"I had the good fortune to attend the Thayer Leadership program, Battlefield-Tested Leadership Strategies for Executives: Lessons from the Army and West Point, in November 2019. The program was well structured with readings, lectures, cases, outdoor activities, and important networking with faculty and attendees. Major themes included: “Developing Leadership Identity; Enabling Effective Leadership; and Trust - The Cornerstone of Leadership.” Although as a surgeon, I am a “healer,” not a “warrior”, the Army and West Point leadership lessons were easily transferable for corporate executives and healthcare professionals, including better problem solving and developing real-life strategies. The faculty are truly pros. The attendees are smart, experienced executives who want to get better. I developed relationships there that still last to this day. I highly recommend it to one and all."

"The Thayer experience reinforced for me that leadership begins with leading yourself first. Before I can effectively lead or serve others, I have to hold myself accountable and demonstrate the behaviors I expect from those around me. It also reinforced that leadership is more than a title that is given to you—it is reflected in how you show up, the decisions you make, and how you serve others. That lesson closely aligns with my personal leadership philosophy: Integrity lays the foundation, accountability builds strength, and actions lead the way, while serving others. Two tools that have stayed with me are Red Teaming and After Action Reviews. I lead a continuous improvement and project team where AARs have become part of our culture—not as a way to assign blame, but as an opportunity to ask, “What can we learn, and how can we do this better next time?” I also carried forward Thayer’s battle coin tradition by creating a leadership coin for the leaders on my team. More recently, I gave one to my middle-school daughter as she begins her own leadership journey. For me, that coin serves as a reminder that leadership is about showing up as the leader you need to be so you are prepared to lead and serve others."

"The experience was both challenging and highly relevant to my work as a leader in healthcare and higher education. It effectively translated leadership principles developed at West Point and within the Army into practical lessons for executives. Through lectures, case discussions, readings, experiential activities, and interaction with accomplished leaders from diverse fields, I gained valuable perspectives on leadership identity, decision-making, organizational culture, and, most importantly, trust. The lessons have continued to influence my approach to leading complex organizations. Healthcare and academic institutions require leaders to establish a clear sense of purpose, build trust among diverse stakeholders, maintain accountability, and make difficult decisions while keeping the larger mission in focus. The program reinforced the importance of bringing people together around shared values and goals. Equally valuable was the opportunity to reflect on my own leadership philosophy and how character influences organizational culture and performance. The faculty were exceptional, and the relationships developed with fellow participants extended well beyond the program. I highly recommend Thayer Leadership to any executive seeking to become a more thoughtful, effective, and authentic leader."

"We had the honor of working with Thayer Leadership on both individual and team leadership development. Sending our emerging leaders to their Open Enrollment has become standard practice and is an integral part of our program. Most recently, BG (Ret.) Becky Halstead spoke with our Senior Managers about the key principles of leadership and the importance of leading yourself first. Using her Army and West Point experiences, her message was direct, humorous, and extremely inspiring! We had our team read her book, “24/7: The First Person You Must Lead Is You” beforehand, which set the stage for her dynamic presentation. Atlantic Broadband’s focus is on leadership with an emphasis on teamwork and innovation - Becky's message spoke to the importance of that. Working with Thayer has truly been invaluable to our team!"

"I highly recommend Thayer Leadership, specifically their Battle Tested Leadership program. It is a unique opportunity to experience West Point with faculty who reflect the philosophies, values, and tools the Army has developed. The program meaningfully connects military leadership experiences with how to translate those learnings into a corporate team environment. The faculty also encourages you to focus on personal leadership philosophies and how they can impact the team and ultimately the bottom-line results."

"It was an absolute honor to be able to attend Thayer’s Open Enrollment program at West Point. I can speak for my entire team, we all left with a better understanding of how to be better leaders, and with a greater sense of self. The energy and enthusiasm of the faculty became infectious. I truly appreciated their efforts to make it personal to every member of my team and provide them an opportunity to look in the mirror and reflect on themselves as leaders. I for myself left with a much greater appreciation for the level of professionalism the faculty clearly have given to countless under their command."