Have an upcoming event? Members of our team can deliver powerful keynote speeches on various topics listed below that are applicable across industries. Please contact our team for more details.

Strategic Media Relations: From Anthrax to Women in Combat Arms

BY MAJOR GENERAL MALCOLM B. FROST, U.S. ARMY RETIRED

Major General (Retired) Malcolm Frost, a 31-year veteran who deployed to combat several times in a variety of leadership and command positions, draws from his experience as the Army’s Director (Chief) of Public Affairs from 2015-2017.  During this time, the Army dealt with a myriad of media challenges, including global shipment of live anthrax, Confederate naming of Army installations, and women being fully integrated into combat arms and Ranger School, the Army’s premier leadership training venue.  Malcolm expands on his LinkedIn article, “10 Rules for Media Relations”, to share leadership and media relations lessons he learned while dealing with a variety of negative media stories and positive media opportunities. He will show how using key leadership and media principles can mitigate risk and prevent harsh, long-term media exposure. This insider’s view of how large organizations navigate the media landscape is a compelling journey that resonates universally.  It is imperative that leaders understand and embrace the media, deal with crisis head on, recognize that negative stories can provide opportunity, and effectively take advantage of positive media opportunities.   He shows how natural leader instincts often exacerbate negative media stories and how an organization’s bureaucracy and culture can determine success or failure with the media.  

Leadership Principles:

During Media Relations keynote, the following leadership principles will be explored:

  • Leader reaction to crisis
  • Rules for media relations
  • Negative stories provide opportunity
  • Risk vs. reward in the media landscape
  • Scanning for strategic media opportunities
  • Organizational bureaucracy and culture matter
  • Planning for media crisis and opportunity

Leading Through Crisis and Loss

By Major General Malcolm Frost, U.S. Army Retired

Major General (Retired) Malcolm Frost, a 31-year veteran who deployed to combat several times in a variety of leadership and command positions, draws from his experience in Tal Afar and northern Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2006-2007. During this time period, the Army increased its manpower, and extended tour lengths from 12 to 15 months. Through the use of improvised explosive devices, the growing insurgency was successfully escalating the U.S. casualty rate, and sectarian conflict was at its height.  Upon being assigned to the strategic city of Tal Afar in the north – home to the successful U.S. “Clear, Hold, Build” strategy – it was evident that tensions were high and maintaining low levels of violence would be a tenuous undertaking. Malcolm shows how he dealt with the challenging situation of a complex environment created by the Iraq War’s “Economy of Force” mission.  Operating under these constraints, Malcolm continued to empower his subordinates and used key leadership principles to deal with crisis and eventual loss of his first soldier under his command.  He directly translates these lessons by illustrating how they apply to the corporate world. This insider’s view of challenging combat missions and subsequent leadership lessons is a compelling journey that resonates universally.  Malcolm strongly believes that leadership is about recognizing the moment, leading through adversity, and leading from the front.  He outlines how leaders can positively shape an organization through crisis in the short term while strengthening the organization in the long run.

Leadership Principles:

During Leadership keynote address, the following leadership principles will be explored:

  • Building on a foundation of integrity and trust
  • Presence and leader reaction to crisis
  • Leading from the front
  • Strategic messaging – internal and external
  • Facilitating organizational stages of grief
  • Clear communications and plans; balancing organizational reaction
  • Dealing with loss
  • Long term organizational effects

Kobayashi Maru: The No-Win Legal and Moral Risk Dilemma

By Major General Malcolm Frost, U.S. Army Retired

Having been deployed to combat several times in a variety of leadership and command positions throughout his career, Major General (Retired) Malcolm Frost, a 31-year veteran, draws from his experience during the transition from Operation Iraqi Freedom to Operation New Dawn as the leader of one of the last units in Iraq during the drawdown in 2010-11. During this time period, the Army switched its mission to one focused on fighting the insurgency to advising, assisting and training the Iraqi Security Forces to take the lead in security efforts. The Security Forces Agreement and Rules of Engagement were changing as Malcolm outlines in his LinkedIn article, “Kobayashi Maru: The No-Win Combat Legal and Moral Dilemma” and in his September 14th, 2010, Op-ed to the Washington Times, “FROST: From Combat to New Dawn in Iraq”. Malcolm will outline risk-management responsibilities and how leaders are often faced with diametrically opposed legal and moral risks that can fracture an organization.  Leaders can overcome risks and “no win” scenarios by setting the right conditions and taking the right actions over time during a crisis, and he will directly translate these lessons by illustrating how they apply to the corporate world. This insider’s view of challenging combat missions and subsequent leadership lessons is a compelling journey that resonates universally.  Malcolm strongly believes that leadership is about uncompromising integrity and understanding the environment, including weighing risks and tapping into innovative and imaginative subordinates.  He shows how organizations can be pulled apart by legal and moral issues that are in direct contravention, how leader trust and loyalty can accordingly be questioned, and how to overcome that which seems unwinnable.

