The Masters of Consequence – Jan. 22 Event

We are delighted to announce that we’ll start the 2026 new year with an exceptional event set for Thursday, January 22, featuring Mr. Steven J. Manning, a globally renowned business leader, strategist, author, and broadcaster with a distinguished career that includes founding, managing, and advising several highly influential enterprises across the United States and Europe.

NOTE: This presentation will be held via Zoom. Registration is required, and the meeting link will be sent to you once your registration is complete.


Impact and Implications of Global Leaders on Current Geo-Political Realities and the Fate of the Fractured World

There are likely 20,000 books in print on leadership. By all manner of experts and talking heads spewing glorious word salads. Many who write and speak on leadership have long grown weary of the endless taxonomies – the visionaries versus the managers, leadership by fear, affection, authority, autocracy, benevolence, charisma, or checkbook. By definition, some leadership styles are entirely destructive

The “trend du jour” favors the emergence of transformative vs transactional leadership. Manning notes, with characteristic candor, that many of the world’s most consequential leaders stand alarmingly bereft of the soft skills that enable genuine transformation. It is a deficit not of power, but of humanity. The rare few who possess them tend to wield those skills with cold, utilitarian precision – never as instruments of uplift, but as levers of advantage.

Manning asserts that most leaders operating on the world stage serve national imperatives, not global ideals. Their authority spans overt military force – he fully kinetic actions that move armies and ignite conflicts – and the more insidious levers of financial, social, and political coercion, each capable of reshaping the global order.

The world is not drifting; it is accelerating toward a sharper, more polarized shape. Leaders who treat these dynamics as imperatives, are in fact those not poised to become short-termed obsolete.

The Most Dangerous, The Most Stabilizing, The Most Influential, The Most Dangerous Terrorists, The Top Technology & Science Leaders and The Most Despicable.

In his presentation, Manning offers headline judgments on some global notables – delivered with his trademark clarity, bluntness, seasoned cynicism, hard-edged pragmatism, and a measured dose of wit.

OUR EVENT SPEAKER

Steven J ManningA pioneer of empirical marketing, predictive decision-making, and digital-era engagement long before they became industry vernacular, Mr. Steven J. Manning has shaped how major global brands think, act, and grow- driving tens of billions of dollars in revenue flows across consumer, digital, and advisory domains.

He has been a trusted counselor to many of the world’s most consequential corporations, including CBS, Disney, DirecTV, IKEA, Kimberly-Clark, NBC, Netflix, Toyota, Sony, WebMD, UMG, and other Fortune-level enterprises that prefer their advisors remain discreet. His professional orbit spans the globe, extending to industry titans, renowned academics, policymakers, authors, and cultural figures. A prolific voice writing, speaking and broadcasting on leadership, economics, strategy, politics, conflict resolution, corporate governance, marketing & advertising, technology, history, and the architecture of success, Manning is co-founder, publisher, and editor of MONDAY INFLUENCER®.

His books, The Business of Life – Taking a wrecking ball to conventions and norms, in search of independent thought”, and the internationally acclaimed “Pimps, Whores and Patrons of Virtue”, are followed by forthcoming works including “Explaining Bitcoin to Buddhist Monks” and “Thanks Oscar (Wilde)”.

Always at the forefront on his inner force-multiplier – his imaginary teleprompter – are the convictions that power his life:

  • Life is not a dress rehearsal 
  • A life without passion is not a life worth living
  • Seek knowledge and wisdom all the time and everywhere
  • You diminish your own life if you withhold what you truly think – and fail to voice it forcefully, with honesty and clarity

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A Night of Insight and Engagement

October 16 Event Draws Exceptional Participation

Cincinnati, OH – The Foreign Policy Leadership Council’s October 16 event and gathering proved to be one of the most dynamic and engaging evenings of the season. Held again at The Literary Club, the event brought together an impressive mix of members, guests, and many students from the University of Cincinnati’s Lindner College of Business for an evening filled with lively discussion, thought-provoking questions, and an outstanding dinner that set the perfect tone for meaningful exchange.

