Behavioral Psychologist, Leadership Development Coach, Retired Military General & Professor at Yale School of Management

Houston, TX, USA

Thomas Kolditz Biography

Dr. Tom Kolditz is the founding Executive Director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University and a retired Brigadier General with over 35 years of experience in leadership roles across four continents. He has been consistently ranked by Global Gurus in London from #6 to #13 globally as a professional leadership coach since 2016. Kolditz limits his coaching clients to just a few at a time, offering 24/7/365 availability, leveraging his extensive background in education, leadership, and coaching.

He has authored the book "In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It," based on his research and interviews conducted during combat operations in Iraq. His publications include more than 75 articles across various academic and leadership trade journals. He also serves on the editorial and advisory boards of several of these journals. In 2006, Kolditz co-edited and was the lead author in a special issue of the Leader to Leader journal, which won the APEX Publishing Award for best magazine or journal in the United States. He is a Fellow in the American Psychological Association.

His expertise focuses on crisis management, leadership in high-risk situations, and innovation leadership in legacy organizations. Holding three Master’s degrees and a PhD in psychology, his academic contributions and practical insights help leaders enhance their effectiveness in various demanding contexts.

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Speaker profile last updated by AAE Talent Team on 06/27/2025.

Thomas Kolditz Speaking Topics

  • In Extremis Leadership, Leading As If Your Life Depended On It

    The contemporary operating environments for both government and business is characterized by volatility, complexity, and uncertainty—perfect conditions for crises to emerge. Brigadier Gen. Tom Kolditz shows how extreme life-and-death situations can offer profound lessons for leaders in any setting. Gen. Kolditz’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.

  • Dodging Bullets: How to Avoid Crisis

    Few people want to be put into a position of being crisis managers, so how can leaders prepare organizations to avoid crises before they occur? Gen. Kolditz will take the audience through specific processes and techniques to help leaders anticipate and prevent crises and have a more effective, more empowered workforce every day.

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Thomas Kolditz Videos

Dr. Thomas Kolditz on Houston Newsmakers

Dr. Thomas Kolditz on Houston Newsmakers

This week’s guest on Houston Newsmakers with Khambrel Marshall says many of those rioting and millions more in the country fell victim lies and...

Tom Kolditz interview with SalesPOP!

Tom Kolditz interview with SalesPOP!

Welcome to another informative video of SalesPOP! Here in this video, we are interviewing Thomas Kolditz who is an American retired Brigadier...

Dr. Tom Kolditz speaks at NCLS 2018

Dr. Tom Kolditz speaks at NCLS 2018

Dr. Tom Kolditz, Retired US Army Brigadier General and founding director of the Doerr Institute for New Leaders at Rice University, discusses the...

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  • What topics does Thomas Kolditz speak about?

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Thomas Kolditz is a keynote speaker and industry expert who speaks on a wide range of topics such as In Extremis Leadership, Leading As If Your Life Depended On It , Dodging Bullets: How to Avoid Crisis , Lessons from Sky Diving and High Risk Activities , Bringing Innovation Leadership to a Legacy Organization, Leading Through Tragedy and Leaders Developing Leaders. The estimated speaking fee range to book Thomas Kolditz for your event is $20,000 - $30,000. Thomas Kolditz generally travels from Houston, TX, USA and can be booked for (private) corporate events, personal appearances, keynote speeches, or other performances. Similar motivational celebrity speakers are Jenn Lim, Eric Boles, Tom Koulopoulos, Adrian Gostick and Richard Florida. Contact All American Speakers for ratings, reviews, videos and information on scheduling Thomas Kolditz for an upcoming live or virtual event.

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