8:00am-8:40am

8:00am-8:15am

10:00am-12:00am

Think you had a tough day at the office? You’ll never know what tough is until you’ve heard the harrowing, yet powerfully inspirational stories related by Marine Corps legend, Col. John W. Ripley. One of the world’s foremost authorities on combat leadership and performance under adversity, Col. Ripley will transport you to a reality you may never have imagined, a level of intensity and challenge not often encountered at any level of corporate life. He brings to the Summit knowledge and wisdom gained from a career in the Marine Corps and firsthand leadership experience in extreme situations where life-and-death decisions are made in nanoseconds, and wrong decisions often result in annihilation. After you’ve heard from this gentle and soft-spoken warrior, you may never think of your business or career in the same way again.

Here was a Commander’s dream – hard intelligence and an opportunity to hit the enemy where he could be severely hurt. In the Quang Nam Province, Vietnam on 14 January 1967, rapid intelligence and aggressive small unit leadership presented the chance for a successful raid against an unsuspecting enemy. Unfortunately, huge obstacles existed. Intel suggested that commanders on the ground had only 3 days to accomplish the mission, and fewer than 24 hours to plan it. Making matters worse, American forces would be entering a highly dangerous longtime enemy stronghold. When average men might shrink from the kind of overwhelming logistical, tactical, and time challenges that presented themselves at that moment in history, a young Marine Captain drew a brilliant plan of attack, then rapidly launched and executed a successful strike that dealt a serious blow. For his extraordinary heroism on that day, Capt. Marshall N. Carter won the Navy’s highest honor, the Navy Cross. Hear the story of the Raid on Go Noi Island, and discover what it takes to plan and execute critical operations under extreme adversity.

Upon insertion onto a small triangular peak of a 9,000-foot snow covered mountain in Eastern Afghanistan, hovering at approximately 10 feet, Navy SEAL Neil Robert’s helicopter was suddenly hit by enemy fire causing him to be thrown from the aircraft. The heavily damaged bird barely flew off, and set down 8 kilometers away, out of immediate danger. Realizing what had just happened, the team leader, a Navy SEAL Senior Chief, made a decision on his own. A decision that is bigger than life itself. They were going back in to find their teammate. When the unexpected hits, decision makers must be ready for any contingency. Quick analysis, rapid planning and sound decisions are job number one in a crisis especially when a rescue mission in enemy territory gets tougher by the minute.

Col. John Ripley, Marshall Carter and Capt. Fitzgerald discuss the lessons learned from military training and combat experience. Through a series of Q and A’s, these military legends discuss how the skills and techniques they developed in the military directly prepared them for civilian life.

How fast can you develop plans, make decisions and execute on a commitment? In the world of Special Operations, our nation’s elite commandos have only 4-12 hours to react to a mission tasking. Their structured planning focuses intensely on mission success. Their decision making is organized and impactful, and their execution is razor sharp. This session takes you through the methodology used by our varsity operators in the Special Forces, called “MODDEM”: Mission Analysis, Option Development, Decide on a Course of Action, Detailed Planning, Execution and Measurement.

A huge crisis hits an industry. Will you be ready to respond rapidly, make decisions and execute? In this simulated business scenario, your team will be under extreme deadlines to coordinate a plan of attack. Companies that move the fastest to position properly will reap the rewards. The corporate sponsors at the summit offer solutions which will provide part of the answers. The other parts will come from how well you collaborate within your group on analyzing the situation, defining the task at hand, developing your mission, brainstorming options and preparing “right here, right now” for decisions and execution. All aspects of business – including public relations, logistics, information management, communications, operations, metrics and measurements – are affected and will require careful synchronization for you to succeed.

Delegates and faculty work together to analyze the mission ahead.

Our expert panel assesses the crisis. Ready yourself and your team with the fullest understanding of the task ahead so that you may rapidly execute with precision and decisiveness.

Crafty SOF operators live by the motto : “Ye with the Most Options Wins”. There are simply too many unknowns in dynamic environments. You must have several alternative ways to execute and achieve mission success.

Leaders listen. And they learn. And they think ahead. Every bit as important is that they willingly risk their own reputations (and in some cases lives) on the advice of subordinates when time is of the essence and action is imminent. Admiral “Snuffy” Smith has been involved in thrilling and demanding situations where his instincts and gut carried the day. But he maintains that there were very few crisis situations in which he was involved that he hadn’t thought through, at least to some extent, before the fact. He is known as a leader who fought for what he thought was right, sometimes at great personal risk.

In this workshop, your team will aggressively brainstorm, debate, develop and evaluate options, or “courses of action”. Deadlines will be tight. Strong leadership is essential. Cooperation is a must, and accessing information is critical. Enthusiastic teamwork during this all important phase will set the tone for execution in the field.

