Frances Townsend

Bringing in a business consultant can challenge you and your organization to think differently about your business. Whether you are a new leader seeking a renewed vision for your company or a seasoned C-Suite executive exploring new trends in the marketplace, they provide the deep, strategic insights and much-needed perspective to help you make confident and profitable decisions.

As Chair of the Homeland Security Council and one of President George W. Bush’s top advisors, Frances Townsend is a national security leader who has worked across party lines to address some of the world’s most complex and volatile security issues. Through her insights, Townsend shares specific steps your executive leadership team can adopt to aggressively seek out your company’s vulnerabilities and address the problems they present.

Any commercial or economic crisis creates business opportunity, opportunity that must be met with leadership, courage and discipline. But before a crisis happens, what must leaders do to prepare to meet adversity head on? A global leader on strategic risk and crisis management, Frances Townsend contends that there is great opportunity in crisis but only when leaders are prepared to confidently address a situation rather than shrink from it. In today’s world, while traditional business risk remains important (insurable risk, reputation risk, etc.), Townsend shows audiences that we now must expand our view of risk and how we mitigate business exposure. Business leaders must now demand that their organizations aggressively seek out vulnerabilities and problems so that they can be addressed, “looking around corners” using a very deliberate and disciplined process. Townsend uses her years of crisis planning, mitigation and management to explain a specific, measurable process that corporations can implement immediately.

Frances Townsend made a conscious decision to devote 23 years to a career in public service, and is grateful for every single day she served. While not everyone will choose a similar path, she challenges us to consider ways we can contribute to others through public service. Reflecting on her own diverse career spanning law enforcement, intelligence, homeland security and more, Townsend inspires audiences to truly make a difference by getting involved in public service. Many are dissatisfied with the way government works, but only the bold will step forward to cultivate change. Criticism without action is whining and that never changed anything. No more excuses – it is time to get involved!

Any commercial or economic crisis creates business opportunity. The real question is how to best prepare to take advantage of the opportunity. Frances Townsend’s view – and her experience proves it – is that great leaders do not fear adversity, but are invigorated by their greatest challenges. Just as the pitcher who steps on the diamond with bases loaded and only one out, successful leaders cannot dread the critical moment, but instead are excited about the opportunity it presents. She knows how a crisis can foster positive change, by creating a new culture from within and building momentum to propel the organization forward. As the president’s former homeland security and counter-terrorism advisor, Townsend shares her first-hand experience of testing in a true crisis and turns her recount into an opportunity to learn about ourselves and others, about egos and the willingness to listen, and about team trust and loyalty.