Leadership at the Alamo (#197)
186 years ago tomorrow, the Siege and Battle of the Alamo (February 23, 1836 to March 6, 1836) began. This struggle for a small fort in the middle of present day San Antonio was the defining event for the Texas Revolution. The thirteen-day siege of the Texian (Texians were residents of Texas who fought for the revolution and were not from Mexico) mission-fortress ended with a predawn attack by an overwhelming Mexican force. The Mexican soldiers were led by the President of Mexico, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Although they fought heroically, 189 Texian defenders were killed; the Mexican Army suffered 375 killed and wounded soldiers. Of course, the battle cry of “Remember the Alamo!” has resonated through history ever since.
Many of you who have visited the Alamo today, walk away wondering how did the 189 Texians hold this small (only 1/3 of the Alamo remains standing today) fort against the thousands of soldiers and artillery of the Mexican Army for 13 days? One of the reasons why the defenders of the Alamo held out against overwhelming odds was the incredible leadership of the Texians, especially William Travis.
The Leadership of William Travis
William Travis was a 27-year old soldier, lawyer, and newspaper publisher. Hot tempered, extremely ambitious, eloquent, and a deft writer, Travis inspired his men and his fellow Texians to fight for their independence. On February 24th, as the siege began, he wrote an open letter addressed to the “the People of Texas & All Americans in the World.” It was republished in papers across Texas and the United States. In “one of the masterpieces of American patriotism” Travis provided the group a purpose, key tasks, and an end state (some of you may recognize this as a version of the Leader’s Intent), writing:
I am besieged, by a thousand or more of the Mexicans under Santa Anna — I have sustained a continual Bombardment & cannonade for 24 hours & have not lost a man — The enemy has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the garrison are to be put to the sword, if the fort is taken — I have answered the demand with a cannon shot, & our flag still waves proudly from the walls — I shall never surrender or retreat. Then, I call on you in the name of Liberty, of patriotism & everything dear to the American character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch — The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily & will no doubt increase to three or four thousand in four or five days. If this call is neglected, I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honour & that of his country — Victory or Death.
In spite of his incredible skill as a writer, Travis struggled to lead the people inside the Alamo. He used several leadership styles with the garrison to attempt to align them to his purpose and end state. As a leader, you may need to think about changing your leadership style, like William Travis did at the Alamo, to one that resonates with your team.
6 Leadership Styles
Daniel Goleman is an author and science journalist who has written extensively about the brain and behavior. After surveying 3,000 executives, he found that there are six leadership styles that leaders use. These leadership styles aren’t personality traits, rather, they are leadership tools to be kept in your leadership toolbox. The six leadership styles are authoritative, coaching, affiliate, democratic, pacesetting, and commanding.
How did William Travis actually lead the Texians?
Travis started trying to lead the garrison using an commanding style. The commanding style demands immediate compliance. This style works best in crisis or with problematic people. It is best embodied by the phrase “Do what I tell you to do.” However, this style didn’t resonate with Jim Bowie or the other volunteers in the Alamo. They resisted what they saw as Travis’s inexperience and overbearing style.
When Travis switched to a more pace setting style, he won over Bowie and his volunteers, as well as Davy Crockett and his Tennessee fighters. Pacesetting is the leadership style that expects excellence and self-direction. This style works best to get quick results from a highly competent team and is captured in the phrase “Do as I do, now.”
When Travis started leading by example, or pace setting, and sharing the same hardships as the team he forged alignment in the diverse group towards his purpose of defending the Alamo to the last person. On March 5th, as thinks looked bleak for the defenders, he gathered them together and gave them a speech.
"We must die," he began. "Our business is not to make a fruitless effort to save our lives, but to choose the manner of our death."
He saw three possibilities: Surrender and summary execution, trying to fight their way out only to be "butchered" by Mexican lancers or "remain in this fort…resist every assault, and to sell our lives as dearly as possible."
Then, with a flourish, Travis drew his sword and slowly marked a line in the dirt. "I now want every man who is determined to stay here and die with me to come across this line." Travis was the first to cross the line. Eventually all but one defender crossed the line and agreed to make the Mexicans pay dearly during their eventual assault.
What an incredible display of pace setting or leading by example in one of the toughest situations imaginable. But, it won over the team and continued to develop the alignment to persevere in spite of the overwhelming odds.
Like Travis you may need to change your leadership style to fit the needs of the team.
Conclusion
Liked this post? Want to know more about the 6 leadership styles? Want more on the Alamo? Then check out:
Take the leadership lessons from William Travis at the Alamo, consider what leadership style you are using, try a different one, and then go on the offensive in 2022.