Zach Selch tells how John Aaron Rawlins, Ulysses S. Grant's aide, handled logistics and scheduling so Grant could focus on strategy. When Rawlins died, Grant built him a memorial statue in Washington, D.C. Selch argues leaders should recognize support staff the same way, since behind-the-scenes work keeps operations running.
Chapters
John Aaron Rawlings. Not the most well-known Civil War general. If you're not a history buff, you may have never heard of this man. But here he is, beautiful prime location in Foggy Bottom in DC. How did he get a memorial and a whole park named after him in a great location in prime real estate? This man was essentially Grant's right-hand man in the Civil War. And for years he stuck by Grant, he was loyal, he made sure Grant got where he was going on time, he made sure that Grant had a clean shirt, and made sure that Grant had a notebook, and made sure that all the notes were taken. And he was very careful to keep Grant from drinking when Grant had a drinking problem. He was essentially the guy who helped Grant execute on Grant's strategy, not in the same way that, say, Sheridan and Sherman, who were actual combat generals and carried out the plans that Grant came up with. He sat behind Grant, he worked behind the scenes, and he made sure that Grant was at his desk or on his horse every morning and, and got things done and kept Grant Safe and healthy and happy. Just like people in our organization who support us and help us deal with the big picture stuff, take care of the administrative things, and make sure that stuff gets done, that things roll. And Grant went out of his way to do 2 things. One, Rollins died young from tuberculosis. And Grant took care of his family and his children and made sure that Rowland's family got everything they needed. And then Grant also insisted that Rowland get a memorial statue in a prime location in D.C., which there were a lot of generals in the Civil War, not that many of them did in fact get memorial statues. So these were 2 real acts where Grant was able to serve his old friend and to thank him for everything that he had done and really say that Rowlands, even though he didn't lead men into battle, really contributed to winning the Civil War by making sure that Grant didn't have to deal with the day-to-day administration in the office. And the reason I talk about this is we all have people who help us like Rowlands helped Grant. We need people who can get these things done. Take things off our desk, help us with our scheduling, help us with shipping product where it needs to go, help us with the day-to-day stuff that isn't necessarily as romantic or as exciting. And believe me, Rowland's asked many times to be transferred to a combat position, and he could have probably done very good. Maybe he would have been much more famous if he had been a combat general like Sherman or Sheridan. But in the end, he knew that his contribution was extremely important, and he stayed in place doing the work that was scut work, essentially. But he was rewarded. Grant made sure to reward him in a way that was meaningful to Rowlands, and Grant knew that this, a statue like this, would be a fantastic way to thank his friend. So remember, uh, take care of the people who do that work and support you and take care of you in the office. And remember, when you're ready to grow your international sales, reach out to us. We can help. When you decide it's time to grow your international sales, call us.
