“I’ve heard John twice, most recently at the Maryland Club … John addressed a packed dinner audience, and brought the house down. He is excellent.”

-Tom Neale, BDO


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“The Green Beret Way:  Achieving Objectives Unconventionally, ‘By, With and Through’”  

As a retired senior Army Special Forces officer (“Green Beret”) and author of three novels, John will share his experiences from the West Wing of the White House and the E-Ring of the Pentagon, to the many war and crisis zones he has operated in around the world. Through his telling of stories relating actual events, John will present an operational model he employed that allowed him to help mitigate and resolve crises.

This message is best delivered by John as a Keynote Speech to your team.

Key Deliverables:

  1. How to employ a deliberate planning methodology and unconventional techniques to gain access to information.
  2. Unconventional methods of living in uncertain, unstable and often denied environments.
  3. Employing perceived impartiality and a non-threatening profile to achieve ground truth.
  4. The imperative of empowering team members and influencers to gain clarity.
  5. The value of demanding, realistic training.

“Resilience in the Face of Adversity”

What does it take to not just overcome adversity, but to conquer it, so that, in the end, you and your team come out better and stronger for the experience?  Learn how others have used adversity to their advantage, and how they took advantage of the challenges confronting them in the most challenging circumstances.  John’s unique personal perspectives will demonstrate how training for adversity is not only possible, but recommended as a means to promote resilience, trust, perseverance, and teamwork.  John will show you and your team how adversity is our greatest opportunity to become stronger and more successful.


Key Deliverables:

  1. A Full Appreciation of Adversity as Opportunity 
  2. How Successful Teams can Implement and Apply Lessons and Principles of Resilience Every Day.
  3. Touchstone Stories of Overcoming Adversity (John’s Own and Others).

“The Enduring Value of Story Telling”

All good leaders are effective storytellers—because they must communicate their story constantly. They understand all of the dynamics of a good story.  Through his own experience as a senior Special Forces officer who has operated throughout the world’s war and crisis zones, and a novelist, John will show you and your team how to think about stories and storytelling as a routine method to achieve all of your goals.  

This message is best delivered in two parts:  As a Keynote Speech, and then as a working seminar with your team.

Key Deliverables:

  1. The Five C’s of Storytelling.
  2. Story Structure and Frameworks.
  3. Case Studies of Successful Corporate Storytelling.
  4. How to Incorporate Storytelling into Company Strategy.
  5. How to Effectively Tell Stories in a Digital Age.
  6. Breakthrough “StoryBranding” vs. Conventional Marketing.

“Leadership, Teamwork and Story Telling”

Today’s teams are different from the teams of the past. They’re more dispersed, digital, and diverse. John talks about the essential qualities of leadership and teamwork conveyed through a series of personal stories and historical case studies that will guide your team to a visceral understanding of what makes leaders and their teams great.

Key Deliverables:

  1. The Essential Ingredient of both Leadership and Teamwork (Trust)
  2. The Value of Empowering Team Members, and Demanding, Realistic Training.
  3. Character Driven Leadership.  
  4. Story Telling as a Leadership Tool.  Leader as Storyteller.
  5. How to Succeed, We Must Fail. 
  6. Self-Awareness.  Know Yourself.

“Military 101: Understanding The Veteran”

If your company includes customers who are veterans and veteran families, John’s “Military 101” presentation will provide the foundation you and your team needs to relate directly to them and to serve them effectively. Military 101 is a 2.5 hour presentation on the history, culture, values and organizational structure of each of our military services.  Also offered:  Military 102:  The Vietnam War (2 Hour Presentation)

“Military 102: The Vietnam War” and “Military 103: Vietnam: Could We have Won?”

For companies whose customers include Vietnam Veterans, these presentations serve as a crucial cornerstone to serving out veterans in the best possible, most empathetic way. John offers a compelling, historic perspective of the Vietnam War in two one-hour long presentations to your team members. Armed with an understanding of the war’s history, it’s dynamics and a full host of innovative, sensitive methods to talk to our Vietnam Veterans about the war and their experiences through an approach that honors their service. Your customers’  perceptions will be dramatically enhanced, your teams members will feel comfortable in their communications, and your sales will naturally see a noticeable lift as a direct result.