Elevate Your Leadership.
 Learn From History. 
Lead With Impact.

About Patrick Ungashick

Patrick Ungashick has more than thirty years’ experience helping business owners and their teams maximize the value of their companies. Today, he is the CEO of NAVIX Consultants, an exit strategy consulting firm that has helped more than five hundred business owners plan for and achieve successful exits. He is also a partner in three additional companies, including a private equity, investment banking, and wealth management firm.

On Building Leaders and Teams

As an executive, you crave powerful examples of leadership in action. In A Day for Leadership, Patrick Ungashick shares a gold mine of relevant business lessons from D-Day, the most complex military operation in history and twenty-four period that decided the outcome of World War II.

On that help Business Owners Exit Successfully

Patrick is the author of two books helping business owners prepare for exit: Dance in the End Zone: The Business Owner’s Exit Planning Playbook, and the award-winning A Tale of Two Owners: Achieving Exit Success Between Business Co-Owners.

SPEAKING TOPICS

As an award-winning speaker, Patrick has delivered hundreds of workshops and keynote presentations for groups including business owner peer-to-peer organizations such as Vistage International and the Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EO), as well as trade associations and leadership roundtables.

His most requested topics include:

Speaking Testimonials

“In terms of dollar value, I can’t think of any other speaker who has had greater impact on our business owners.”

Lou Allegra, Vistage Chair

“Not a single business owner walked away without seeing the holes in their organization in regard to getting ready for exit. Fun, informational, interactive, open to questions throughout, customized his answers accordingly, and high energy throughout. Time flew!”

Mikki Williams, Vistage Chair

“Patrick demonstrated a genuine care for connecting with our attendees, which made his presentation all the more impactful. The workshop itself was informative and engaging over the 3.5-hour session. Patrick makes what could easily be a dry topic fun!”

“We highly recommend Patrick for anyone seeking expertise in exit planning for their business. He brings expertise, enthusiasm, and a keen understanding of his audience that will benefit any organization.”

Lindsey Kirchner, Programs Manager

“I cannot say enough positive things about Patrick. His approach is excellent and his content has something for everyone. Our members told me that they had immediate take-home value after participating in his workshop. Strongly recommend Patrick!”

Matt Sauri, EO Learning Chair

“You [Patrick] were the highest rated speaker of our conference! I think what really hit home was the fact that you presented in a way that everyone sat up, took notice and understood—the takeaways were invaluable and beneficial.”

Renee Merker, Director, Communications and Events

“Your workshop was certainly a ‘home run’ in our estimation and via the feedback we received from members!”

Cheryl Clark, National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF) Director of Events

Podcast Episodes

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Patrick is available for keynotes, workshops, and speaking engagements for all group and conference sizes.

Exit Consulting

As founder and CEO of NAVIX Consultants, Patrick leads a national team of exit strategy advisors located in about two-dozen US cities. NAVIX’s mission is to help owners achieve happy and successful exits.

Since 2009, NAVIX has helped more than 500 business owners prepare for their exits, representing a combined business value greater than $2.5 billion.

Click below to learn more about NAVIX and access our library of free educational webinars, white papers, and articles to help business owners prepare themselves and their companies for exit.

Leadership Development

Maximizing a company’s growth and value demands building an elite leadership team aligned around the company’s long-term success.

A Day For Leadership: Business Insights For Today’s Executives And Teams From The D-day Battle

Business leaders—sharpen your skills with lessons from one of history’s greatest feats.

One of the most pivotal moments in history—D-Day, the launch of the most complex military operation in history that propelled the outcome of World War II—is a powerful gold mine of lessons that help you elevate your leadership skills and lead your team to victory.

The product of years of planning and involving millions of people, D-Day’s results came down to a handful of leaders who rose to the occasion—or failed. Strategy, culture, logistics, process, delegation, and clutch decisions—the D-Day battle encompassed every facet of business leadership while facing the highest stakes imaginable. In A Day for Leadership, the fascinating and inspiring stories of these military leaders’ choices offer today’s executives, entrepreneurs, and teams actionable insights to help them excel and succeed.

Want more original leadership content?

Download a secret chapter, The Hapless 90th Case Study and get an interactive Team Leader’s Guide for productive team discussions now.

Book Praise

"Ungashick’s examinations of the nuts and bolts of D-Day make for very compelling reading, regardless of the business world implications he draws from them; even readers not looking for corporate leadership tips will find this detailed account of D-Day completely involving reading."

“Patrick’s book is a compelling read. I appreciate how he distills leadership lessons from D-Day into practical insights that can strengthen any team. His perspective is engaging and immediately applicable. As a lifelong learner, I particularly enjoyed his historical evidence, showing how we have always been stronger together in our nation’s most pivotal moments.”

“Patrick Ungashick has masterfully woven the most historic event of the 20th century—the 1944 D-Day invasion—into lessons in strategy development and leadership for today’s executives and the teams they lead. Utilizing the intricate planning by the D-Day Allied commanders as his standard, Patrick has delivered his readers a well-written series of case studies for developing and executing winning business strategies. A must-read for senior leadership teams of corporations, universities, and nonprofits alike.”

“A Day for Leadership by Patrick Ungashick brilliantly weaves historical context with practical leadership insights, making it both an easy and informative read. Ungashick’s approach provides valuable lessons that resonate deeply with leaders facing modern challenges, and it’s a great reminder of the sacrifices made by great leaders in World War II. It’s a compelling guide for anyone looking to draw wisdom from the past to inform today’s decisions.”

