The ProFILE group recently hit the road to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. While the trip included several valuable experiences, one of the most impactful parts for me was our time at the Lincoln Leadership Institute in Gettysburg.
I’ll be honest: Going in, I was a little skeptical. Leadership programs can sometimes feel repetitive — like “here we go again...”
But by the end of the day, my perspective had completely shifted. This experience wasn’t just about leadership theory. It was about understanding people, decisions and how even the smallest actions can have a lasting impact — sometimes even shaping the course of history.
Before the trip, we read The Killer Angels, which walks through the Battle of Gettysburg from multiple perspectives, including generals, officers and soldiers. That gave us a strong foundation heading into the day.
We began at the Adams County Historical Society Museum, where we discussed John Buford and his critical role in the early hours of the battle. Buford recognized that the high ground south of town, including Cemetery Hill and the surrounding ridges, would be key to winning the fight. His decision to hold that ground gave the Union Army a strategic advantage.
That conversation led us to reflect on our own “high ground” as leaders. Where do we position ourselves to make the greatest impact?
From there, we traveled onto the battlefield itself. Standing in the exact places where these decisions were made brought everything to life in a way no book or classroom ever could. It was a powerful reminder that leadership is not just about ideas, it is about actions, often made under pressure, that affect real people and real outcomes.
One of the most meaningful moments of the day took place at Gettysburg National Cemetery. We stood near the site where Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address. Our guide asked us to reflect on where we have been in our leadership journeys and where we want to go.
He shared a line that stuck with me: that there is no better place to reflect than a place where a nation once struggled to find its way. Standing there, surrounded by thousands who gave everything, it really put things into perspective.
That moment became one of my biggest takeaways from the entire trip.
There have been times in my own journey where I’ve felt off track or questioned my own leadership. And like many people, I’ve been hard on myself in those moments. But standing in that cemetery, it shifted something for me.
Losing your way is not the end of the story; it is part of it.
The real question is what you choose to do next. Those soldiers believed in something bigger than themselves, and that belief brought them forward, even in the hardest moments. That is what leadership looks like.
Another powerful takeaway came from a conversation later that evening, centered around Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and the 20th Maine.
Then a colonel commanding the 20th Maine Infantry, Chamberlain was given around 120 soldiers from the 2nd Maine who had refused to continue fighting after their enlistments ended. Instead of punishing them, he chose to lead with respect and understanding, giving them a reason to believe in what they were doing. Many chose to stay and fight.
During the Battle of Gettysburg, Chamberlain and his regiment were positioned on Little Round Top, on the far left of the Union line, with orders to hold that position at all costs. Earlier in the day, a different general had advanced his corps forward without orders, creating a vulnerable gap and putting even more pressure on that end of the line.
As Confederate forces attacked again and again, the 20th Maine held their ground despite running low on ammunition. In a critical moment, Chamberlain ordered a bayonet charge down the hill, catching the Confederates off guard and securing the position. Holding Little Round Top helped prevent the Union line from collapsing.
Later that evening, during a group discussion, Josh Haubenstricker shared something that really resonated with me. He pointed out that Chamberlain was not the highest-ranking officer on the field, but his actions still made a significant impact. His leadership in that moment helped shape the outcome of the battle.
That takeaway stuck with me in a different way.
It was a reminder that you do not have to be the person in charge to make a difference. You do not have to have the title, the position, or be the most experienced person in the room. Leadership shows up in how you act, how you treat people, and the choices you make in the moments that matter.
That idea connects deeply to what we do in Farm Bureau. At its core, Farm Bureau is a grassroots organization. Change and direction do not start at the top. They start with individuals at the county level, in conversations, in meetings, making everyday decisions. It can be easy to think your voice is small or that it does not carry as much weight, but that is not how this organization works.
Every perspective matters. Every voice contributes. Just like Chamberlain’s leadership mattered, even without being the highest ranking officer, the role each member plays within Farm Bureau matters. Real impact often starts in the places people least expect.
Looking back, this experience in Gettysburg was more than a leadership program. It was a reminder that leadership is not about having all the answers or always getting it right. It is about being willing to reflect, grow and step forward when it counts.
Sometimes it takes stepping onto ground where history was made to realize that even the smallest decisions — the quiet, everyday ones — can shape something much bigger than you ever expected.
Midland County’s Sara Reisinger is a member of the 2026-27 ProFILE cohort.
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