Leading through the COVID-19 Crisis

How You and Your Team Sustain High-Performance

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Leading through the COVID-19 Crisis

What Is Leading Through the COVID-19 Crisis?

The twin challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic shutdown present significant challenges to businesses, nonprofits, coaches, and public sector leaders.

You have to achieve three objectives to survive: protect your team and your business, extend your runway, and pivot successfully into the post-crisis new-normal.

At the same time, many of the factors affecting your ability to accomplish these three objectives are beyond your control. These levels of complexity and uncertainty are not in your standard MBA program business cases.

Long-duration crises like this one require different skills and approaches than managing a short-term crisis or running business as usual.

How you build and maintain trust in a remote work environment, establish personal and organizational routines, communicate clearly and effectively, sustain and strengthen your culture, and conduct planning for the future are different than the norm.

We put together this course to help you address these unprecedented challenges and lead your team through the crisis successfully.

What's Included?

Seven complete step-by-step training modules that show you exactly how to lead through the crisis successfully by protecting your team, extending your runway, and pivoting successfully into the economic reboot and the post-crisis new normal.

  • 7X Step-by-step modules with video and written content that walks you through the process. Worksheets will help you apply the content right away for your most significant impact.
  • 7 weekly online discussions with us to discuss each Step.
  • Unlimited email access to your personal SLA adviser during the 7 week-session. That's right, you get one of us as your personal adviser for 7 weeks!
  • 24/7 access (all digital and downloadable).
  • And we have a full support system (no question unanswered) AND a community of amazing participants (at all levels) to help support you, etc.
  • A private 1-hour call with your SLA adviser to discuss your action plans.


Our minimum strategic advising package, which is 90-days of dedicated support, requires a nearly $10,000 investment.

So we can support as many leaders as possible, we've priced this course at $997.

Each course comes with our famous double guarantee:

30-day NQA Money-back. Try the course for 7 days. If you decide it's not for you, just let me know and I'll give you every penny back, no questions asked.

90-day results guarantee. If you've done the work and are not seeing results after 90-days, we will work with you until you do or give you back your entire investment.

The online sessions begin on Friday, May 14, and run weekly. If you sign up beforehand, you get the benefit of the course and the unlimited email access to your SLA adviser at no extra cost.

Plus, the first 10 to register for the course get a free 1-on-1 call with their personal SLA adviser.

We offer team rates, too.

If you have any questions, please email me at [email protected] and I'll get back to you right away.


This course is for you if you:

  • Lead a business or nonprofit of 50 - 500 employees;
  • Desire to lead a business or nonprofit of 50 - 500 employees;
  • Are coachable and willing to learn;
  • Want your business to succeed through the crisis and prosper in the new normal.

This course guides you Step-by-Step:

Step 1: Build Trust, Communicate Clearly, and Strengthen Relationships on your Team

Step 2. Create your Sustainable Personal and Organizational Rhythm, so Predictability becomes Productivity

Step 3. Focus - Eliminate distractions so you accomplish your priorities

Step 4. Boost your team's problem-solving and ownership in success

Step 5. Strengthen your Culture using this simple Playbook

Step 6. Use these Scenario Planning tips to help you Pivot into the New Normal

BONUS: Building Resilience in your Team

What to Expect in this course:

  • Instructional videos, written guides, and implementation worksheets that help you lead THROUGH the COVID-19 crisis.
  • 7 weekly one-hour group zoom calls with your SLA advisers to discuss the lessons and other related matters.
  • Unlimited email access to your personal SLA adviser for advice and support during your seven weeks.
  • BONUS modules and materials based on your needs that contain our very latest content - we will continue adding to this course at no additional cost to you.
  • Immediate and practical application to you and your teams - no theory - best practices, only;
  • Personal invitations to our private webinars, conference calls, and events.
  • A private one-hour call with your SLA adviser.

The COVID-19 pandemic is a once-in-a-lifetime long-haul crisis that is likely to endure for months and might even have successive waves.

Many leaders are skilled in dealing with short-term crises that last a week or month. Most people and teams find themselves exhausted after such intense turmoil.

Long-haul crises require different skills and processes. You cannot afford to flame out after a month or two. You need to sustain consistently high performance.

You and your employees are at heightened risk, people’s lives depend on your skills and decisions, and you have to keep your team sharp through a long-haul period of enormous stress.

There is still time to put the practices and processes in place so you and your team can thrive through the crisis.

We designed this course for you because you are in charge - you are responsible and accountable for the success of a business, nonprofit, government agency, or athletic team.

All of us at Strategic Leaders Academy (Erik Kober, Chris Kolenda, Tom Luscher, Jeff Marquez, and John O'Grady) know what it's like to be in charge; to be responsible for success and failure; to make decisions that affect people's lives and livelihoods; to live with the consequences of those decisions, and to learn. We know what it's like to be in your shoes.

We have led organizations successfully in combat, crisis, and peacetime. We have advanced degrees in subjects related to leadership, culture, and strategy.

We have undergone extensive training and study to turn that knowledge into best practices that work for your business, nonprofit, government agency, and team.

That's why our clients have already grown by over $25 million and counting. We want to have the same impact for you.

Contact me if you would like your leadership team to take the course together and have me or another SLA consultant facilitate your progress.

Double Guarantee

  • 30-day Money-back. Check out the course for thirty days. You will know right away if this course is not for you. If that's the case, simply let me know and I'll refund every penny, no questions asked.
  • 90-day Results Guarantee. Complete all the work in the first five modules. If you are not seeing positive results within 90 days, we will work with you to overcome whatever obstacles might be holding you back or we will refund your investment.

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected].


