Christopher D. Kolenda

Adjunct Senior Fellow

Press: [email protected]

In Afghanistan, Chris Kolenda developed a strategy that persuaded an insurgent force to switch sides; the only successful case in the war’s 20-year history.

Today, he works with CEOs and senior leaders to solve a different but equally difficult challenge: building leadership capability throughout their organizations so success doesn’t depend on one person.

Chris’s 3-Discipline Leadership System™ builds leadership depth that eliminates leader dependency and creates deep, enduring prosperity. His clients—including CEOs, Cabinet-level officials, four-star generals, police and fire chiefs, and NFL teams—have unlocked tens of millions of dollars in new growth by strengthening leadership, culture, and decision-making.

A West Point graduate, internationally recognized combat leader, and retired Army colonel, Chris advised three four-star generals and two Secretaries of Defense. He became the first American to both fight the Taliban in combat and negotiate successfully with them.

Frustrated by complacency and flawed assumptions in Washington, Chris challenged conventional wisdom, influenced U.S. military strategy, and helped drive diplomatic breakthroughs. Today, he brings that same blend of disciplined thinking and practical wisdom to business leaders seeking to build the leadership depth that creates enduring prosperity.

Chris has been featured on the front pages of the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, written about in The New York Times, The Economist, and The London Times, and has appeared on nearly every major news network in the United States and the United Kingdom.

He is the author of Leadership: The Warrior’s Art, which has sold more than 60,000 copies, The Counterinsurgency Challenge, and the national book award–winning Zero-Sum Victory: What We’re Getting Wrong About War.

Chris founded the Saber Six Foundation in honor of the six paratroopers from his unit who were killed in action in Afghanistan. The foundation works with veterans to transform post-combat stress into growth and renewed purpose.