“I totally loved this work! There are many applications I will make to my own business. Ungashick masterfully draws parallels between leadership moments from the WWII Battle of Normandy and everyday business decisions. His case studies from the deadliest war in history challenge business leaders to confront their most critical issues. Invaluable business reading!”

“A Day of Leadership does a remarkable job of connecting leadership theories with lessons from the most historic time in human history: World War II and D-Day. The author’s instructive and wise approach to these case studies show that, from the battlefield to sports to business, the art of leadership is as unique as each leader’s DNA. However, the examples also help us understand that the leadership styles that achieved a winning culture are fragile and must be monitored and amended to meet challenging moments in our ever-changing and highly competitive world.”

“Compelling. Fascinating. Enthralling. As someone who is unfamiliar with the D-Day history, the gripping narrative reveals timeless leadership lessons that resonate powerfully with today’s executives and teams.”

“With the backdrop of WWII and specifically the strategies, planning, and execution of D-Day, Patrick Ungashick provides an expert framework for today’s business executive. Utilizing clear communication, strategic planning, visionary leadership, and the benefit of hindsight, Patrick has recreated the moments of truth for historic leaders that have many revelations for leaders of today.”

Team Retreats & Exercises

One day can transform the course of history—or a career or company

Business executives and teams need powerful examples of leadership in action. One of the greatest moments in history, D-Day, launched of the most complex military operations ever attempted and became the turning point of World War II. It offers a rich trove of leadership lessons to help today’s business leaders sharpen their skills and drive their teams to success.
Engage Patrick Ungashick, speaker, author, and entrepreneur, to lead your team through immersive, fun, and high-impact team experiences and excursions anchored in fascinating and inspiring D-Day stories.

Individual Leaders, Managers, And Their Teams Will:

Learn critical leadership principles through real-world, high-stakes historical case studies from D-Day.
Gain insights into strategic decision-making under pressure.
Apply lessons from history’s greatest leaders to today’s business challenges.
Enhance teamwork, delegation, and problem-solving skills through immersive, experiential learning.

Leadership Team Retreats & Experiences

This brochure explains the benefits of team events for organizational leaders, managers, teams, and those looking to improve decision-making and critical leadership principals using the A Day for Leadership lessons.

D-Day FAQs

What was D-Day?

D-Day was one of the most important and pivotal battles of World War II. When the Allies (led by Britian, the US, and Canada) invaded Normandy in northwest France, Nazi Germany still controlled most of continental Europe. The attack starting on D-Day marked the beginning of the end of World War II in Europe. Defeating the heinous Nazi regime liberated a large portion of western Europe, and shaped post-war political, economic, and international issues for generations—and still does today.

What does the “D” stand for in D-Day?

The “D” in “D-Day” is only a placeholder. When preparing for a military operation such as an amphibious invasion, planners initially could not know exactly what date the operation would begin, due to factors such as weather, logistics, the enemy’s actions, etc. Therefore, during the war Allied leaders used the phrase D-Day to mark the operation’s kick off day. During World War II military planners used the term D-Day for many different operations. Today, however, the term has become widely accepted to refer specifically to the first day of Operation OVERLORD, the invasion of northwestern France on June 6, 1944.

How is this book relevant to today’s business leaders?

To be effective, modern business leaders and managers need to define strategic goals, solve problems, communicate clearly, foster team alignment, evaluate individual and organizational performance, and forecast change. World War II’s leaders had to apply these same skills on a colossal stage and scale. They had to set strategic goals and solve problems of staggering and unprecedented ethical, operational, technical, economic, and cultural complexity. Their communication skills could (and often did) determine victory or defeat. They had to assemble, train, and manage teams ranging from small units up to organizations larger than most of today’s corporations. If World War II produced America’s “greatest generation,” as journalist and author Tom Brokaw suggested, it arguably produced the greatest leadership generation the world has seen and may ever see.

What if my team and I don’t have time to read an entire book?

A Day for Leadership’s core content consists of case studies providing readers with insights and lessons relevant to real-world leadership roles and responsibilities. Case studies are fascinating stories told with a business purpose, because “a great story beats a boring business discussion every day.” (Karen Eber, The Perfect Story) You and your team can pick only those case studies relevant to your immediate business needs, and each case study only takes about 30 minutes to read.

Articles

8 Steps for Conducting Effective and Engaging Leadership Retreats

Planning a leadership team retreat is an excellent way to rejuvenate, strategize, and strengthen relationships among key decision-makers in an organization. A well-organized retreat can improve communication, boost morale, and

7 Unique Advantages Business Teams Gain from Case Studies

A Day for Leadership is written for executives and teams. The core content consists of case studies providing insights and lessons relevant to today’s real world leadership and management issues and challenges.

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D-Day and Diversity

Most of the top military and political leaders during World War II were white males, for in the mid twentieth century the door to senior leadership was still closed for

10 Ways Business Leaders Benefit from Studying the Past

History Professor Peter Stearns once observed that we study the past to “gain access to the laboratory of human experience.” Studying historical stories and events provides business leaders with a

Downloadable Resources

Share These Lessons at a Discounted Price

Purchase two or more copies of A Day for Leadership to receive a discounted price through Porchlight Book Company. Buying in bulk is perfect for companies, book clubs, conferences, workshops, and other group activities interested in D-Day and leadership lessons.

Contact

Top business organizations trust Patrick to build strong leaders, maximize value, and navigate seamless leadership transitions. Connect today!

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Elevate Your Leadership.
 Learn From History. 
Lead With Impact.

About Patrick Ungashick

On Building Leaders and Teams

On that help Business Owners Exit Successfully