Jonathan

Jonathan Silk's understanding of teaming began long before he entered an executive boardroom or academic classroom. His experiences as a U.S. Army Infantry soldier, noncommissioned officer, and later an Armor officer leading teams in combat taught him that when plans unravel and pressure mounts, success depends on more than individual leadership. It depends on people working together, exercising sound judgment, making decisions under stress, and adapting to accomplish their mission.

​

As a tank company commander in Korea, Jonathan designed and led collective training that prepared soldiers and crews to perform together under demanding conditions. His company consistently earned Top Gun recognition, and one of its tank crews achieved a perfect score of 1,000 during gunnery exercises in Korea. His military service included recognition with the General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, the Bronze Star Medal with "V" for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He later joined the faculty at the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he served as an Assistant Professor developing future Army leaders in team leadership, decision-making, and the Army's Mission Command philosophy.

 

As Jonathan transitioned from military service into executive leader development at UNT Health and doctoral studies in Global Leadership and Change at Pepperdine University, he began noticing a recurring challenge. Organizations invested heavily in developing individual leaders, yet often paid less attention to developing the skills people need to work effectively together. His military experiences had reinforced an important lesson: even the best strategy means little if people cannot coordinate, adapt, and execute together when circumstances change.

​

Driven to bridge the gap in leadership development programs, Jonathan's interest in how teams function led him to research team dynamics, attachment theory, and team learning. His academic background includes a Ph.D. in Global Leadership and Change, an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas, and an M.A. in Learning Technologies. He also holds executive coaching credentials from Columbia University, Design Thinking certifications from Stanford University's d.school, and a postgraduate certificate in User Experience (UX) from the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas. Together, these experiences deepened his understanding of teaming and shaped his approach to designing learning environments where people develop skills through experience, reflection, and practice.

​

Jonathan co-founded Thriving Teams Institute and Bridge 3 Mission Ready Learning Lab to put these ideas into practice. The goal is to help people become better team members and develop the skills needed to learn, adapt, solve problems, and accomplish challenging goals together.

​

At Bridge 3 Mission Ready Learning Lab, Jonathan brings together his experience in collective training, research, and learning design to create hands-on missions and simulations in an active arena for teams to practice and learn. As an FAA Part 107 certificated Remote Pilot Small Unmanned Aircraft System, he also brings aviation knowledge and experience to the lab's drone-based learning activities. Through Design-Based Learning (DBL), activities such as drone piloting, RC tactical challenges, LEGO® design, and collaborative problem-solving provide opportunities for youth and adults to practice communication, decision-making, adaptability, and teaming.

​

Whether working with students, families, or organizational teams, Jonathan believes people develop the capacity to team well and become Mission Ready by doing meaningful things together, learning from their experiences, and applying those lessons to the next challenge.