Normandy
Leadership Crucible
Leadership on the Site of History’s Hardest Decisions
31 August – 4 September 2026 | Normandy, France
Strategic leadership demands space, perspective, and deliberate investment.
Senior leadership roles place leaders inside complex systems of pressure, risk, and continuous execution. Over time, these demands can crowd out the space needed to reflect, recalibrate, and think clearly about how it is exercised at scale.
The Normandy Leadership Crucible represents a deliberate investment in that thinking. By stepping away from daily urgency and engaging history on site, alongside experienced peers and veteran leadership coaches, leaders create the conditions to examine how they carry responsibility, make decisions under pressure, and lead in environments where the stakes are high.
Participants return not only with sharper judgment in the business, but with a clearer sense of presence and intention that carries into their teams and their lives at home.
This is not an escape from responsibility; it is a disciplined pause designed to transform how leaders show up where it matters most.
Who This Is For
The Normandy Leadership Crucible is a decisive personal investment for leaders who recognize that meaningful growth requires time, perspective, and deliberate reflection.
It is designed for those for teams, systems, and outcomes, where progress depends not only on execution, but on sound judgment and continued leadership development.
Senior functional leaders, founders, operators, and public-sector or mission-driven leaders will find this experience especially relevant. These are leaders operating in complex environments, balancing risk, and making decisions where judgment matters as much as expertise.
What Leaders Gain
The Normandy Leadership Crucible is intentionally designed to give you greater clarity in how you think, decide, and lead.
By stepping away from daily urgency and engaging leadership at the site of history’s hardest decisions, you gain the distance needed to examine your leadership with honesty and perspective.
The experience is structured to strengthen:
Decision-making under pressure, especially when information is incomplete
Judgment in the presence of risk, without urgency narrowing perspective
Confidence in high-stakes moments, when responsibility and consequence are real
This clarity is designed to extend beyond the workplace, allowing you to return calmer, more deliberate, and more present, with your team and at home, creating a lasting shift in how you show up when pressure is high, risk is real, and decisions truly matter.
How the Event Is Structured
The Normandy Leadership Crucible unfolds over five days in Normandy, using place and history as the foundation for disciplined leadership reflection. Each day centers on a specific leadership tension (trust, cohesion, presence, influence) examined through facilitated discussion at sites where those dynamics played out under extraordinary pressure.
The structure is deliberately unhurried. Time is built in for dialogue, reflection, and thoughtful engagement rather than continuous instruction. History provides context, but the focus remains firmly on modern leadership: how decisions are made, how influence is exercised, and how leaders show up when certainty is unavailable.
Participation is intentionally limited to preserve depth, candor, and peer-level conversation. The experience is designed to feel focused and intentional, allowing leaders to think clearly, engage honestly, and return with perspective that endures beyond the trip itself.
What This Is Not
The Normandy Leadership Crucible is intentionally narrow in design and purpose. To be clear, this experience is not:
A historical tour or sightseeing experience
A leadership seminar, workshop, or classroom program
A motivational retreat or personal development event
A networking or business development trip
An attempt to teach tactics, frameworks, or leadership theory
This experience is designed for leaders who value depth over activity, reflection over instruction, and perspective over pace. It is meant to create the conditions for clarity and tailored leadership insight...not to entertain, impress, or overwhelm.
Location & Setting
Normandy was selected deliberately for its relevance to leadership under pressure. The region includes locations where leaders were required to make difficult decisions with limited information, constrained resources, and lasting consequences...conditions that closely mirror the realities faced by senior leaders today.
During the experience, participants engage selected sites such as Brécourt Manor, where leaders from the 101st Airborne Division were forced to make rapid decisions under uncertainty. These moments provide a grounded context for examining judgment, responsibility, and how leaders act when time, clarity, and margin are limited.
Participants stay nearby at Ferme de la Rançonnière, a historic and exclusive Norman chateau selected to support rest, focus, and continuity of conversation throughout the experience.
Cohort & Peer Experience
Only a small cohort of leaders will join The Normandy Leadership Crucible. This is by design. The quality of the experience depends on trust, candor, and peer-level dialogue, not scale.
Participants engage alongside other leaders who carry significant responsibility and understand the realities of decision-making under pressure. Conversations are grounded in shared experience, not theory, and unfold among peers rather than audiences. The small cohort size allows discussions to remain focused, thoughtful, and substantive.
