great business speakers

COL. NICOLE MALACHOWSKI (USAF, RET.) has an indomitable spirit. Determined from the age of five to fly fighter jets, she went on to a distinguished 21-year career in the United States Air Force and became the first woman to be part of the Thunderbirds, the elite USAF air demonstration squadron. The ultimate high-performance-under-pressure team, Nicole and five other Thunderbirds flew at over 400 mph and 300 feet off the ground – separated by as little as 36 inches. Nicole is a rock star in military aviation and was inducted into the Women in Aviation International Pioneer Hall of Fame Museum.

This post, written by Bill Taylor, co-founder of Fast Company magazine and author of the bestselling book Simply Brilliant, is adapted from an essay that first appeared in Harvard Business Review.  It was published on December 18th, 2017.  The leadership quiz at the end of the article achieved unprecedented interest from HBR readers.

COL. NICOLE MALACHOWSKI (USAF, RET.), a rock star in military aviation, has just joined the D'Amelio Network which will manage her speaking career.

DEVELOPING THE LEADERSHIP PIPELINE I have worked with thousands of executive teams since I left the Navy and one of the common complaints I hear is where to find the time to mentor the next generation. Schedules are double and triple blocked as it is. “I just don't have the energy or the time,” is the common refrain.

Most leaders don’t need convincing that a focus on transforming organizational culture pays big dividends. What a company is to its customers is inextricably tied to the workplace culture it creates for its own people. Recognizing this direct link between corporate culture and competitiveness & profitability, the topic of culture is popular at business meetings and events.   Below I've highlighted advice from five top keynote speakers and seminar leaders who are popular choices for such meetings because their insights help jump-start fresh thinking.  Their ideas can help transform your culture to unleash the power of your organization. 

"DON’T LET WHAT YOU KNOW LIMIT WHAT YOU CAN IMAGINE" – FAST COMPANY CO-FOUNDER BILL TAYLOR Co-founder of Fast Company magazine Bill Taylor has had a front row seat at the very beginning of a revolution in management and competition driven by technology. While there he watched and profiled the mavericks and rule breakers who have achieved outsize success by taking a different path.

Top Organizational Change Speakers: Managing Change in a Disruptive Business Environment The world’s most successful companies have one striking similarity: The ability to innovate, adapt, and successfully manage change in a highly disruptive business environment.

MORE THAN ONE WAY TO DO IT We all want to be part of a great organization and a high-performance workplace. But there’s more than one kind of successful organization and many kinds of productive workplaces.  One of the most important career choices you will make is determining the right workplace environment for you.

Perhaps in no arena is leading and managing change more challenging than in healthcare. Policy uncertainty (like the U.S.), market pressure, and technological change create an environment that demands resilience, constant adaptation, and a boost of positive encouragement. Six DN experts have proven to be great speakers for healthcare events. My goal here is to mention a bit about each to make the point.  

The 2017 list of Fortune’s “World’s Greatest Leaders” has just been announced.  As usual, it's a list that's full of surprises.     The list celebrates an inspiring group of achievers who have been especially effective in 2017.  It’s hard not to be moved by the passion, commitment, and ingenuity of the individuals honored here, and perhaps take away lessons to apply to your own efforts – be it your business, your charity, your community, or just your own block in your neighborhood. It was four years ago that GEOFF COLVIN, senior editor-at-large at Fortune led the effort to create the magazine’s first-ever “World’s Greatest Leaders” issue.  I'm proud to say that Geoff is a D’Amelio Network speaker -- click here to get a free chapter from his bestselling book Talent is Overrated.  Leadership is a subject he's covered extensively for Fortune, so Geoff was the perfect choice to come up with the unique approach that has characterized this list.