National Staff Ride Workshop - Battle of Shiloh

Welcome to the National Staff Ride Workshop 2018 sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service.  This is a BY INVITATION ONLY event.  If you were directed to this website and asked to register, you're probably on the list!  Here are some initial thoughts from the Battle of Shiloh Staff Ride...

One of the mid-level confederate leaders in 1862, Nathan Bedford Forrest, refused orders to “deploy shelters” and be burned over.  “Old Bedford” sent forward lookouts, and stayed in communication with them; he determined escape routes, and successfully followed those routes to safety zones.  Forrest devised an innovative escape plan and led others to safety.  Most of his men followed him – but some refused and did not.  Why was that? In 1949 at Mann Gulch, Wagner Dodge devised an innovative escape plan too, but no one followed him into the escape fire. 

What techniques do you use as a leader to build unit cohesion?  How do you gain and maintain trust relationships between all those entrusted to your care?  How do you personally prepare to lead your organizations through perilous situations to safety?  Are you prepared to clearly and effectively communicate your intent to others in a fluid and dynamic environment?  How much will you personally sacrifice to protect those in your charge?

We invite you to share your ideas on leadership at the battleground around Shiloh Church.  Here in April of 1862, roughly 100,000 Americans faced desperate peril on the banks of the Tennessee River.   Put yourself in the place of their leaders as we visit the locations where key decisions were made.  Practice with your discussion groups the art of communicating as receivers by sensing the reports and conditions, understanding the desperate situation you face, deciding what to do, and communicating your decisions in order to effect action.

Following the Battle of Shiloh Staff Ride on Tues 23 Jan and Weds 24 Jan, we will spend two full days building YOUR local fire staff ride.  Your development team should come prepared with ideas like those above to develop your own staff ride as mentored by the Battle of Shiloh Staff Ride cadre.

Register Now!Here is our schedule...more e-mails will follow each week as we get closer to the event...