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Flat Travel: $2,250
Speaker to book and pay for roundtrip airfare, home and event city ground transportation, meals and incidentals.
Client to book and pay for up to two nights at a 4-5 star hotel
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Keynote Topics
Leading As If Your Life Depended On It
Operating environments for both government and business are characterized by volatility, complexity, and uncertainty—perfect conditions for crises to emerge. Brigadier Gen. Tom Kolditz, author of In Extremis Leadership: Leading as if Your Life Depended on It, shows how extreme life-and-death situations can offer profound lessons for leaders in any setting.
Tom’s research reveals that the leadership skills and principles evident in dangerous settings also apply to leading in business and everyday life, making this program applicable to both personal and professional success.
Failure: Why You Can Survive Big Mistakes
Fear of failure holds companies back. General Kolditz shows anxious employees, particularly young people, that failures, even big ones, do not necessarily end one’s career IF handled properly. He reviews a number of colorful mini-case studies of significant failures, then stuns the audience with the reveal that the failures were all his.
He unpacks how fear affects leadership, and discusses how firing vs. retaining personnel really works. His direct professional experience at managing failure, yet becoming highly successful, is both informative and inspirational to all for whom fear that a single failure is a career ender.
Measure What Matters: Innovate With OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
If you can’t measure it, how do you know it’s working? With four successful start-ups, and as the founding executive director of the Ann & John Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Tom shares specific techniques for sparking innovation, tracking outcomes, and achieving real results.
Management by OKRs has been extraordinarily successful in stand-alone start-ups, but it also energizes innovation and initiative in established organizations. Tom can lay out the “how.”
Hope Is not a Method: 40 years of Leadership Takeaways
Too often, leaders hope for success without using specific techniques for leading effectively. After leading dozens of organizations on 4 continents, and teaching leaders and leadership for 25 years, Tom distills eight proven techniques he uses regularly to get the job done as a leader. This presentation is extremely pragmatic and will allow for immediate application in peoples’ professional and personal lives.
Dodging Bullets: How to Prepare Your Organization for the Next Crisis
Few people want to be put into a position of being crisis managers. So how can leaders prepare organizations to avoid crises before they occur? In this engaging talk, Brigadier Gen. Tom Kolditz will take the audience through specific processes and techniques to help leadership anticipate and prevent crises and have a more effective, more empowered workforce every day.
Leading by Serving: The Principles of Servant Leadership
While traditional leadership generally involves the accumulation and exercise of power by one at the top of the pyramid, “servant leadership” is different. The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps develop the team to perform as high as possible.
In this keynote, Brigadier Gen. Tom Kolditz outlines the most prominent servant leader approaches, and how all leaders can adopt servant-leader behaviors to impact the growth and well-being of other leaders, team members, and the organizations to which they belong.
Tom Kolditz is a distinguished leadership expert and keynote speaker renowned for his unparalleled insights into crisis leadership, resilience, and leading under pressure. With decades of experience in both military and academic spheres, Tom brings a unique, evidence-based perspective to the art and science of leadership. His dynamic presentations inspire individuals and organizations to thrive […]
Tom Kolditz is a distinguished leadership expert and keynote speaker renowned for his unparalleled insights into crisis leadership, resilience, and leading under pressure. With decades of experience in both military and academic spheres, Tom brings a unique, evidence-based perspective to the art and science of leadership. His dynamic presentations inspire individuals and organizations to thrive in the most challenging environments, making him a sought-after voice for leaders across industries. Whether addressing corporate executives, government leaders, or non-profit changemakers, Tom’s thought-provoking content and engaging style leave a lasting impression on audiences worldwide.
As a retired Brigadier General and the founding director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, Tom has dedicated his career to empowering leaders at every level. His groundbreaking book, In Extremis Leadership: Leading as If Your Life Depended on It, is a seminal work in the field, drawing on his firsthand experiences leading teams in life-and-death scenarios. Through his talks, Tom equips leaders with actionable strategies to build trust, foster resilience, and navigate complexity with confidence.
Description
Tom Kolditz’s career is a testament to his deep expertise and unwavering commitment to leadership excellence. A retired Brigadier General, Tom served over 34 years in the U.S. Army, culminating in his role as the Director of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. During his tenure, he shaped the leadership development of thousands of cadets, preparing them for the complexities of modern military and civilian leadership.
After retiring from the military, Tom transitioned to academia, where he continued his mission of developing leaders as the founding director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University. Under his leadership, the institute became a model for leadership development, combining cutting-edge research with practical applications to create measurable impact. His innovative approach has earned accolades and recognition as one of the world’s foremost leadership development initiatives.
Tom’s expertise extends far beyond theory, as he has spent years studying leadership in high-stakes environments. His book, In Extremis Leadership, examines how leaders can inspire extraordinary performance in extreme situations, drawing on examples from combat zones, natural disasters, and high-risk industries. This unique lens on leadership has made him a trusted advisor to Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and non-profit organizations seeking to build resilient, high-performing teams.
In addition to his leadership development work, Tom is a frequent media contributor and speaker at prestigious events, including TEDx and global leadership conferences. His insights on crisis management, trust-building, and adaptability are informed by a blend of rigorous academic research and real-world experience, making his presentations both credible and relatable.
Why Event Planners Should Book Tom Kolditz
Event planners looking for a speaker who combines gravitas, expertise, and relatability will find an exceptional choice in Tom Kolditz. His unique ability to distill complex leadership principles into practical, actionable takeaways ensures that audiences leave inspired and equipped to lead more effectively. With a proven track record of captivating diverse audiences—from senior executives to frontline managers—Tom brings unmatched value to every event.
Tom’s extensive background in leadership development makes him a versatile speaker who can tailor his presentations to meet the specific needs of any audience. Whether it’s navigating organizational change, managing crises, or fostering a culture of resilience, his talks are grounded in evidence-based strategies that resonate with listeners. Attendees consistently praise his engaging delivery style, compelling storytelling, and ability to connect on a personal level.
By booking Tom Kolditz, event planners can rest assured they are bringing in a speaker who will not only inspire but also empower their audience to achieve new heights of leadership excellence. His dedication to helping others succeed shines through in every presentation, leaving a profound impact that extends well beyond the event itself.
Summary
Tom Kolditz stands out as one of the world’s premier leadership experts, offering audiences an extraordinary blend of military precision, academic rigor, and practical wisdom. From his storied military career to his groundbreaking work at the Doerr Institute, Tom has consistently demonstrated an unmatched ability to inspire and develop leaders in any context. His compelling presentations, informed by real-world experience and cutting-edge research, equip audiences with the tools they need to lead with courage, resilience, and effectiveness.
Whether you’re planning a leadership retreat, corporate conference, or industry event, Tom Kolditz delivers a world-class experience that leaves a lasting impact. With his proven expertise and authentic passion for leadership, Tom is the speaker of choice for organizations seeking to elevate their leadership capabilities and drive meaningful change.
Hashtags:
#LeadershipExpert, #CrisisLeadership, #TomKolditz, #KeynoteSpeaker, #ResilientLeadership, #InExtremisLeadership, #DoerrInstitute, #LeadershipDevelopment
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