Leadership Principles:

During Risk Dilemma keynote, the following leadership principles will be explored:

  • The impact of values, trust and transparency
  • Leading from the front and demonstrating personal risk
  • Moral vs. Legal; which is more important?
  • Loyalty to subordinates vs. the organization or mission
  • Organizational and leader trust
  • Shaping the external environment
  • Empowering subordinate innovation
  • Never giving up and always finding a way

Leadership, Passion, and Work-Life Commitment

By Major Generals Patricia and Malcolm Frost, U.S. Army Retired

Major Generals (Retired) Patricia and Malcolm Frost, each 31-year veterans who deployed to combat several times in a variety of leadership and command positions, draw from their 20-year experience together as a couple serving, succeeding and reaching the pinnacle of rank and responsibility in the U.S. military. During this time, while our nation has been in its longest period of war, Patricia and Malcolm have each commanded and led organizations responsible for thousands of personnel and hundreds of millions of dollars. They deployed to combat together, watched and supported each other as they deployed separately, and raised an infant daughter who is now a teenager.  They will demonstrate the importance of communication and trust, health and fitness, how to deal with constant change, and compromise in relationships and careers. They will show how it takes a village to support a home and family living in a fast-paced, high-tempo environment as leaders of consequence. The Frosts will demonstrate how sharing burdens and recognizing strengths and weaknesses in each other is critical to life and work success. Patricia and Malcolm feel strongly that fulfilling your passion is best realized by fully supporting your spouse/partner’s passion and that championing your child’s aspirations is empowering and breeds success. They both believe that leadership does not just occur at work, it is a 24/7 trait of commitment necessary to succeed at work and in life.  They share their simple yet powerful framework of the 3F’s – Family, Faith, and Fulfillment – to illuminate how they have led and maintained their passion to an enriched work-life commitment.

Leadership Principles:

During Leadership and Work-Life Commitment keynote, the following leadership principles will be explored:

  • Building on a foundation of integrity, trust and values
  • Presence matters
  • Leading from the front at work and in life
  • Finding your passion and supporting your spouse/partner’s passion
  • You can’t do it alone; it takes a village
  • Dealing with loss and setbacks
  • Balance is a myth – it’s about priorities and trade-offs
  • Compromise vs. Sacrifice
  • Family, Faith and Fulfillment

Leading on the Edge: A Combat Lesson from the Iraqi Freedom Surge

By Major General Malcolm Frost, U.S. Army Retired

Major General (Retired) Malcolm Frost, a 31-year veteran who deployed to combat several times in a variety of leadership and command positions, draws from his experience in Tal Afar and northern Iraq during the Operation Iraqi Freedom Surge in 2006-2007. During this time period, the Army increased its manpower and extended tour lengths from 12 to 15 months. The growing Al Qaeda-based insurgency was successfully escalating the U.S. casualty rate, and sectarian tensions were rising in the strategic city of Tal Afar in the north.   Malcolm employs a storytelling technique to walk through leadership lessons learned while dealing with the growing threat of a suicide vest cell in Tal Afar.  He will show how key leadership principles used to deal with this threat can often be at odds with one another, confuse and confound leaders, and cause them to miss strategic opportunities during moments of crisis.  He will demonstrate the importance of “mission command”, defined through trust, relationships, shared understanding, disciplined initiative and collaboration.  He directly translates these lessons by illustrating how they apply to the corporate world. This insider’s view of challenging combat missions and subsequent leadership lessons is a compelling journey that resonates universally.  Leadership is about recognizing the moment, dealing with crisis head on, leading from the front, empowering subordinates, and thinking strategically at all times.  Malcolm shows how leaders rightly follow natural leadership instincts and must recognize the changing environment. He believes the power of relationships, trust, and foundational collaboration can motivate empowered and trusted teams to use disciplined initiative while taking prudent risk to accomplish the most difficult missions. 

Leadership Principles:

During Leadership keynote, the following leadership principles will be explored:

  • Train and be ready; the moment will choose you
  • Understanding the environment
  • Leader presence and reaction to crisis
  • The power of trust, relationships, and collaboration
  • Leading from the front
  • Scanning for strategic opportunities
  • Knowing when and how to empower subordinates who exercise disciplined initiative
  • Developing timely plans that taking prudent risk