A Night of Insight and Engagement

October 16 Event Draws Exceptional Participation

Our featured speaker, Brigadier General Stephen N. Xenakis who came to visit us from Washington D.C., delivered a compelling and timely presentation examining the evolving role of the U.S. military in an increasingly complex global landscape. His insights sparked deep reflection and prompted an enthusiastic response from the audience, which included many U.S. Army Veterans. The event was skillfully moderated by FPLC Board Member, Mr. Joe Dehner, whose thoughtful guidance kept the discussion focused, engaging, and highly interactive throughout the evening.

Brigadier General Stephen N. XenakisThe atmosphere was both intellectually charged and very engaging, embodying the very spirit of the Council’s mission to foster thoughtful discussion on pressing international issues. The combination of seasoned perspectives from members and the fresh curiosity of university students made for a particularly dynamic exchange, one that many described as both enlightening and energizing.

The event was not only a testament to the strength of the FPLC community but also to the continued importance of dialogue across generations and disciplines in shaping a deeper understanding of global affairs.

The Council extends its gratitude to everyone who attended and contributed to such a successful night. Our next event is scheduled for Wednesday, November 12, and promises to deliver another engaging program focused on the topic of “Corporate Espionage.”

We look forward to welcoming both familiar faces and new participants for another memorable evening of insight and exchange.

SPECIAL EVENT – Thursday, October 16 from 6PM-8PM

THE U.S. MILITARY AND ITS ROLE TODAY: WHAT’S GOING ON?

Brigadier General (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D. will join us on Thursday, October 16 for an off-the-record conversation.

  • What’s the role of the U.S. military today, and how is it changing since January 20?
  • What ethical issues face personnel?
  • How do changes under way affect U.S. foreign policy and life in the United States and abroad?

Dinner and the program will be held at The Literary Club, 500 East Fourth Street, America’s oldest continuously operating literary club. Doors open at 5:30PM, dinner at 6PM, event program from 6:30PM-7:15PM, Q&A session and networking from 7:15PM-8PM.

Seats are Limited – Registration and Reservations are Required!

OUR EVENT SPEAKER

Brigadier General (Ret.) Stephen N. Xenakis, M.D.

General Xenakis has advised the Joint Chief of Staff Chairman and Defense Department on care and support to service members and their families. A practicing psychiatrist, he writes, lectures, and appears regularly on national radio and television about military and security matters.

An Adjunct Professor at the Uniformed Services of Health Sciences of the Military Medical Department at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he is actively engaged with Physicians for Human Rights and Human Rights First. He is the only retired military general and physician to speak out publicly against torture and the involvement of healthcare practitioners in torture.

A graduate of Princeton University and the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he serves on the Executive Board of the Center for Ethics and Rule of Law at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law. 


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SPECIAL EVENT & GUEST SPEAKER –
Wednesday, October 1st from 7PM-8PM

Lessons from the Edge:
A conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, Her Excellency Marie Yovanovitch

Ambassador Marie YovanovitchAmbassador Marie Yovanovitch will join the Foreign Policy Leadership Council by a special Zoom Conference Presentation from 7PM-8PM the evening of Wednesday, October 1st, 2025.

The Ambassador is author of a best-selling memoir, Lessons from the Edgeand is a Senior Fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, as well as at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University.

Board Member Mr. Joe Dehner, founding President of the Cincinnati Kharkiv Sister Cities Program, will lead the conversation about Ukraine, Russia, and other matters over her career as a Foreign Service Officer.

Former FPLC speaker Madeline Albright hailed Lessons from the Edge as “essential reading for current policymakers, aspiring public servants, and anyone who cares about America’s role in the world.” The memoir includes a report of her support for a Cincinnati Sister Cities delegation caught in the turmoil of recent years in Ukraine.

NOTE: This will be a Zoom only conference for attendance by FPLC members and guests. There is NO CHARGE, but advance registration is required. Zoom link access information will be sent to you upon completing the registration process.

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