Available to book
Christopher Kolenda
Accelerate sustainable growth with Christopher Kolenda, speaker and strategic leadership expert. Christopher works with CEOs and senior leaders who want to drive sustainable growth. His battle-tested, business-proven 3-Discipline Leadership System™ builds unshakeable endurance and lasting success under any market conditions. His clients measure their results in the tens of millions of dollars.
Christopher Kolenda transforms battlefield wisdom into sustainable business growth as a strategic advisor who bridges military leadership and corporate success. A West Point graduate and retired Army colonel, Chris is known for his unprecedented diplomatic achievement in Afghanistan, convincing Taliban insurgents to switch sides—the only such success in the war’s two-decade history.
As a trusted advisor to multiple four-star generals, Cabinet officials, and the Pentagon’s highest levels, Christopher influenced national security strategy through bold, unconventional thinking. His expertise has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and The Economist, while his book Leadership: The Warrior’s Art has sold over 60,000 copies.
Today, Christopher helps organizations achieve enduring success through his Lead Significantly system, which equips leaders to thrive in any market condition. His approach combines strategic foresight with practical execution, guiding CEOs and executive teams to develop unbeatable positioning, build unstoppable workforces, and lead with unwavering inspiration. These principles, drawn from decades of leadership experience, have helped clients unlock over $100 million in new growth and create cultures that sustain performance through change.
Audiences gain practical frameworks for navigating uncertainty, fostering alignment, and transforming obstacles into opportunities. Christopher’s engaging presentations show how sustainable growth depends on clarity of purpose, adaptive strategy, and leadership that empowers people to contribute their best.
Book Christopher to equip your organization with the foresight, resilience, and strategic edge needed to build success that lasts.
Topics, sessions and talks
Christopher Kolenda shares insights from his 1,700-mile bike journey honoring fallen soldiers, revealing how to achieve transformational goals. He emphasizes that comfort zone habits won't lead to significant change; instead, embracing discomfort is essential for growth. Attendees will learn to envision their transformation zone goals, develop strategies to overcome challenges, and activate resilience. By the end, participants will confidently articulate their goals and implement actionable strategies to inspire success within their organizations.
Christopher Kolenda explores how organizations can unite teams around a shared purpose by creating cultures of trust and accountability. Drawing on battlefield lessons that turned adversaries into allies, he reveals the ABCs of leadership—Accountability, Buy-in, and Clarity. His insights show how these principles reduce workplace friction, strengthen engagement, and inspire people to contribute their best to the common good, equipping leaders to transform tension into cooperation and performance into purpose.
Christopher Kolenda shares insights gained from his experiences in Afghanistan. He highlights how disagreement is inevitable, but conflict is a choice. Christopher reveals that traditional conflict resolution methods often fail, costing organizations valuable time. He offers unconventional strategies to transform adversaries into allies, fostering cooperation and innovation. Attendees will learn practical techniques to resolve workplace conflicts efficiently and secure lasting buy-in for organizational harmony.
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frequently asked questions
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To book Christopher Kolenda, email christopher.kolenda@getapeptalk.com or call PepTalk on +44 20 3835 2929 (UK) or +1 737 888 5112 (US), and one of our speaker agents will contact you within hours to confirm Christopher's availability and speaking fee. If you can, please include your budget upfront – it helps us fast-track your request. It’s also helpful to know the date, format (virtual or in-person), location, and about your audience.
No. PepTalk adds no booking fee, so you pay the speaker's fee and nothing beyond it. The service, from shortlist through to contracts and event-day logistics, is included. For repeat or multi-event bookings, PepTalk can agree preferential rates with your procurement team.
Share your event date, audience, format, objectives and budget, and PepTalk sends a hand-picked shortlist within 24 hours. Each suggestion comes with a profile, a fee and a recommendation on the strongest fit. Once you choose, PepTalk handles contracts, travel and logistics through to event day.
The typical fee range is the speaker's standard in-person fee in their home market, shown in their local currency. It moves with format, location, date and session length: virtual sessions and shorter slots usually cost less, while international travel and peak dates cost more. Send your brief to PepTalk and the team will confirm the exact fee in your currency.
Not all of them, and it makes no difference to your booking. PepTalk's network of 15,000+ speakers covers talent the team works with directly alongside speakers represented by agents and agencies worldwide. PepTalk approaches the speaker, negotiates the fee and handles contracting either way.
Three to six months ahead is comfortable for most events, and 12 months is better for large conferences, peak-season dates or one specific in-demand speaker. Shorter timelines are workable, and PepTalk regularly fills last-minute and replacement bookings within days. Availability is the constraint, so get in touch as soon as you have a date.
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