Jeff Appelquist facilitates an extraordinary experience at the Little Bighorn battlefield in the desolate hills of southeastern Montana. The focus will be on such leadership dynamics as common purpose, communication, and decision making. Participants will be challenged to “look east” and see the conflict from the Native American point of view. They will also read Jeff’s award-winning book, Sacred Ground: Leadership Lessons from Gettysburg and the Little Bighorn as preparation for the experience.

Day One is a travel day, with a brief meeting late in the afternoon to lay the groundwork for the battlefield experience. Day Two is spent entirely at the Little Bighorn National Battlefield Park, scene of Custer’s Last Stand. We move from station to station, discussing key events in the greatest defeat suffered by the U.S. Army during the Plains Indian Wars. We consciously apply the historical learnings to our own business lives, and take away a leadership lesson from each location. We end the day at Last Stand Hill, where Custer and his entire immediate command were wiped out, and then contemplate the meaning of this epic battle at the Indian ‘Peace Through Unity’ Memorial. Day Three pulls everything together, with reflections on the experience and delivery of practical tools to take back to the workplace.