Leadership That Holds Under Pressure
Advisory support for executives navigating disruption, breakdown, and high-stakes change.
Leadership Forged in the Field
When organizations face a crisis—market disruption, leadership failure, reputational threat, or operational breakdown—they don't need another framework borrowed from a business school case study. They require someone who has actually been there.
Conan J. Higgins has spent decades leading in environments where the plan fell apart and the stakes couldn't be higher. From combat operations to international crisis management to high-stakes business negotiations across six continents, he has developed an approach to leadership that works when it matters most.
Now, he brings that experience to executives, leadership teams, and organizations navigating their own crucible moments.
Services
One-on-one coaching for senior leaders facing high-stakes challenges, organizational transformation, or personal leadership development. Conan works with executives who need a thinking partner who's been in the arena—not just studied it from the sidelines. Engagement options:
- Intensive (90 Days): Six sessions, DETECT assessment, direct access between sessions
- Signature (6 Months): Twelve sessions, framework implementation, half-day intensive
- Operator's Circle (12 Months): Twenty-four sessions, quarterly intensives, priority access, crisis hotline
The Frameworks
Conan's approach is built on frameworks developed through decades of operational experience:
Detect
A systematic approach to identifying emerging threats and opportunities before they become crises. DETECT helps leaders see around corners and act before the situation deteriorates.
Rapid
A decision-making framework for high-pressure situations where time is short and information is incomplete. RAPID provides structure without rigidity, enabling sound decisions when it matters most.
The Constrained Cooperation Model
Originally developed through Conan's doctoral research on international tax cooperation, this framework addresses how parties with competing interests can find workable solutions under real-world constraints—applicable to negotiations, partnerships, and multi-stakeholder challenges.
Why Conan?
He's actually done it
Most consultants have credentials. Conan has scars. While competitors cite case studies, he has managed projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars across six continents—in environments where failure meant more than a lost client.
The credential stack is unmatched
Joint Terminal Attack Controller. Special Operations TACP. State Trooper. SWAT leader. J.D., LL.M., Ph.D., Amazon #1 Bestselling Author. No one else walks into a boardroom or a crisis with that combination of operational credibility and academic depth.
He speaks the language—all of them
Conan understands how deals work in Eastern Europe, how relationships function in West Africa, and how bureaucracies move in the Middle East. That cultural intelligence doesn't come from a seminar—it comes from years of being the person responsible when things went sideways.
His frameworks are forged, not borrowed
Detect. Rapid. The Constrained Cooperation Model. These didn't come from textbooks—they came from figuring out what actually works when the plan disintegrates and everyone is looking for answers.
Other consultants advise. Conan Higgins has operated. That's the difference.
