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Christopher D. Kolenda

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Christopher D. Kolenda is President and CEO of Kolenda Strategic Leadership, LLC, which consults on leadership, strategy, and human security. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for New American Security. He recently served as the Senior Advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Department of Defense senior leadership and has served four tours in Afghanistan.

Chris graduated from the United States Military Academy and went on to serve in the United States Army with great distinction, to include leading large, complex organizations in the United States, Europe, and in combat in Afghanistan. He also served as an Assistant Professor of History at West Point.

In 2007-08, he commanded an airborne infantry task force in Kunar and Nur Christopher D. Kolenda is President and CEO of Kolenda Strategic Leadership, LLC, which consults on leadership, strategy, and human security. He is also an Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Center for New American Security. He recently served as the Senior Advisor on Afghanistan and Pakistan to the Department of Defense senior leadership and has served four tours in Afghanistan.

Chris graduated from the United States Military Academy and went on to serve in the United States Army with great distinction, to include leading large, complex organizations in the United States, Europe, and in combat in Afghanistan. He also served as an Assistant Professor of History at West Point.

In 2007-08, he commanded an airborne infantry task force in Kunar and Nuristan provinces and pioneered an innovative approach to counterinsurgency. Employing locally-tailored combinations of armed diplomacy, conflict resolution, personal relationships, and high degrees of leverage, his unit dramatically improved the levels of stability in what had been one of the most violent areas of Afghanistan. According to a 2012 study by the Center of Naval Analyses, his unit’s performance was among the most highly successful in America’s longest war.

In 2009 he was hand selected by the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy to develop a new U.S. strategy for the conflict, and was then ordered back to Afghanistan where he co-authored the groundbreaking McChrystal assessment, counterinsurgency guidance, and military strategy. He has since shaped every critical policy and strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan. His advice has been adopted by three Secretaries of Defense and the President of the United States.

His efforts have been featured in two New York Times bestselling books: The Outpost by Jake Tapper and Stones into Schools by Greg Mortenson, as well as in numerous newspaper and journal articles and studies, such as the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, The Economist, and The London Times.

Christopher Kolenda holds a Master of Arts in European History from the University of Wisconsin, and a Master of Arts in National Security and Strategic Studies from the U.S. Naval War College. In addition to his books, he has written numerous articles on leadership and national security issues for professional journals.

A highly sought-after speaker and writer, Christopher Kolenda is the editor and coauthor of Leadership: The Warrior’s Art, which has appeared on the professional reading lists of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and many professional schools. His new book, The Counterinsurgency Challenge, serves as an experiential tutorial on adaptive leadership in complex environments in conflict zones.

(c) http://kolendastrategicleadership.com ...more

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Christopher D. Kolenda’s books

Average rating: 4.06 · 253 ratings · 29 reviews · 7 distinct works • Similar authors

	Leadership: The Warrior's Art 4.09 avg rating — 213 ratings — published 2001 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Zero-Sum Victory: What We're Getting Wrong About War 4.04 avg rating — 26 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Counterinsurgency Challenge: A Parable of Leadership and Decision Making in Modern Conflict by Christopher D. Kolenda, Stanley McChrystal (Foreword) 3.64 avg rating — 14 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Transforming How We Fight: A Conceptual Approach 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Leadership - Warrior's Art (01) by Kolenda, Christopher D [Paperback (2001)] 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Counterinsurgency Challenge by Christopher D. Kolenda, Stanley A. McChrystal 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Counterinsurgency Challenge by Christopher D. Kolenda, Stanley A. McChrystal Former Commander of U.S. and International Forces in Afghanistan 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Christopher D. Kolenda (?)

“The most effective leaders are able to motivate people to operate above the material plane. They do so not by appealing to fear and interest alone (the "transactional" approach), but by appealing to ideas more lasting, more meaningful, and ultimately more human. Such leaders can inspire exceptional performance because they understand both human nature and human motivation.”
― Christopher D. Kolenda, Leadership: The Warrior's Art

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“The shelves are filled with books about improving the process of leadership; discussions of how to hone its art are few. Checklists and processes do not challenge our ability to think, they do not force us to defend our ideas or look new ones in the face. They demand no depth. Defining leadership as an art rather than as a process does not mean that leadership cannot be taught. It merely means that gaining a greater understanding of leadership requires intellectual courage. Just as we develop physical courage by experiencing and functioning under physical fear and moral courage by making the choice of right amidst the pressure to do otherwise, so we develop intellectual courage through the discomfort and ambiguity of experiencing ideas that challenge our depth and perspective. Leaders develop intellectual courage by continuously sharpening the saber through education, and in doing so they
hone within themselves the art of leadership.”
― Christopher D. Kolenda, Leadership: The Warrior's Art

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“Thucydides tells us that prior to the outbreak of the Peloponnesian War an Athenian citizen informed the Spartan assembly that Athens was animated by three of the strongest motives - fear, interest, and honor. Among other things this is a statement on the enduring motivations of humanity. Fear and interest are understandably compelling; the
idea of honor is less clear. Honor can be expressed in terms of reputation, respect, prestige, fame, pride, and esteem. When the ideas of fear, interest, and honor intersect people become exceptionally motivated. Fear of punishment produces only so much effort as to alleviate the threat of punishment. Monetary or other material interest engenders only enough effort to achieve the reward. When the ideas of honor become involved people are motivated to exceed expectations - they go "above and beyond the call of duty.”
― Christopher D. Kolenda, Leadership: The Warrior's Art

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