great business speakers

IT NEARLY HAPPENED! The basketball legend was forced to change careers after a seemingly endless string of stress fractures in his foot during the late 70’s and early 80’s. He was told by doctors to stop playing basketball and, if things didn’t turn in the right direction soon, amputation of his foot was the most likely next step. A PIVOT TO LAW Embarking on a new and sedentary life, BILL WALTON entered Stanford Law School, in the fall of 1981. He went full-time for the first year. He played in no sports of any kind. He was just a student for the first time since fourth grade.

Every leader and company agrees that people are the most valuable asset. How companies take care of that asset has evolved, and employees’ expectations have shifted, driving the need to address new workplace challenges. Staying informed about the latest trends and insights is crucial for any professional seeking to drive organizational success. The work landscape continually evolves, and various topics have emerged as critical focal points for every organizational leader. These themes include talent acquisition and retention, career development, inclusion, mental fitness, office culture, and the future of work. Organizations turn to speakers who can provide valuable expertise, inspiration, and actionable strategies to address these important themes and foster a thriving work environment. By leveraging the knowledge and perspectives of these experts highlighted below, leaders can drive positive change, foster innovation, and create workplaces that attract and retain top talent in today’s ever-evolving business landscape.

ORGANIZATIONAL TRANSFORMATION

It’s about time! That’s what fans of basketball legend BILL WALTON said when they heard the news that ESPN honored him with a 30 for 30 documentary about his incredible life and career. But unlike most subjects covered in the 30 for 30 series, director Steven James, who directed Hoop Dreams, among other films, said that once he got into the project, he realized the story was bigger than he could have imagined. In the end, Bill’s documentary covered four episodes – not just a single hour – because Bill’s life can’t be distilled to 60 minutes without leaving out much of what’s so inspiring about the man.

The Power Code, the new book from KATTY KAY and Claire Shipman, offers a groundbreaking, provocative take on women and their relationship with power. Their conclusion: power today is not working, for women, men, or the world. For years, the narrative about women and power was simply that women needed more experience, more ambition, more something, and then, finally, they’d be ready for power. The problem, more or less, was with women. But looking to answer the maddening question of why women still don’t have anything close to an equal share of the world’s power, despite the fact that multiple studies show all organizations are better off with more women running things, they’ve unearthed some radical things about power itself. It turns out we don’t need to remake women; we need to remake power. Katty Kay explained in a recent conversation.

MARK SCHULMAN is a monster drummer who has toured the world with some of the greatest rock and pop performers. He has played before crowds as big as 225,000 and has shared the stage with artists like P!NK, Billy Idol, Cher, Stevie Nicks, Foreigner, Simple Minds, and others over his 32-year touring career.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO BE MEMORABLE? “How do you want to be talked about and what are you doing to make that happen?,” asks KEN SCHMIDT, who knows a thing or two about creating strategies for cutting through the noise and getting noticed from his storied career during the turnaround of Harley-Davidson. Ken reminds people that we are a story-telling species and getting noticed by customers or even in your own organization is about being memorable.

Have you ever heard a song while you’re in a bar, at a restaurant, out shopping, or watching tv and wondered, “What is the name of that song!” That happened to Chris Barton all the time. As a huge music fan, he was determined to find a way to identify songs in the world around him. And so, he created Shazam, the revolutionary app that uses technology to bring the magic of music discovery to your fingertips.

These days, it can be hard to be optimistic amid confusing economic news that mostly, let’s be honest…is pretty bad. Depending on what you are reading or experiencing, it is safe to assume we are all feeling a little overwhelmed as we continue to navigate this post-pandemic world, inflated gas prices, delayed supply chains, and political instability – just to name a few.

What’s one of the biggest challenges facing business leaders in the post-pandemic world? Employee well-being and mental health. We are living in a time when people are dealing with a lot more stress and anxiety – the ability to cope has become a challenge. Gallup® recently came out with a State of the Global Workplace report that showed only 33% of the world’s employees are thriving – and that percentage has only increased by 1% since the start of the pandemic in 2020. The needle has not moved much at all…why is this?