Matt Eversmann

A true American hero, First Sergeant Matt Eversmann illustrates the importance of duty, courage and selfless service to succeed when ordinary circumstances become extraordinary challenges.

On October 3, 1993, Matt was placed in charge of a group of Army Rangers to lead a daytime raid against an eager enemy militia. Matt experienced the horrors of war when he and his fellow soldiers were trapped in a hostile district of Mogadishu and marked for death by an angry mob. His inspiring story of survival was immortalized in the epic film, Black Hawk Down, which recounts the harrowing experience. For his actions on the battlefield he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor device.

Matt returned from Somalia committed to teaching the next generation of warriors. During his remaining time in uniform, he worked at the Army War College, taught at The Johns Hopkins University and finally deployed to Iraq where he lived with the Iraqi Army for 15 months during The Surge. He remained on active duty until May of 2008, when he retired after 20 years of service.

Committed to sharing the lessons he learned in the military, Matt draws parallels from his experiences to highlight the importance of leadership, followership, courage and responsibility within any team or enterprise. Drawing on lessons learned as a military and corporate leader and consultant, he shows organizations how to navigate today’s chaotic “urban battlefield” of constant change and uncertainty to build and train teams responsible and resilient enough to handle “strategic shock” — the unforeseen disasters that will happen — without missing a beat.

Unambiguously humble, gracious and warm, his powerful story and straightforward insights on instilling these values stay with business leaders long after the applause has ended. His experiences in healthcare, non-profit, and data management industries have solidified his passion to prepare “average people to tackle incredible things.”

Matt recently returned from Afghanistan where he filmed a documentary for PBS in the shadows of Tora Bora. His film, Send Me, highlights the tremendous advances in battlefield medicine since his days on the dusty streets of Mogadishu.

He is co-author of The Battle of Mogadishu and — with James Patterson — of two books that highlight the courage of everyday men and women, Walk in My Combat Boots and ER Nurses — both of which became immediate New York Times bestsellers.

Matt and his wife, Tori, run a consulting company that helps companies develop successful veteran hiring programs.

Strategic Shock: Leadership Lessons for Business from Black Hawk Down

The business world, regardless of industry, is filled with uncertainty, chaos and the unexpected. Welcome to the “Urban Battlefield.” Strip away the drama of gun fights and the frustration of Murphy’s Law the lessons learned from battle during Black Hawk Down or Iraq are directly applicable to leaders at all levels of business. There is no business plan to help leaders avoid ‘Strategic Shock’, but this story of elite Army Ranger teams with high standards, solid leadership, followership and teamwork will get the conversation started. If you lead, manage and deliver, this is for you. This is a war story like no other.

FUSION Leadership: How to be an Elite Leader and Manager

How can you be elite if you were never in the military? If you don’t have the entire might of the US Congress supporting you and your authority isn’t backed by the Constitution how can you expect every member of your team to “be like an operator”? The truth is that you can’t. None of us can. But you don’t have to have served to be a great leader. Most of us must manage small teams and that is the secret to FUSION leadership. Matt spent almost half of his career as a leader with the elite Army Rangers and about the same in the conventional forces so he knows both sides well. He knows about high standards, accountability, and responsibility. A leadership award winner at almost every professional school he attended, Matt devised a system of leadership where we all can influence our teams and get the same results as elite Army Rangers.