Teams will present their chosen “course of action”. Our faculty will critique decisions and decision making techniques/processes observed during training.

From product defects to environmental disasters—almost every day a new corporate crisis hits the headlines. In the majority of cases, the results are disastrous: costly and time-consuming efforts to establish a positive public image can be wiped out in seconds. The inadequate, and often damaging response of American business to such adversity proves that we don’t need better crisis management— we need crisis leadership and preparation. In this interactive panel discussion, our guest case study presenters present the critical, key lessons that helped them lead their respective organizations through a major crisis. Dr. Mitroff then will explore the multitude of factors and forces that you need to consider implementing effective, proactive leadership. He will detail how various corporate functions must work together to respond to crisis and minimize their occurrence and impact on the organization. He will offer a truly integrated and systematic approach based on a combination of models, including a comprehensive look at what happens before, during, and after a crisis. He will discuss the extreme importance of Emotional IQ in handling of, responding to, and preparing for any crisis and will present reports on the latest findings from new national surveys.

It was a beautiful day in the Heartland of America when a Federal Building was blown up. No one knows how it happened or why. People are dead, The City is reeling and all of America wants to respond. None of this was ever expected. When there is utter chaos to a situation that has never occured before, how do you deal with it. Organization and processes have to be established. Daily routines must be established. Commuication is an important factor, but how much communication is needed and what is to be said internally within an organization and externally is as important. In an unexpected event, focusing on coordination, communication and cooperation will assist in creating ordered chaos. Thereby allowing you to make decisions and execute those decisions so that you can return to a more normal environment. Unexpected experiences and how you react to those experiences can help shape your leadership skills.

Harnessing the Hidden Talent to Access the Hidden Job Market. At the personal request of former President Clinton in a three hour dinner meeting on September 12, 1996, Wesley Poriotis was asked to help resolve the challenges facing military service members seeking to access quality employment upon their transition from active duty. Wes reported to the President the results of a two year study he had conducted for the Joint Chiefs of Staff that showed the military was facing embedded deselective biases based on stereotype and misperception as they left active duty to seek employment opportunities post-transition from the Gulf War. Wes, through his Chairmanship of national executive search firm Wesley, Brown and Bartle, conducted political appointment level executive search for Clinton cabinet members, drew the parallel for President Clinton between employment challenges historically denying access to women and people of color and those the Joint Chiefs’ study reflected now existing within corporate America, which devalued military service as a business or employment asset. Thus, the Center for Military and Private Sector Initiatives was established to market military service as a value added business and competitive advantage to America’s employers. Mr. Poriotis likens the military to a massive underutilized hidden talent pool which, when maximized, can enhance America’s business competitiveness. But, having testified in front of The House and The Senate four times on these challenges, his Foundation’s study for Congress last year on corporate perceptions of military service reflected the notion, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” The misconception remains that Military service has little or no value to business….even though the nation supports the troops and has a renewed sense of Patriotism post-9/11.

In Vietnam, Capt. Marshall N. Carter leads a victorious combat mission against overwhelming odds and wins the Navy’s highest honor, the Navy Cross. 30 years later, this honored war hero, now a CEO, applies military leadership skills to successfully guide a major financial institution through the firestorm of a hostile takeover attempt. 15 years later, Mr. Carter is elected Chairman of the NYSE and helps the exchange through the most exciting and important period in our nation’s equities markets.

Why do some leaders seem to routinely fail while others consistently succeed? What does it take to lead and win in even the most daunting and treacherous environments? What are the benchmarks of great leadership? What are the values, principals, and guiding lights of our greatest leaders? What different leadership traits are required for the planning versus execution phases of a mission?

Col. John W. Ripley, the most revered and highly decorated Marine in living memory and the former Director of Marine Corps History and the Marine Corps Historical Center, gives this once in a lifetime tour of the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Delegates will learn the history of the Marine Corps as told by the single most qualified man alive.

They have transitioned from the military to the highest ranks of corporate America. Col. Ripley will lead several ex-military business leaders through an exploration of the application of military lessons in corporate life. During this panel discussion, all will explore the importance of: Audacity in Planning; Boldness in Action; Receptiveness for Risk Taking; Split-Second Decisiveness vs. Assured Defeatism through Excessive Caution & Timidity; The Scourge of Negativism & Identifying and Purging Defeatists; Mental, Physical and Spiritual Endurance; Knowing When to Cut Your Losses; Change the Axis of Attack and Re-Attack; Accepting Loss; Living With, Leading In, and Managing a Crisis; Leadership in Adversity, Understanding that Adversity is the Normal State of Affairs; Moral Courage.