Mike Sarraille

We were so honored to have Mike speak at our Sales Kickoff. Indeed, there was so much demand for the event that we made it available to the entire company and saw excellent attendance cross-functionally. Mike conveyed to our teams the importance of putting the success of the mission before the success of self. He taught us how important it is to hire for character and train for skill - a truism we would all do well to remember despite today’s competitive and fast-paced job market that can tempt us to act otherwise. He also reminded us that we are not truly leaders until our people say we are - and that being a leader is all about enabling the success of our people.

The Gettysburg Staff Ride with Mike and his team left an indelible impression. It highlighted the depth of leadership abs sacrifice at those hallowed grounds; showed what Union and freedom cost; and reminded us that internecine conflict can be as vicious and destructive as war between nations. But more to the point, the Walk served as a reminder of Faulkner’s adage, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” As we walked from station to station and made decisions — hypothetical ones — with the same information available to battlefield leaders, we realized that those leaders in the summer of 1863 were fallible, sometimes heroic, often wrong. In short, just like us. The immediacy of the place reached across the long chasm of history; and the presence of the leadership instructors — guiding, Illuminating, empathizing with a hard-earned authenticity — drove the lessons home in a way that a self-guided walk never could. A required experience for anyone who wants to better understand our history, and the connection of that history to contemporary leadership.

Mike came to our department and gave a training presentation on resiliency and leadership. Our department has tragically lost four officers in the past 18 months, and Mike’s message on resiliency hit home. It was the perfect message to a group still struggling with the loss of teammates. His presentation on leadership was the best I have ever seen. His ability to communicate to all levels of a team is simply outstanding. Everyone walked out of the training inspired and with new tools for resiliency and leadership at all levels. Awesome training. We have already had many requests to bring him back to our department.

Majestic has had Mike speak to our senior leadership (as well as our clients) on several occasions. Most of our discussions focus on leadership and ownership, that is ownership of yourself and your responsibilities. Mike brings a passion and knowledge to these subject that radiates the room and translates to team being engaged and inspired in the discussions and post-meeting. His ability to communicate his experiences and principles in leadership and ownership, translate in a very real and actionable way. It provided our team with a very clear mirror in which to review our actions by, so the sessions continue to give benefit well past any session. In my 25 years of leadership, I have not participated in more effective sessions that translate reflection and action then the sessions with Mike.

Mike came to speak to a Community of Practice at Intel exploring the topic of teamwork and leadership development. The discussion he led was impactful and hit on a number of relevant topics for a company like ours. We need to compete to retain, develop, engage and inspire our people and Mike provided accessible and practical ideas for us to do that. He displayed the highest level of preparation and professionalism. All attendees during the discussion provided positive feedback and said it was one of the most valuable speakers we have hosted here at Intel. We would like to have Mike back and as he is a strong advocate for the role of technology companies in the American and global economy, he is welcome here any time. We appreciated Mike’s experience and perspectives – great talk!

We have worked with Mike in both a classroom setting with many employees and a one on one setting with key managers and I can honestly say it was some of the best leadership and management training me or my employees have received. I have never had so many employees come up and thank me for providing training as I did when Mike came. He gave us all tools on how to properly deal with people and situations in the best way by taking the emotions out of it and making the best decision for all the stakeholders involved. The training and motivation he provided was invaluable and we will continue to use him into the future!

Mike's ability to distill complex military strategy and business concepts into one singular message that impacts everyone in an organization from the operational to the executive tiers of leadership is unparalleled. He conveys information passionately due to his unwavering commitment to the message along with the confidence gained only from the daily application of the principles and strategies he shares. Attending a speaking engagement with Mike was a discussion amongst a diverse group of leaders in business and transitioning SOF Leaders, not as a lecture, but a collaborative panel discussion focused on solving problems and delivering results. Mike's proven leadership on the battlefield and in the business world is unique, but his ability to synthesize the two and communicate the lessons learned effectively while eliciting experiences from the group truly sets Mike and the TWG apart.

Michael Sarraille visited ACV's Leadership Team at the end of 2021 and spoke about the importance of self-reflection. One of THE most important takeaways for me and my team was/is After Action Reviews (sincere reflection on what went right, what went wrong, and what we can do better). It's becoming a part of our culture and adding tremendous value to the organization. Thank you, TWG.