Chris Kolenda
PhD, Colonel (Retired)
WI, USHelping you close the gap between your performance and potential ... and realize your even greater hidden potential.
I help leaders like you achieve your dreams.
My clients, including CEOs, NFL Coaches, Executive Directors, four-star generals, and cabinet-level secretaries, have grown by over $100m.
The best way to predict the future, the saying goes, is to create it. You build an ever-better future by getting Leadership, Culture, and Strategy to advance your Common Good. I help you operate at the intersection of all three and make the 1% adjustments that yield massive outcomes.
You live in a complex world where challenges and opportunities are interwoven. The interactions might be clear in your own head, but your lieutenants and employees cannot read your mind. Complexifying creates confusion, misaligned efforts, and frustration. Dumbing down insults them.
I help you combine your unique genius with simplicity and practical wisdom so you:
* Inspire leaders to contribute their best to advance your Common Good.
* Build an Inspiring Culture® where people do what's right without you having to micromanage.
* Live in ascendance to reach higher goals, personally and professionally.
* Create and exemplify behaviors that produce unprecedented value for customers, employees, communities, and investors.
* Avoid the drift that comes after big wins or significant setbacks.
* Make pivotal decisions that drive success.
* Develop practical wisdom, admirable habits, and big goals that turn success into significance.
* Create your legacy.
Bio:
Chris is both a warrior and diplomat, combining assertiveness and statesmanship to gain dramatic wins. A West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, and retired Army colonel, he developed an innovative strategy that motivated a large insurgent group to switch sides, the only example of such success in the 20-year history of the war.
After resigning from the government, he's brought warrior diplomacy to the private sector, helping leaders soar to new heights.
His unique warrior diplomacy has been featured in bestselling books, journals, and newspapers such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, and The London Times.
His books include Leadership: The Warrior's Art, which has sold over 60,000 copies. The Counterinsurgency Challenge, and the award-winning Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War.
Chris founded the Saber Six Foundation, which helps veterans turn post-combat stress into post-combat growth by strengthening Purpose, Belonging, and Wellbeing. https://sabersixfoundation.com
I help leaders like you achieve your dreams.
My clients, including CEOs, NFL Coaches, Executive Directors, four-star generals, and cabinet-level secretaries, have grown by over $100m.
The best way to predict the future, the saying goes, is to create it. You build an ever-better future by getting Leadership, Culture, and Strategy to advance your Common Good. I help you operate at the intersection of all three and make the 1% adjustments that yield massive outcomes.
You live in a complex world where challenges and opportunities are interwoven. The interactions might be clear in your own head, but your lieutenants and employees cannot read your mind. Complexifying creates confusion, misaligned efforts, and frustration. Dumbing down insults them.
I help you combine your unique genius with simplicity and practical wisdom so you:
* Inspire leaders to contribute their best to advance your Common Good.
* Build an Inspiring Culture® where people do what's right without you having to micromanage.
* Live in ascendance to reach higher goals, personally and professionally.
* Create and exemplify behaviors that produce unprecedented value for customers, employees, communities, and investors.
* Avoid the drift that comes after big wins or significant setbacks.
* Make pivotal decisions that drive success.
* Develop practical wisdom, admirable habits, and big goals that turn success into significance.
* Create your legacy.
Bio:
Chris is both a warrior and diplomat, combining assertiveness and statesmanship to gain dramatic wins. A West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, and retired Army colonel, he developed an innovative strategy that motivated a large insurgent group to switch sides, the only example of such success in the 20-year history of the war.
After resigning from the government, he's brought warrior diplomacy to the private sector, helping leaders soar to new heights.
His unique warrior diplomacy has been featured in bestselling books, journals, and newspapers such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, and The London Times.
His books include Leadership: The Warrior's Art, which has sold over 60,000 copies. The Counterinsurgency Challenge, and the award-winning Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War.
Chris founded the Saber Six Foundation, which helps veterans turn post-combat stress into post-combat growth by strengthening Purpose, Belonging, and Wellbeing. https://sabersixfoundation.com
Steering with Purpose: How to Activate Unwavering Inspiration for Yourself and Your Team
What if the key to breakthrough performance, enduring impact, and lasting fulfillment isn’t working harder, but steering with purpose?
In this powerful keynote, Chris Kolenda shares life-changing leadership insights gained during his 1,700-mile solo bicycle ride, interweaving personal story with timeless business truths. Designed for CEOs and senior leaders who carry immense responsibility, Steering with Purpose delivers a transformative framework...
The Leader’s Edge: Battle-Tested Strategies from Antietam and Gettysburg for Trailblazing CEOs
Win Before the Battle Begins. Lead with the Clarity, Confidence, and Boldness of History’s Greatest Commanders.
Most leaders react. The best shape the battlefield before the first shot is fired to seize the initiative and win.
This elite 3-day executive expedition will immerse you in the high-stakes decisions of Antietam and Gettysburg—two of the most consequential battles in history—where leaders...
Building an Inspiring Culture®: How to Empower with the ABCs -- Accountability, Buy-in, and Clarity
Imagine the impact when people voluntarily advance your Common Good.
Your company only excels when people buy-in to your common good. In today’s hyper-polarized environment, workplace friction is the norm, with 68% of American employees saying they are unengaged at work and some actively disrupting or undermining your success. Companies report losing nearly eight hours per employee per week to miscommunication. Managers often let problems slide rather...
From Combat to Cooperation: Lessons from Afghanistan on Turning Adversaries into Allies
In today’s polarized workplaces and divided world, leaders must do more than manage conflict—they must transform it into cooperation. Drawing from extraordinary battlefield experiences, including the only successful reconciliation with insurgent leaders during the war in Afghanistan, Chris Kolenda reveals how to turn adversaries into allies with trust-building strategies that work in the most challenging environments.
This keynote presents The Three...
The 5-D Strategy Process®: Building your Simple, Executable Strategy
According to Balanced Scorecard by Kaplan and Norton, 90 percent of business strategies are not executed successfully. That's tragic considering the price businesses and nonprofits pay consultants to write a strategic plan.
There's a better way, which I've used to help my clients grow by over $100m and counting.
The 5-D Strategy process is simple and repeatable. You and your team can use it to advance confidently and adjust...
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