"I don’t know if this is a leadership retreat or the best road trip ever.
Rhett Cecil
CEO, Indiana Head Start Association
Why miniature war gaming?
The point is observing how people
actually lead in complex systems.
When information is lacking, and time is limited, it matters less what people know, and more how they react. Military history offers the largest and most uncompromising collection of case studies for leadership under pressure. That is why it is relevant to look at; not to glorify war, but to learn from leaders who made decisions in times of crisis.
The goal of the war games is not to win (though of course, winning simulated battles can be fun!), but to learn and reflect on leadership behaviour.
Conversations Across Disciplines
Reflections help translate experience into insight.
Participants come from different industries, countries, and professional backgrounds.
This creates conversations rarely found at traditional business events.
We draw on several structured discussion formats used in leadership development, including approaches inspired by the idea of the Roman Consilium, where a group helps one person explore a real leadership challenge through disciplined inquiry.
Why this format works
The workshop leader
Claus Raasted is a game designer, teacher, and author of books on leadership & innovation.
With a background that includes being a Coach at the consulting giant McKinsey, lecturing at Disney, and designing and running large-scale roleplaying scenarios for global clients, Raasted has been developing unconventional learning formats for more than 25 years.
He is the author of 49 books, among them UTOPIA LEADERSHIP: Six principles for leading with power, and serves as the Director of the College of Extraordinary Experiences, as well as being the International Dean of the MSEED management school in Mumbai.
His first miniature war game was developed at age 15 – and, unsurprisingly, involved both Napoleonic glory and a fair amount of chaos!