grateful for your continued support and interest, and hope to add value to you and your organization in the coming year.
In this, our last newsletter for 2008, you’ll find an article on M&T Banks’ recent experience in our Transformational Journey from Gettysburg program, a historic recipe, and link to a link to a “Day in the Life” article, featuring yours truly, which is running in the January-February issue of Celebrate Gettysburg magazine.
We have much to look forward to as we turn the calendar to 2009. One of the most exciting is our upcoming move to the David Wills House — the home where Abraham Lincoln spent the night before he gave his famous Gettysburg Address (http://www.mainstreetgettysburg.org/willshouse.html). The grand opening of the building, and a wonderful party to celebrate Lincoln’s 200th birthday, is planned for Feb. 12 — so please mark your calendar. We’d love to have you come celebrate with us!
From all of us here at the Lincoln Leadership Institute, best wishes for a magical holiday season!
Warmly, Steven B. Wiley
As always, send your comments and ideas to our managing director, Angela Sontheimer, at angela@lincolnleadershipinstitute.com. |
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Steve Wiley is featured in this issue of
Celebrate Gettysburg magazine
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 A day in the life of the president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute
“His voice resonates with vibrant passion,” writes reporter Adam Kulikowski in an article featuring Lincoln Leadership Institute's Steven B. Wiley in the January-February issue of Celebrate Gettysburg. “It fills any room he presides and fills the minds of those in attendance. At 6 foot 3 inches, The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg President Steven Wiley’s stature in business and in person commands attention.”
And so begins a thoughtful article about the successes and failures that helped Wiley learn firsthand about what it means to be a true leader in the world of business. Those who have heard Wiley speak know his first company, an exterior restoration business, grew from a $50,000 start-up to a multi-million-dollar organization with more than 130 offices in three countries. But in 1989, he lost $4.5 million.
“I grew [the company] too fast,” he admits in the article. “I think greed came into it. If I got a big project, I would open a new office.”
For two years Wiley suffered through that failure, but like a phoenix rose again. The insight and perspective that comes from the school of hard knocks enables him to help leaders from some of the largest corporations and organizations in America.
“These are some fun and exciting days,” Wiley tells Kulikowski. “The truth is I’m not working. I’m having a ball.”
Read the entire interview here: Celebrate Gettysburg magazine |
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A Taste of the Past
Mary Todd Lincoln, the first lady from 1861-1865, is said to have been “highly strung” and “unpopular from the moment she arrived in the capital.” In fact, historical records indicate she was ruthlessly attacked as an over-emotional first lady, with one of President Lincoln's aides dubbing her “the hellcat.”
But Mary couldn’t have been all bad, for she is known to have prepared this cookie recipe for her husband. (Well, maybe she didn't cut them into the shape of little Christmas trees and ice them, but you get the picture.)
In honor of that tradition, Jane’s Market in Biglerville, PA will whip up Mrs. Lincoln’s Cookies for guests stopping by our grand opening celebration at the Wills House in February. (Stay tuned for more information on that: http://www.lincolnleadershipinstitute.com.)
 Mrs. Lincoln's Cookies
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. churned butter (butter)
1/3 c. lard (shortening)
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Beat shortening for 30 seconds, add sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla and beat well. Add dry ingredients to beaten mixture; beating until well combined.
Cover and chill at least 3 hours. Working with 1/2 of the dough at a time; on a lightly floured surface; roll to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 8 minutes. President Abraham Lincoln loved these cookies. |
 In the Spirit of the Holidays
What was life like in Gettysburg during the Christmas holidays of 1863?
By Joe Mieczkowski,
Gettysburg Battlefield Guide,
Lincoln Leadership Institute
As one can imagine, there was a desire to unite, celebrate, and honor the fallen soldiers during the Christmas of 1863 — especially in Gettysburg where people were still reeling from the incredible loss of thousands of husbands, sons, fathers, and kin.
Traditions we hold dear today — such as Christmas cards, carols, special foods, holding winter dances — all date back to this time. New traditions were also born, such as cutting down fir and pine trees that were brought into the home. Unlike today, the trees were tabletop size and arranged with greenery and mistletoe — items thought to bring good luck to the family.
Here Comes Santa Claus
The modern day Santa Claus was also introduced in 1861, when a German immigrant working as an artist at Harper's Weekly named Thomas Nast was tasked to provide a drawing to accompany the 1821 poem, T'was the Night Before Christmas.
