Battlefield Leadership is a leadership consulting and training company specialized in experiential learning development methods. Our program content is based on historic events or figures and actual experience from the past. History, and pivotal situations in history, are simply used as a context within which to examine contemporary business leadership practices.  This process is especially compelling due to the novelty of the perspective created and the care we take to clearly and concretely establish the relevance of the historic leadership situations to the current business environment.  Participants leave with specific strategies for improved effectiveness to apply to real, current business leadership challenges.

Our work adds focus and impact to the process of leadership development and is a powerful accelerator for both individual leadership development initiatives and leadership team development efforts.  Frequently our programs are used to establish a common frame of reference on leadership, based in a shared experience, as a prelude to vital business processes, such as strategic planning, shared goal development, allocation of resources across an organization's functions, or the definition of common priorities.  But perhaps our most impactful utilization by clients is as a tool to engage the operational or strategic leadership of an organization behind a change in direction and to engender their commitment to critical initiatives set from the top.

We believe that effectively learning for the future from history is best accomplished via memorable stories about real people and events which have left a lasting imprint.  Much of our work is derived from great battles and military initiatives from history, since the connection between leadership and results in these events is so direct and vivid, and since they are so well preserved in the historical record. We also concentrate on prominent leadership examples from pivotal moments in history, memorable individuals who have taken notable action in moments of crisis or opportunity to shape the future for their countries or organizations. Since the focus of our review of the historic action is exclusively on leadership - behavior, decision-making, and the shaping of organizational culture and dynamics - there is no intrinsic bias or appeal.  It does not matter whether one is female or male, black or white, Asian or European, or American or German, as the messages and lessons have a universal relevance for leaders of all types; and, profoundly, because the fundamental human drama of individuals in battle or crisis is emotionally and equally compelling to fellow human beings, regardless of their national origin or political allegiance.

Our principal partners and lead facilitators are established experts and highly credible consultants with extensive backgrounds in military history, corporate management and leadership, and organizational development-organizational effectiveness consulting.

Colonel Cole C. Kingseed Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, , United States Army (Retired) is a thirty-year Army veteran who commanded at the platoon, company, and battalion level. A graduate of the University of Dayton (OH) in 1971, he served in the infantry in a variety of military assignments, culminating in his tenure as full professor of history and chief of military history at the U S Military Academy at West Point. Read More

Richard E. Thomas Richard E. Thomas is a culture change and organizational effectiveness expert with distinguished experience as a corporate executive and as a consultant to Fortune 500 companies in the areas of organizational, executive, and team development. Since 2003, Rich has specialized in military history-based leadership development and experiential education design. Thomas holds a BA degree in Asian Studies from Princeton University, completed graduate field work in Cultural Anthropology in Thailand, and is a Vietnam veteran and former Army Intelligence specialist in PsyOps. Read More