Welcome to Professor Bennett’s Speaking Portfolio for 2024-2025. It includes some of his most highly received topics as well as a few newly developed leadership presentation topics. These are all suitable for your next conference, association meeting, company meeting, group meeting or company/group retreat.
All topics are meant for 60-minute time slots with 35 to 45 minutes of presentation and 15 to 25 minutes of Q&A.
Presentations can be customized by organization or industry.
Speaking Information | Speaking Portfolio
Speaking Testimonials | Book Professor Bennett
Why ‘Leadership Skills’ Are Not Enough
People spend the bulk of their careers acquiring various “Leadership Skills”. Unfortunately, acquiring those skills will usually not help them become a better leader. This ‘checking the boxes’ approach to leadership improvement only provides temporary success, if any, as people become complacent once they’ve achieved them, instead of working to improve them. For ongoing, long-term improvement, leaders need a continuously improving leadership process to help them achieve their career goals.
In this session, attendees will learn the leadership process and how following it will lead to continuously-improving leadership.
Identifying & Filling the Gaps in Your Leadership Practice
Most people overestimate their leadership abilities. These misconceptions between how the leader perceives their leadership abilities and the perceptions of others are gaps that each leader needs to identify and work on.
In this session, attendees will learn the 3 types of gaps every leader should identify: individual, team and organization level. Analyzing the results from research conducted over eight years, we visually present what the gaps look like and the steps leaders can take to correct for them.
Beyond Leadership Titles: Cultivating Influence and Impact
In today’s dynamic work landscape, the essence of leadership goes beyond titles. Holding a title doesn’t automatically make one a leader, and lacking a title certainly doesn’t preclude leadership. The heart of leadership lies in a continuous process rather than a static position. Whether holding a formal title or not, individuals can embody leadership through various impactful practices.
In this session, we will delve into the essence of leadership as a dynamic process not confined by hierarchical labels. Attendees will explore tangible actions to showcase value within a team and unlock potential at every level.
How Leadership is Like Golf
Sports provides a powerful metaphor for leadership as they remind us that leadership can be applied in sports situations as well as in life. Of all the sports, golf is the one that compares most directly to leadership. It’s individually focused. Each golf course and each hole is different just like each leadership encounter is different. Improvement only occurs through practice and coaching.
In this session, attendees will learn the parallels between leadership and golf, as well as how to apply golf improvement techniques to their everyday practice of leadership.
10 Leadership Lessons from the Hamilton Musical
The hit Broadway musical Hamilton tells the story of American Founding Father Alexander Hamilton using hip-hop and songs. It has become one of the highest grossing Broadway musicals ever – and is still growing.
There are many leadership lessons from the musical about Alexander Hamilton and the other Founding Fathers as well as lessons in the creation of the musical.
In this fun and inspiring session, we count these leadership lessons “Ten Duel Commandments” style just like the musical, only without the singing and dancing.
10 Leadership Lessons from the Star Trek Universe
Star Trek has been entertaining us for over 60 years with its morality-based stories. If you look behind the shields, you’ll find leadership lessons worth many latinum bars that work for captains as well as ensigns. Whether you’re leading a starship or working on a lower decks team, a first contact away team or recalibrating the warps coils, you’ll benefit from the leadership lessons in this presentation.
In this fascinating session, attendees will learn the lessons from the many TV shows and movies, applicable from captains to ensigns.
Identifying & Harnessing Your Leadership Superpowers
Like superheroes, leaders should be on a continuous journey to discover their personal leadership superpower, which is their go to thing as a leader.
Each journey is different just like no two superheroes have the exact same powers. Batman is as much like Superman as the Hulk is like Thor. Every leader has their own leadership power or abilities, as well their weaknesses.
In this session, attendees will learn how to identify and use their leadership superpower for leadership success. They will also learn how overcome any leadership weaknesses or ‘kryptonite.’
Situational Leadership Lessons from the Philosophy of Bruce Lee
Most people know that Bruce Lee was a great martial artist, instructor and actor, but most don’t know was also an accomplished director and philosopher. He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy which draws from numerous combat disciplines and is often credited with paving the way for modern mixed martial arts (MMA).
His multi-disciplinary, flexible, situational approach to martial arts is the same approach today’s leaders need to embrace. It’s no longer about mastering one leadership style or tool but being adept in multiple tools and knowing when to use them.
In this session, the audience will learn how and when to utilize multiple leadership styles and tools to adapt them to any leadership encounter.
Speaking Information | Speaking Portfolio
Speaking Testimonials | Book Professor Bennett
