AGL 276: Chris Kolenda on Leadership, The Warrior’s Art
About Chris
Christopher D. Kolenda, Founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, helps consultants, experts, and owners grow a meaningful, joyful, and profitable business. You get these outcomes by leading as your best self, Building an Inspiring Culture (TM), and making the pivotal decisions that create sustainable success.
Chris is both warrior and diplomat, combining assertiveness and statesmanship to gain dramatic wins. A West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, and retired Army colonel, he defied conventional wisdom in Afghanistan by developing 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.
Unsatisfied with the complacency, Chris inspired change in the military’s strategy and got Pentagon officials on board to push for new diplomatic initiatives. As a trusted adviser to three 4-star generals and two Secretaries of Defense, Chris became the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and negotiated with them in peace talks.
After resigning from the government, he’s brought warrior-diplomacy to the private sector, helping business leaders challenge conventional wisdom, imagine the future, and implement innovations that soar their businesses to new heights. Alan Weiss has selected Chris for his consulting Hall of Fame.
His unique warrior-diplomacy has been featured in the New York Times bestselling books: The Outpost by Jake Tapper and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson, as well as Steve Coll’s Directorate S and several others. His contributions have also been cited in 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 50,000 copies. The Counterinsurgency Challenge, and Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War.
Today We Talked About
Background
Army life
Military Leadership vs. Business Leadership
Connect what is important to people to their work
Three Legs of Leadership
Theory
History
Experience
Accountability
We're lazy about it
Three C's
Clarity
Consistency
Consequences
80% of accountability is celebration
One-on-ones
Priorities?
How are you using Superpowers?
How can capitalize on them better?
How can I help you?
Clarity
"So That"
Brick Layer Story
Connect with Chris
LinkedIn
Website
Book
Fallen Hero Ride
I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to Apple Podcasts and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word. Thanks again!
A2 Hosting
I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years. They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans. Their sites are super fast and easy to setup. I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal. I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs. And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you. Just sayin’.
Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2
Christopher D. Kolenda, Founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, helps consultants, experts, and owners grow a meaningful, joyful, and profitable business. You get these outcomes by leading as your best self, Building an Inspiring Culture (TM), and making the pivotal decisions that create sustainable success.
Chris is both warrior and diplomat, combining assertiveness and statesmanship to gain dramatic wins. A West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, and retired Army colonel, he defied conventional wisdom in Afghanistan by developing 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.
Unsatisfied with the complacency, Chris inspired change in the military’s strategy and got Pentagon officials on board to push for new diplomatic initiatives. As a trusted adviser to three 4-star generals and two Secretaries of Defense, Chris became the first American to have both fought the Taliban as a commander in combat and negotiated with them in peace talks.
After resigning from the government, he’s brought warrior-diplomacy to the private sector, helping business leaders challenge conventional wisdom, imagine the future, and implement innovations that soar their businesses to new heights. Alan Weiss has selected Chris for his consulting Hall of Fame.
His unique warrior-diplomacy has been featured in the New York Times bestselling books: The Outpost by Jake Tapper and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson, as well as Steve Coll’s Directorate S and several others. His contributions have also been cited in 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 50,000 copies. The Counterinsurgency Challenge, and Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War.
Today We Talked About
Background
Army life
Military Leadership vs. Business Leadership
Connect what is important to people to their work
Three Legs of Leadership
Theory
History
Experience
Accountability
We're lazy about it
Three C's
Clarity
Consistency
Consequences
80% of accountability is celebration
One-on-ones
Priorities?
How are you using Superpowers?
How can capitalize on them better?
How can I help you?
Clarity
"So That"
Brick Layer Story
Connect with Chris
Website
Book
Fallen Hero Ride
I hope you enjoyed this show, please head over to Apple Podcasts and subscribe and leave me a rating and review, even one sentence will help spread the word. Thanks again!
A2 Hosting
I’ve been using A2 Hosting for several years. They offer state of the art SSD hosting for all of their plans. Their sites are super fast and easy to setup. I rarely need support, but when I was migrating my sites to a larger plan I used their support services and they were phenomenal. I highly recommend A2 hosting for all of your hosting needs. And I also recommend everyone to have a personal website. If you’re in technology and looking for a job and don’t have your own website, I probably wouldn’t hire you. Just sayin’.
Please use my affiliate link when signing up. https://www.ageekleader.com/a2
Activity