Speaking / The Maverick Advantage

The Maverick Advantage: Leading by Conviction in a World That Rewards Conformity

Fearless, radically authentic leadership: trusting your gut and doing what you believe, from a leader who started with $800 and a pickup truck and has been a maverick in a world that does not reward it.

Check availability The workshop

The keynote, 45 to 60 minutes

For the whole room

In 2005 Michael started a company with $800 and a pickup truck, in a corner of the industry nobody else wanted to master. Since then he has run with the bulls in Pamplona, hatched a plan to sneak into North Korea, made two trips to Cuba, attended Burning Man, and completed SEALFIT KOKORO, a 50-plus hour endurance evolution modeled after Navy SEAL Hell Week. None of it was the safe choice. This keynote is about leading by conviction: trusting your gut, doing what you believe, and accepting the price that conformity never asks you to pay.

The room leaves with

Why the safe choice and the right choice are rarely the same, and how to tell them apart.
How to trust your gut when the data, the room, and the consensus point the other way.
What it costs to lead as yourself, and why it is worth paying.

The companion workshop, 2 to 3 hours

The Maverick Session

A working session on leading by conviction, for leaders who are done blending in. Led by Michael, for the same audience or its leadership team.

The team leaves with

Each leader names one belief they hold that the room, or the industry, does not.
One gut decision the team has been avoiding, put on the table and decided.
A personal 90 day commitment to lead more fearlessly and more authentically.

Who it suits

Industry conferences: opening and closing keynotes, sales and growth audiences
Leadership offsites and sales kickoffs
CEO peer groups, forums, and entrepreneur programs

Roles: CEOs, founders, sales leaders, and leaders expected to change something

Formats and lengths