Nast called upon his childhood memories to create our modern day image of Santa Claus. His cherubic Santa Claus, was a bit thin by today's standards. Santa brought children homemade gifts and they were often satisfied to receive just small hand-carved toys, cakes, oranges or apples.
To keep their minds off the war, children enjoyed the winter weather outdoors by sledding, skating and engaging in snowball fights. Inside they played a variety of parlor games such as "The Christmas Bag" in which a paper sack filled with sugarplums was suspended in a doorway. Blindfolded children swung a stick to break the bag and spill its contents on the floor.
The Sad Reality
Nonetheless, celebrating Christmas made the heartache for lost loved ones more acute. And as the war dragged on, deprivation replaced abundant meals and familiar faces were missing from the family dinner table.
Soldiers used to "bringing in the tree" and caroling in church were instead scavenging for firewood and singing drinking songs around the campfire. Union soldiers' letters mention decorating their camp Christmas trees with salt-pork and hard tack. Those soldiers lucky enough to receive a holiday box from home could supplement a meager meal with turkey, oysters, eggnog, cranberries and fruitcake. For many, it would be several years before the spirit of the holidays would return. |
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CEO Jeff Durkee Learns to Leads by Example |
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The president of M&T Bank sets new leadership standard for employees
It was the day the Dow dropped 700 points. Despite the mountain of stress that M&T Bank president Jeff Durkee was under, he and his top 25 employees and three key managers were scheduled to head to the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg for a three-day leadership training session.
Although Durkee realized it might be the ideal time to have his team come up with a strategy for moving forward, he didn’t want to force them to leave the office. So he did what many transformational leaders do: Durkee asked his team for their input.
“To my surprise and delight they all said they wanted to go,” Durkee says today. “Mind you, these are some of the smartest economists and number-crunchers I know, businessmen and women who graduated from Wharton, Princeton, and Boston College. It’s a bright group, and these aren’t people who don’t like to sing company songs or buy in when it comes to sales talk. But I think they truly realized this training session would be useful and empowering.”
Lessons Learned
Steven Wiley, president of the Lincoln Leadership Institute, was glad to hear Durkee’s team made the decision to attend the session.
“We know from the Battle of Gettysburg that leadership takes many forms, especially in times of war,” explains Wiley. “Although Jeff and his team are fighting the stock market rather than the Confederates, it’s a battle all the same. During our session, we decided to focus on the tactics and strategy needed in a rapidly changing environment with limited information and limited resources.”
Durkee says that metaphor, and other lessons learned during the Transformational Journey from Gettysburg session, provided him and his team with an invaluable perspective. In fact, while they were in Gettysburg, the market dropped another 1000 points.
“The timing was perfect because we’d just learned about Pickett’s Charge — where despite warnings from his second in command, General Lee ordered his men to forge on into battle. Thousands and thousands of men are said to have died during that bloody afternoon,” Durkee recalls. “All my team and I could say when we got word about the stock market drop was: Well, at least this isn’t Pickett’s Charge.”
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A position of strength
“The truth is that we manage money,” Durkee says. “Yes, our mangers and research analysts are smart and educated and try to find as much information about which stocks to buy — but we are human. We are going to make mistakes. And the good news is that this isn’t the Civil War. Although money will be lost, it hopefully isn’t going to cost a man or woman their life.”
So when imaginary bullets fly, Durkee adds, “we simply have to remember they aren’t real bullets. Instead, we have to take a moment to think how are we going to react so the outcome is as positive as possible. When you are in battle, it demands the best of you. It’s not always easy to be the best you can be every day — but our goal as a company is to keep trying.”
Durkee was so impressed with the lessons taught in Gettysburg that he invited Wiley to give a leadership presentation in late November to his entire staff in Baltimore.
“I wanted everyone to learn to understand the power and importance of having good listening skills, and the ability to stretch your leadership style to accommodate others,” explains Durkee, noting Wiley also discussed:
- How to identify the high ground or positioning for strategic advantage through anticipatory leadership
- Ways to protect an organizational vulnerability or “left flank”
- The importance of practicing “courageous communication”
For more information about the Transformational Journey from Gettysburg click here. |
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Copyright 2008, The Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg |
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