SLA’s leader archetypes gave us a framework to discuss the ways that people lead differently and how we celebrate that diversity as we build commitment to a common culture. This is already benefiting our retention, engagement and morale.

Michele Flournoy, CEO, West Exec

Your Instructor


Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
Christopher D. Kolenda, Ph.D.
Founder of the Strategic Leaders Academy, Chris works with Small Business Founders and CEOs who want to lead as your best self, build a high performing team, and execute a winning strategy. Chris operates at the intersection of Leadership, Culture, and Strategy to help your business grow sustainably. You get the right support to do the right things the right way and avoid blind spots. His clients have grown by over $26 million and counting.
Chris is a West Point graduate, internationally renowned combat leader, retired Army Colonel, business leader, and author of Leadership: The Warrior’s Art -- which has sold over 50,000 copies. He has appeared on CNN, MSNBC, BBC, NPR, SKY News, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. His battlefield leadership has been featured in several books, including Jake Tapper's bestseller The Outpost.


How this course works

What's Included?

Six complete step-by-step training modules that show you exactly how lead through the crisis successfully by protecting your team, extending your runway, and pivoting successfully into the economic reboot and the post-crisis new normal.

  • 7X Step-by-step digital course that walks you through the Modules of the process.
  • 7X weekly 1-hour online sessions with your SLA team and peer group.
  • Unlimited email access to your personal SLA adviser during your 7 weeks in-session
  • 24/7 Access (all digital and downloadable).
  • BONUS content - modules, eBooks, tools, and resources
  • And we have a full support system (no question unanswered) AND a community of amazing participants (at all levels) to help support you, etc.
  • A private 1-hour call with your SLA adviser to discuss your action plans

Module #1: Build Trust, Communicate Clearly, and Strengthen Relationships on your Team

Step #1: Boost your coaching skills so you strengthen relationships and boost everyone's performance.

Step #2: The right way to do check-ins, so you get the best from everyone without trying to cyber-micromanage.

Step #3: Enhance your active listening skills with these 10 tips.

Step #4: Improve your auto-responses and default answers so you avoid heightening fear and anxiety.

Rookie Mistakes: Using check-ins to micromanage; multitasking when communicating.

Module #2: Create your Sustainable Personal and Organizational Rhythm, so Predictability becomes Productivity [without becoming rigid and inflexible]

Step #1. How personal and organization predictability extend your runway and boost your productivity.

Step #2. Create your organizational rhythm: annual, quarterly, monthly, and weekly cadence.

Step #3. Develop your personal rhythm with this powerful weekly planning approach.

Step #4: Respect and protect your employees' time.

Rookie Mistake: Making up your days and weeks as you go along - you're making the uncertainty worse and fueling your teams fears and anxieties.

Module #3: Focus - Eliminate distractions so you can accomplish your priorities

Step #1: Use these techniques to get focused on your priorities and boost creativity.

Step #2: Say Yes to No, so you liberate your time and energy.

Step #3: Boost your personal energy by incorporating simple habits into your daily routine.

Rookie Mistakes: 1) Saying yes to everything, which means you will be mediocre at everything. 2) Burning the midnight oil because you are trying to do it all yourself. 3) Creating new bad coping habits.

Module #4: Boost your team's problem-solving and ownership in success

Step #1: Empower and delegate smartly with these best practices.

Step #2: Use scenarios so you can improve the confidence of your direct reports to make decisions.

Step #3: Strengthen your mid-level leaders so they help you solve problems.

Step #4: Avoid meetings that Suck - tips to get them right.

Rookie Mistakes: Hoarding decision-making - you become the single point of failure. Allowing bad on-line meeting etiquette ruins your results.


Module #5: Strengthen your Culture using this simple Playbook

Step #1: We will publish this module by May 1, 2020.


Module #6: Use these Scenario Planning tips to help you Pivot into the New Normal

Step #1: We will publish this module by May 15, 2020.


BONUS: Building Resilience in your Team

More BONUS Content: We keep adding to this collection of terrific videos, eBooks, infographics, and other tools to help you lead well.

Get started by enrolling now.

Do you have questions? Email me at [email protected].

We needed a new strategy and approach; past suicide prevention approaches have not been working – rates continued to rise. We needed new approach and fresh ideas. Chris got us to think differently and to prioritize and focus. This has energized the organization and our membership. Conference proposals have increased by 33% and we are already $100k ahead in revenues from last year.

Colleen Creighton, Executive Director, American Association of Suicidology

Course Curriculum



We faced major problems. Revenues were in free-fall. Employees were pulling in different directions. There was little integration and no progress. Thanks to SLA’s support our management and governance are highly integrated. We now have very high degrees of engagement, accountability, and ownership. His experience, knowledge, and sensitivity led to a strategy that created $2 million annually in new revenues.

Jim Thaden, Executive Director, Central Asia Institute

Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
The course starts now and never ends! It is a completely self-paced online course - you decide when you start and when you finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
How does lifetime access sound? After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like - across any and all devices you own.
What if I am unhappy with the course?
We would never want you to be unhappy, so we give you our Double Guarantee 7-day Money-back. Check out the course for seven days. You will know right away if this course is not for you. If that's the case, simply let me know and I'll refund every penny, no questions asked. 90-day Results Guarantee. Complete all the work in the first five modules. If you are not seeing positive results within 90 days, we will work with you to overcome whatever obstacles might be holding you back or we will refund your investment. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at [email protected]

SLA’s trainings are an exceptional opportunity to empower your team to accomplish more. Our providers loved the blend of historical examples and practical lessons for today. Chris' sincerity and authenticity captivated everyone. We are seeing at least 50% improvement in level of ownership and engagement and our conversion numbers have increased by 15%, bringing more revenue into the company.

Stefan McFarland, Vice President, Aspire

Get started now!