FIRST CONTACT
A keynote built from a valley in Afghanistan
In 2001, in a valley in Afghanistan, my teammate was hit. The plan was gone. I had seconds to act with incomplete information, no certainty, and consequences that couldn't be undone.
I paused.
That pause is why he's alive. And it revealed a pattern I'd seen across thirty years in high-risk environments: the people who perform under pressure aren't the ones who react fastest. They're the ones who trained their minds before the pressure arrived.
First Contact is the keynote built from that moment. It takes audiences inside a real firefight, a real decision, and the framework that came out of it. It doesn't teach theory. It delivers a practical, repeatable method for making clear, committed decisions when the plan is gone and the pressure is real.
THE FRAMEWORK
Reduce your internal tempo when the external world accelerates.
What else is true?
Move toward a defined outcome. Not a feeling.
Recognise the moment pressure starts making your decision for you.
A method for cutting through incomplete information instead of waiting for clarity that won’t come.
How to make a call your team will follow, even if the answer isn’t obvious.
Why the quality of your decision under pressure is determined long before the pressure arrives.
WHAT YOU’LL TAKE AWAY
WHO’S IT FOR
Senior Leadership Teams
Executives offsite
Corporate Conferences
High-Pressure Industries
KEYNOTE FORMAT
WORKSHOP
Half-day (3.5 - 4 hours)
Scenario-based session built around your team’s real pressures.
KEYNOTE + Q&A
60 minutes
Extended session with structured discussion.