DeDe Halfhill
USAF, Retired, Senior Executive Advisor, Founder & CEO, TAIOH Partners, Featured on 60 Minutes
DeDe Halfhill
USAF, Retired, Senior Executive Advisor, Founder & CEO, TAIOH Partners, Featured on 60 Minutes
Biography
Colonel DeDe Halfill, USAF (ret.), is a sought-after international keynote speaker, strategic advisor, and leadership expert who transforms how organizations navigate today’s relentless and complex challenges. Drawing on her extraordinary 25-year military career, she delivers unmatched insights into building trust, addressing hidden dynamics, and fostering resilience — all grounded in what she calls Everyday Courage™.
DeDe’s career placed her at the heart of some of the most historically impactful and high-stakes moments of our time. As a principal advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the U.S. Secretary of Defense, and the Commanding General of Multinational Forces Iraq, she shaped decisions during pivotal combat operations and periods of profound uncertainty. But the lesson that shaped her most is this: the courage that defines great leadership isn’t found in dramatic moments — it’s forged in the small, daily choices to confront fears, hold tough conversations, and address the emotional undercurrents that quietly determine whether teams thrive or falter.
In addition to her advisory roles, DeDe led large, diverse teams in Iraq and directed installation support for the Air Force’s nuclear enterprise, proving time and again that addressing what goes unspoken is not just a strength — it’s a strategic advantage. Her leadership philosophy, Everyday Courage™, empowers leaders to act with clarity and purpose in the face of chaos, unlocking trust, innovation, and sustainable success.
Today, DeDe partners with organizations to develop leaders who thrive amidst uncertainty and change. Through her keynotes, advisory work, and training programs, she equips leaders with actionable strategies to navigate crises, build collaboration, and lead with intention. Her approach combining military precision with deep emotional insight — reveals how the smallest decisions can drive the biggest transformations.
DeDe’s ability to translate high-stakes military leadership lessons into practical business insights makes her an invaluable resource for organizations ready to rethink leadership. Whether addressing thousands from the stage or working directly with executive teams, she challenges leaders to embrace Everyday Courage™ — creating workplaces where trust, connection, and meaningful action drive extraordinary results.
Speech Topics
Master the Unseen™: Your Hidden Competitive Advantage
You’ve seen it before—a strategy that makes sense, a team that agrees, an initiative that should work. But then something gets in the way. Momentum stalls, resistance builds, and what looked like a sure thing quietly unravels.
Leaders focus on execution because it’s measurable—but the biggest risks (and opportunities) are in what’s harder to see. Leaders and teams mistake compliance for commitment, busyness for resilience, and silence for alignment—until the cracks start to show. Success isn’t just about execution—it’s about recognizing the real human dynamics shaping whether people buy in or check out.
Retired Colonel DeDe Halfhill has spent 25 years leading through complexity—from commanding in combat zones to advising the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs. She’s seen what happens when leaders miss these hidden forces—and the advantage they gain when they see them clearly.
In this keynote, DeDe challenges leaders to go beyond what’s visible, so they can Master the Unseen™ forces shaping their success.
The audience will leave with:
- The ability to recognize and address the hidden dynamics shaping trust, engagement, and performance.
- Practical tools to surface unspoken tensions and address them before they become roadblocks.
- A new leadership lens—one that moves beyond strategy to harness the emotional undercurrent driving success.
This program is perfect for:
- Leaders, teams, and individuals who want to strengthen their potential and influence through authenticity and courage.
- Organizations seeking to improve adaptability, communication, and trust.
- Teams that want to move past surface level leadership to create lasting impact.
Everyday Courage™: Transforming Small Actions into Big Impact
Most people think courage is about big, dramatic moments—crisis leadership, major decisions, or bold public stands. But the most overlooked form of courage is in the everyday moments that define truly define leadership. The conversations leaders have or avoid. The feedback they give or withhold. The decisions they make now or push off for later. These moments determine whether teams thrive and trust grows—or whether hesitation and avoidance quietly take over.
