Martin Dempsey

Navigating Changing Domestic and Global Realities: Opportunities and Liabilities

In this timely keynote, General Martin Dempsey—former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a trusted advisor to multiple administrations—offers audiences an inside look at how evolving domestic priorities and shifting international relationships impact today’s security and business landscape. Drawing on decades of high-level leadership, he suggests that there are always benefits and risks associated with change, particularly as change occurs precipitously as we are experiencing today. With a focus on strategic foresight and pragmatic decision-making, General Dempsey engages corporate audiences with actionable insights to mitigate uncertainty, identify and act on opportunities, and build resilience. Attendees depart his sessions with a clearer perspective on how to navigate change, leverage opportunity, and lead with confidence.

Cyber: New Threats in a World Driven by Rapid and Profound Change

We live in an unpredictable and increasingly volatile global security environment. As globalization is impacting nearly every aspect of human activity, people, products and information are flowing across borders at unprecedented speed and volume, acting as catalysts for economic development while also increasing societal tensions, competition for resources and political instability. The recent hacks at Sony, Target, and Neiman Marcus serve as prime examples of how vulnerable many technology and security systems truly are. In this presentation, General Dempsey provides rich insight to the impacts of a new cyber domain on security, business and legislation, and will inform and captivate audiences of any industry mindful of the rapidly changing and complex nature of this increasing threat.

Leading Organizational Change: Capturing Innovation and Efficiencies While Operating in Complexity

Global disorder has significantly increased while some of our comparative advantage has begun to erode. CEOs and leaders face similar challenges, and like the U.S. do not often have the luxury to focus on one problem at a time. Throughout his tenure, General Dempsey made leadership development a priority and focused on capturing innovation and efficiencies to build creative, adaptive professionals skilled at leading organizational change while operating in complexity. He firmly believes in the imperative nature of developing leaders of competence, character and consequence in order to address the challenges of the 21st Century. During this presentation, he examines strategies to foster innovation, explores a balance of certain attributes, places an emphasis on relationships and dives into efficient and focused processes that will help any organization accomplish their strategic objectives.

America’s Role in the World Today: A Look at Globalization, the Diffusion of Technology, the Changing Nature of Power, New Political Leadership, and Global Demographic Shifts

America is not unfamiliar with unique advantages in many industries; however, from technology and energy to demographics, many of these advantages are being challenged in the 21st Century. Key factors impacting the current global landscape are globalization, diffusion of technology and global demographic shifts. The U.S. faces multiple challenges from traditional state actors and will need to rapidly adapt as new threats will have increasing implications on the U.S. homeland. Having spent much of his career working around the globe, General Dempsey is uniquely positioned to offer unmatched insights on a changing world. From North Korea, Russia and Iran, to Africa, Europe and Asia, to America’s role in the world today, Dempsey is able to address the day’s most pressing issues and how these changes directly impact your business in this captivating and eye-opening presentation.

Radical Inclusion Seminar – GEN(R) Martin E. Dempsey and Ori Brafman

SEMINAR OVERVIEW

Leaders today face challenges that have always existed but also challenges that are new, dynamic, complex, and cannot be ignored. This seminar will systematically examine today’s leadership environment to determine what’s new and what’s not. The instructors will share experiences from the highest levels of government and business to illuminate these challenges and to propose leadership principles for addressing them. In addition, the seminar will provide participants with opportunities to practice the application of these principles through customizable exercises and group experiences. Participants will walk away not only with a stronger understanding of the current and future environment, but with the practical skills necessary for grappling with the implications of leading in our rapidly evolving world.

The environment in which we now lead. In the first part of this session we will discuss changes in the leadership environment. We will discuss the distinction between complex and complicated, the accessibility and speed of information, the vulnerability of facts, the influence of digital echoes on both leaders and followers and the competition for trust and confidence in which leaders now find themselves. 

The enduring leadership principles. In the second part of this session, drawing on examples from both the instructors’ experiences and current events, we will draw out three enduring and important leadership principles: Give Them Memories (Belonging), Make it Matter (Meaning), and Learn to Imagine (Learning from Weak Signals).

The emerging leadership principles. Once again drawing upon both experience and current events, we will draw out three emerging and increasingly important leadership principles: Develop a Bias for Action, Empower Subordinates to Co-Create Context, Understand How to Relinquish Control to Preserve Power. We will discuss how these principles must be supported by certain leadership instincts including Listen, Amplify, and Include. We will conclude this session with a discussion of the concept of Radical Inclusion and why it is the necessary pragmatic leadership response to change, complexity, speed, accessibility, and affordability.  

EXERCISES

• The Ace: Demonstrating the unseen challenges of being a leader
• 5 for 25: Quickly finding solutions and fostering innovation from the edges of the network
• Break-Outs: Developing tangible next steps to solve a real problem
• The Fish Bowl: An inclusive, facilitated conversation with instructors and participants
• Role Playing: Seeking presidential decision on Afghanistan troop levels
• Role Playing: Implementing SECDEF directive on women in service

LENGTH

This customizable seminar can be delivered in half-day, full-day, or two-day versions for groups of any size with an option to kick-off the event with a dinner, moderated discussion, and Q&A session with the instructors the night prior to the event.