Keynotes

Are you planning a large conference or association gathering? Do you want to give your participants something to think about and put to work - not just for a few days, but for the rest of their lives? Client feedback suggests that John's keynotes have that kind of sticking power.

He has had an amazing life - as a Viet Nam-era Combat Officer on a US Navy destroyer, Lutheran Chaplain at Cornell University, graduate school co-developer, best-selling author, successful entrepreneur, and consultant to some of the world's best-known organizations and their leaders. To each of his clients John brings all of this unique perspective in addressing the real challenges of the world at work. With a lively delivery, rich material and an uncanny knack for connecting quickly with virtually any group of people, John's keynotes are remembered, applied, and talked about for years.

The following topics are a sample of what organizations have requested recently. (Each one can also be formatted into a half-day or full-day workshop for audiences from 12 to 1,200 people.)

KEYNOTE TOPICS

Creating a Culture of Engagement: The Role of Leadership
The determining factor today in whether or not organizations survive to serve their clientele is their capacity to engage—their world, their "market," their clients/patients, their own staff. This requires a shift in perspective, especially from leaders. John Scherer has been helping business leaders from 18 countries and virtually every workplace sector transform their lives and their organizations for over 25 years. In this session John shows why human systems and their cultures must change, when they must change, how to best lead that change, what to do with resistance, and how to work powerfully with the polarities that stymie most organizations. The result: a clear and fully embraced culture of engagement.

John can also adapt any one of these keynote topics as a high-involvement seminar which can be delivered in-house:

The Secrets of Enlightened Leadership: Motivating the Person Behind the Position It's a clich? to say that people are what make the difference in successful companies and those that fall by the wayside. But what does it actually take to ensure that every employee and every work team is operating at 100% of their capability? The answer is surprisingly simple but requires a significant shift in your thinking and the thinking of your people.

Unleashing the Human Spirit at Work: Planning is priceless; the plan itself is useless. Your budgets, org charts, and project plans while crucial, have never accomplished anything. Nothing happens until you hand those "above-the-waterline" elements to human beings, who then do it or not. Learning to be effective in this"below-the-waterline" world requires a completely different set of skills and ways of operating. What could happen where you work if the human spirit were truly unleashed and focused on what it most important? John has been presenting and consulting on this topic for 15 years.

Just How Good Could You Be? Mastering the Inner Principles of High Performance Most leaders and managers have gone about as far as they can go focusing on the "Outer Game" of looking better than their peers. To take yourself to the next level of effectiveness, you may need to pay more attention to the "Inner Game," which has very different rules. Those who master both are virtually unstoppable. Based on 20 years of intensive one-on-one sessions with hundreds of leaders and executives from 18 countries, and recorded in his 1993 ground-breaking book, Work and the Human Spirit.

From the Past to the Possible: Transforming Yourself and Your Organization Going from the AS IS to the TO BE can be harrowing. On the journey, how can you work with resistance and fear in such a way that change is seen as an ally to be trusted, rather than an enemy to be fought? The secret is 1) understanding the natural life cycle of organizations, 2) where you are on it, 3) everyone knowing where West is and 4) making sure you stay on course and realizing that it's not about the wagon. Based on real-world situations.

Organization as Community: What the Maasai Can Teach Us About Leadershipand Life (with John and Kakuta Hamisi). John has become close friends and colleagues with Kakuta Hamisi, a gifted Maasai warrior and natural leader of his people in Kenya. The two of them make a powerful visual team with a lot to offer. The Maasai have found a way to maintain their special way of life for 1,000 years in the face of many physical and social threats to their existence a lesson for many of us. Find out what we have to learn from the Maasai about things like vision, decision-making, conflict-resolution, teamwork, patience, structure and respect.

Beating the Odds: How to Accelerate Your Recovery from Mergers and Corporate Heart Attacks. There is a merger, acquisition or some kind of major change somewhere in your future. Follow John's six steps if you want to avoid being one of the 75% which leave a trail of bodies and fail to produce the financial results intended. Based on real-world merger breakthrough projects .

Changing the Chart and Changing the Heart: The Secrets of Successful Organizational Transformation. Most large-scale change efforts fail because they do not understand or acknowledge the crucial role the emotional world plays in people's ability to let go of the past and move on. By following four basic principles, you can move your organizational changes forward faster and with less "static in the system."

The Magic Option John was a professional magician for 12 years and now performs for corporations and conferences around the world. He can deliver either a stand-alone 30-60 minute magic show, or weave magic into his keynote presentation with themes likeThe Power of the Mind or The Impossible is Possible.

Give your people an hour or two with John. They'll leave with clarity substance, and motivation positive first steps toward being more productive in their personal and professional lives. Marianne Mishima, former ABC-TV News Anchor.

John has presented to

• Best of America Conference: New Orleans, Los Angeles & Atlanta
• International Quality Conference: Paris, France
• World Business Academy: Santa Barbara, CA
• Dell Computers: Austin, TX
• Boeing Ethics Group: Seattle, WA
• The Young President's Organization: Nassau, The Bahamas
• ACE Hardware: Chicago, Las Vegas
• Cincinnati Gas & Electric: Cincinnati
• Van Melle nv: Lausvoldt, Holland & Cambridge, England
• Tata Motors: Madras, India
• Blue Cross-Blue Shield: Chicago & Seattle
• American Diabetes Association: Washington, DC & Palm Beach, FL
• Eastern Washington University: Cheney, WA
• Many others

Testimonials

John helps people get out of the way of their egos and tap into the ultimate source of effectiveness.
Ken Blanchard, Co-Author, Gung-Ho, The One-Minute Manager and many others.

John Scherer's work is a godsend to leaders who believe that humanness in the workplace can be a major competitive advantage.
Jim Secord, CEO, Lakewood Publications

If you need assurance that people can in fact create significant change in their lives, John will bring that to you.
Geoff Bellman, author of Getting Things Done When You are Not in Charge and Your Signature Calling

John gets to the heart of the matter, bringing a freshness and sense of joy to the work of organizations and the practice of leadership.
John Kneurr, Director of Mission Integration, Sisters of Providence