Perry M. Smith

 Hundreds of millions of television viewers worldwide came to know him during the Persian Gulf War for his more than 100 appearances as a military analyst for Cable News Network (CNN), The McNeil-Leher News Hour and NBC News.

Smith is the president of his own management consulting firm. Recently, he has conducted seminars on leadership, strategic planning or ethics for Harvard's Kennedy School, The Forging Industry Association, Century 21, UPS, Texas Instruments, Springs Industries, The Chautauqua Institution, Caterpillar, The West Virginia Hospital Association, Andersen Consulting, the WK Kellogg Foundation, the governors of two states, the mayor of Detroit and to 25 Ford assembly and stamping plant managers. He also gives keynote speeches at major conventions. He has taught leadership at both Microsoft and CNN, and served as a special consultant and military analyst for CNN.

A retired major general, Smith served for 30 years in the U.S. Air Force. During his career he had a number of leadership experiences, including command of the F-15 wing at Bitburg, Germany where he provided leadership to 4000 personnel. Later he served as the top Air Force planner and as the Commandant of the National War College, where he taught courses on leadership of large organizations and on strategic planning. He has over 3400 flying hours and flew 180 combat missions over North Vietnam and Laos.

A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, he earned his Ph.D. in International Relations from Columbia University. His dissertation (on planning) earned the Helen Dwight Reid award from the American Political Science Association. His books include Taking Charge (Avery), How CNN Fought the War (Birch Lane Press) and Assignment Pentagon (Brassey's).

His successful book, Taking Charge, a practical guide for leaders. It contains useful rules of thumb and includes 25 checklists on how to hire, fire, plan, deal with the media, give compliments, run meetings, make decisions, provide counseling, check organizational ethics, and transition into a new job. It is being used in a number of executive development programs in corporations, academia and the military. Taking Charge has been translated into a number of languages. Recently Smith released Rules and Toolsfor Leaders. He is a frequent contributor to NBC TV, CBS radio, and US News and World Report

General Smith is equally comfortable giving keynote speeches or longer seminars. He teaches audiences to use the principles of military strategy for business planning, interweaving fascinating anecdotes about CNN, valuable techniques such as electronic brainstorming, and important information about preparing for the future. Some of General Smith's presentation titles include: Leadership, Strategic Thinking and Planning, Ethics and 21st Century Business Strategies.