David Mead

Often, organizations don’t realize they are self-sabotaging their own growth through the experience they create for their people. When the culture we talk about doesn’t align with the culture our people experience, Culture Dissonance occurs. People go into self-preservation mode and they find it more difficult to trust and develop connections with others. Healthy, productive environments have Culture Congruence, where the stated culture aligns with daily behaviors. In this interactive talk, David identifies the symptoms of Culture Dissonance and explore three specific leadership traits that, when put into practice, lead to Culture Congruence. Culture Congruence serves as a strong foundation for: Well being Performance Discretionary effort Retention Innovation Transparent communication At the end of the session, participants will have some simple, practical tools they can use to contribute to the congruence of the cultures they lead and influence.

We’ve all experienced different leaders. Each has their own style, their own personality, and their own level of intensity. Despite those differences, what all truly great leaders have in common is a relentless, daily commitment to helping others thrive. This means leaders must behave in ways that build trust, relay genuine care for the humans in their charge and help people feel valued and valuable. In this interactive talk, David equips leaders with simple, practical ideas and tools that help them bring their human side to leadership. He shares the three characteristics of a Human Leader that can help any of us, regardless of title or position, lead ourselves and others in a more genuine way.

It’s human nature to seek the sense of comfort we feel with consistency and stability. And yet, we look toward the future and see more change and uncertainty than ever. This state of uncertainty can leave us feeling unsettled, demoralized, and anxious about the future. As a result, decision making tends to stagnate and progress slows; we become more rigid and effective leadership declines. We see obstacles rather than opportunities. What if we shifted our perception of uncertainty from an obstacle to our progress, to seeing it as a springboard to our progress? Rather than resisting uncertainty, what if we chose to run toward it? When we know how to embrace it, uncertainty becomes opportunity. This is what separates the leaders and organizations that thrive from those that merely survive during uncertainty. In this interactive talk, David will share simple ideas tha make it possible to approach uncertainty in a way which opens new possibilities we may not have seen before.