With 25 years of experience leading in high-pressure environments where every decision carried weight, retired Colonel DeDe Halfhill has seen how avoiding these small moments limits leadership impact. But leaders who engage with them create stronger teams, deeper trust, and momentum that lasts—even in uncertainty.
In this keynote, she challenges leaders to rethink courage, not as something reserved for extraordinary situations, but as a daily habit that shapes leadership, trust, and culture.
The audience will leave with:
- A new perspective on courage and its everyday attainability.
- The confidence to tackle challenging moments head-on.
- Actionable strategies to turn hesitation into momentum.
This program is perfect for:
- Leaders, teams, and individuals who want to strengthen their potential and influence through authenticity and courage.
- Organizations driven to inspire engagement, spark innovation, and build resilience by empowering their people to embrace courage, one step at a time.
Connection is the Competitive Edge: The Advantage No One Talks About—But Everyone Feels
You know what it feels like when a team just clicks—trust is high, collaboration flows, and people step up for each other. You also know what it feels like when they don’t—when silos form, communication breaks down, and progress slows.
Too many leaders focus on strategy and execution, assuming connection will happen on its own. But research proves otherwise. The strongest teams don’t just work together—they trust each other. And that trust is what makes them adaptable, innovative, and resilient under pressure.
In this keynote, retired Colonel DeDe Halfhill draws from more than 25 years of being on high performing teams, to include the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, to show why connection isn’t just a leadership skill—it’s a strategy. The leaders who prioritize relationships build teams that outperform, outlast, and out deliver.
The audience will leave with:
- Practical ways to build trust and create stronger, more connected teams.
- Actionable insights into how trust fuels collaboration, innovation, and resilience.
- Proven strategies to strengthen commitment and unlock team potential.
This program is perfect for:
- Leaders, managers, and teams who want to work better together and build lasting trust.
- Organizations looking to create cultures where collaboration and connection drive results.
Trust Begins With a Conversation: Why Great Teams Talk About What Others Avoid
Misalignment doesn’t happen overnight—it builds in the silence between tough conversations. When people hesitate to speak up, ask hard questions, or address friction, trust erodes, performance stalls, and minor issues become major problems.
As a retired Colonel and former communications advisor to the Department of Defense’s top leaders, DeDe Halfhill has seen how the right conversations—at the right time—can build trust, drive action, and prevent costly mistakes.
In this keynote, she challenges teams and organizations to rethink how they communicate— not just in moments of ease but in the moments that matter most.
The audience will leave with:
- A shift in perspective on why avoiding hard conversations is the most significant risk to success.
- The confidence to engage in open, direct communication—even when it feels uncomfortable.
- Practical insights on building trust through everyday conversations—not just significant leadership moments.
This program is perfect for:
- Leaders, managers, and teams who want to improve how they communicate to increase their influence and effectiveness.
- Organizations looking to build more collaborative and engaged teams.
- Executives seeking to drive cross-organizational alignment.
Leading Unapologetically: Own Your Influence. Lead Without Limits
Women don’t need more confidence. They need the space to lead on their own terms. The real challenge isn’t speaking up, being more assertive, or “leaning in”—it’s the unspoken pressure to lead in a way that fits expectations instead of breaking them. Women don’t need permission. They need to take up space, own their influence, and lead without explanation.
In this keynote, DeDe Halfhill shares what she learned leading in one of the world’s most male-dominated environments—the U.S. military. Rising to senior leadership, advising the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and commanding thousands of people taught her one undeniable truth: Leadership isn’t about fitting a mold—it’s about shattering it.
The audience will leave with:
- A powerful mindset shift from proving themselves to owning their leadership.
- Stories and strategies that inspire bold action, not just reflection.
- The permission to stop asking for permission.
This program is perfect for:
- Emerging women leaders who are ready to own their influence.
- Experienced leaders who are ready to challenge outdated leadership norms.
- Anyone committed to leading with complete confidence in their impact.
Testimonials
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