Discretion is central to the experience. There is no expectation of performance, networking, or visibility. The environment supports honest reflection, respectful challenge, and meaningful exchange, creating space for leaders to think clearly and engage deeply without distraction.
Investment & Practical Details
The investment to participate in the Normandy Leadership Crucible is $9,000 per participant.
This includes lodging, meals, ground transportation in Normandy, on-site leadership facilitation, historical context, and all program materials. Airfare, alcohol, and personal incidentals are not included.
Participants should plan to arrive in Paris on the morning of August 31, 2026. The experience begins with a group drive from Paris to Normandy and concludes with return travel to Paris on September 4th. Lodging has been secured, and all on-the-ground coordination is handled so participants can remain fully focused on the experience.
Participation is limited, and registration is confirmed following a brief conversation to ensure alignment and fit.
Distance. Reflection. Clarity.
Participation in the Normandy Leadership Crucible is intentionally invitation-based. This preserves the quality of the cohort and ensures alignment with the purpose and seriousness of the experience.
If this opportunity resonates, the next step is a brief, private conversation. That conversation is not a sales call. It is intended to clarify the intent of the experience, answer questions, and determine whether participation is the right fit for where you are as a leader. If aligned, participation is confirmed and logistics are coordinated privately.
There is no formal application and no expectation of commitment. Simply an opportunity to explore whether stepping away, at this moment, would create the clarity and leadership breakthrough you are seeking.
Meet Your Facilitators
Eric Lopez
Eric is the Founder and CEO of Arrowhead Leadership Consulting and a retired U.S. Army Colonel. His leadership experience includes command at the brigade level and service in the 75th Ranger Regiment, where decision-making under pressure and accountability for outcomes were daily realities. His work with Arrowhead focuses on developing senior leaders who carry responsibility at scale and must think clearly in complex environments.
Michael Kloepper
Mike is a U.S. Army Colonel with deep expertise in military history and leadership development. He served in the 75th Ranger Regiment and later commanded the 173rd Airborne Brigade, leading organizations in demanding operational environments. Mike brings a disciplined historical perspective, connecting past decision points to the leadership challenges faced by modern executives.
Andrew Steadman
Andrew is a certified leadership coach and U.S. Army Colonel who commanded 1st Brigade, 4th Infantry Division and served as Military Aide to the President. He is also a TEDx speaker and the author of The Military Leader. His work centers on leadership under pressure, decision-making, and helping leaders reflect on how they carry responsibility when the stakes are high.
Frequent Questions
How physically demanding is the experience?
The experience involves walking and standing at historical sites, but it is not physically demanding. Activities are paced deliberately, with transportation provided between locations. If you have specific mobility considerations, we’re happy to discuss them in advance.
What should I expect in terms of daily schedule?
Days are structured but unhurried. The experience balances guided discussion, reflection, and time to think without a tightly packed agenda. There is no expectation of constant activity or late evenings.
What accommodation has been arranged?
Participants will stay at Ferme de la Rançonnière, a quiet, comfortable property near key D-Day sites, selected to support rest, focus, and continuity of conversation throughout the experience. Feel free to visit the hotel's website.
What is the attire?
Dress is casual and practical. Comfortable walking shoes and weather-appropriate clothing are recommended. There is no formal attire required at any point during the experience.
Is this experience confidential?
Yes. Discretion is a core expectation. Conversations are not recorded, and there is no expectation to share experiences publicly. Participants are asked to respect the privacy of peers and the integrity of discussions.
Can I attend with a colleague or member of my leadership team?
In some cases, leaders choose to attend alongside a trusted colleague. Participation is limited and discussed individually to preserve the peer-level nature of the cohort and the intent of the experience.
What happens after the experience concludes?
There is no formal follow-on program or obligation. Many participants choose to continue reflection or conversation privately. Any post-experience engagement is optional and discussed separately.
What is the payment and cancellation policy?
Payment details and timing are discussed privately once participation is confirmed. Cancellation or deferral policies will be shared during that conversation to ensure clarity before commitment.
Is this appropriate for non-military leaders?
Yes. No military background is required. The experience focuses on leadership judgment, responsibility, and decision-making—topics relevant to senior leaders across sectors.
Photo courtesy of The National WWII Museum
