Thomas Kolditz

Thomas A. Kolditz is a social psychologist who develops leaders, with experience spanning the military, higher education, and executive coaching. He is the Managing Member of Saxon Castle LLC, a coaching and leader development consultancy, and the founding Executive Director of the Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, which he led for seven years.

A retired Brigadier General, Kolditz led the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point for 12 years and was titled Professor Emeritus after retirement. He has also held roles at the Pentagon and the Center for Army Leadership, and previously taught at Yale School of Management, where he founded the Leadership Development Program. Thomas A. Kolditz is available to be booked for corporate and private events. Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group today to inquire about Thomas A. Kolditz’s fees.

Want to book Thomas Kolditz for an event?

Contact the Mollie Plotkin Group at (215) 995-0905 to book Thomas Kolditz for corporate or private events, keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, motivational speaking, or virtual appearances. Our agency will work directly with your organization and our keynote speakers to create an unforgettable event.

The Mollie Plotkin Group is the leading keynote speakers agency and entertainment bureau bringing excitement to audiences, clients, and employees. We represent subject-matter experts in every possible field. So whether we’re your partner in creating a memorable meeting or your meeting planner’s secret weapon in securing the perfect keynote speaker, we’re in this with you.

Leadership in the military and higher education

Kolditz served as head of the Department of Behavioral Sciences and Leadership at West Point for 12 years and later received the title of Professor Emeritus. His military service also included two years as a leadership and human resources policy analyst in the Pentagon and a year as a concept developer in the Center for Army Leadership. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, the Army’s highest award for service.

In higher education, he founded and led the Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University for seven years. Before Rice, he taught as a Professor in the Practice of Leadership and Management at the Yale School of Management, where he founded the Leadership Development Program.

Research, writing, and large scale leader development

Dr. Kolditz has published more than 75 books, book chapters, and articles, and has served on the editorial and advisory boards of several psychology journals. While serving in Iraq, he developed the concept of in extremis leadership, an original crisis leadership model, later captured in his book In Extremis Leadership: Leading as if Your Life Depended On It. He also authored Leadership Reckoning: Can Higher Education Develop the Leaders We Need, which he describes as launching a national movement to improve leader development in higher education.

Focused on scaling leader development, he partnered with the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to design and administer a Carnegie Elective Classification titled “Leadership for Public Purpose,” and he serves on the Leadership for Public Purpose National Advisory Committee. He is credentialed by the International Coaching Federation, a Fellow in the American Psychological Association, and has been recognized by Global Gurus and Thinkers50 MG100 for his coaching work.

To hire Thomas Kolditz for an event, contact the Mollie Plotkin Group with the proposed event date, location, audience size, event format and program goals. Thomas Kolditz is available for corporate events, conferences, leadership meetings, private events, workshops, fireside chats and virtual programs.

After receiving your request, a Mollie Plotkin Group booking agent will review Thomas Kolditz’s availability, discuss the event details and get back to you within 48 hours with next steps for securing Thomas Kolditz for your program.

The cost to book Thomas Kolditz depends on the event date, location, format, audience size and scope of the appearance. Thomas Kolditz’s speaking fee ranges from $20,000 to $30,000. Speaking fees may vary for keynote speeches, workshops, fireside chats, private events, corporate meetings and virtual programs.

For the most accurate Thomas Kolditz booking fee, contact the Mollie Plotkin Group with your event details. Our team will help confirm availability, pricing and the best format for your event.

Audiences can expect pragmatic, evidence based leadership lessons drawn from extreme, high risk environments and translated into clear practices leaders can use in business and everyday life. Across his talks, Tom connects volatility, complexity, and uncertainty to actionable principles for leading through crises, building capable teams, and developing the next generation of leaders for lasting performance.

Common keynote themes include: leading in crisis, practical leadership techniques, preparing for uncertainty, leadership development, performance and retention, personal and professional leadership application.

In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It

Leadership lessons from life and death situations that hold up in business and everyday life.

Operating environments for both government and business are characterized by volatility, complexity, and uncertainty—perfect conditions for crises to emerge. Brigadier Gen. Tom Kolditz, author of In Extremis Leadership: Leading as if Your Life Depended on It, shows how extreme life-and-death situations can offer profound lessons for leaders in any setting. Tom’s research reveals that the leadership skills and principles evident in dangerous settings also apply to leading in business and everyday life, making this program applicable to both personal and professional success.

Ideal for leaders and teams operating in environments where uncertainty and pressure are constant.

Hope Is not a Method: 40 years of Leadership Takeaways

Eight proven techniques leaders can use immediately to get the job done.

Too often, leaders hope for success without using specific techniques for leading effectively. After leading dozens of organizations on 4 continents, and teaching leaders and leadership for 25 years, Tom distills eight proven techniques he uses regularly to get the job done as a leader. This presentation is extremely pragmatic and will allow for immediate application in peoples’ professional and personal lives.

Leaders Developing Leaders

A practical framework for developing people directly, improving performance, and strengthening retention.

One of a leader’s most powerful legacies is developing the leaders who follow them. Leadership development programs in business are often focused on talent managers and HR directors. Brigadier Gen. Tom Kolditz illustrates how, in an evidence-based way, each leader can personally and directly develop their people, increasing the performance and retention of employees and building a solid foundation for the future. Tapping leadership development principles used at West Point, the Yale School of Management, and other high-performing organizations, Tom’s presentation creates a clear path and practical framework for leaders to have greater impact and influence over their people while simultaneously helping them achieve their potential.

Ideal for leaders at every level who are accountable for building strong teams and future leaders.

Closing takeaway

Whether the challenge is a looming crisis, a fast changing environment, or the daily work of building a stronger team, Tom equips leaders with research grounded principles and pragmatic techniques they can apply immediately to lead more effectively and develop others with intent.