Jim Harris

I've been getting fantastic feedback, I was told it's the best keynote speaker that we've ever had, so I highly recommend Jim Harris for any and all conferences that you may have.

As if the enthusiastic response of our audience wasn't enough, the results of our post-conference survey are conclusive: you were a major hit! In fact, the response of 2,000 delegates closely paralleled my own assessment: the content was on target, the presentation superlative

Jim Harris did a great job! He knocked the ball out of the park talking to a crowd of 350 construction industry people here at the Ottawa Construction Association. I got a lot of great feedback that it was actionable items, something they were going to move on right away and they were going to pursue so you can't do better than what Jim did at our annual general meeting. Jim was a pleasure to work with him and his supporting team, easy to coordinate, did a great job of research in our group, researching with my board of directors. He really invested time and effort to deliver a A-Plus presentation. What Jim did for a construction crowd was bang on for the times. Everyone's questioning "What's the impact of AI in construction?" We're all on the same level of learning and Jim provided us that education and a path to go forward.

"Having attended countless sessions over the years, I am very selective. I am especially proud that one of the best messages I've heard at MPI was delivered by a Canadian – Jim Harris."

"You initiated a shift in strategic thinking within our plant management."

Congratulations on completely captivating your audience! Your session got an outstanding response! Thanks for a superb job. It was well noted that you took the time to get to know the crowd. They loved you, Jim, as I’m sure you could tell by the crush of attention following the session. You won this year’s ‘most fun speaker to work with’ vote.

One of the most insightful, thought-provoking workshop sessions from an absolutely world class speaker. Jim Harris is the author of 5 best selling books on innovation and is a much in demand Key Note speaker who every year addresses large audiences around the world; fortunately for us, he enjoys speaking and working with TEC/Vistage groups. I've heard him speak many times and his workshop sessions are always impactful and entertaining; many members have told me that they come away with insights and ideas regarding how they can better lead their businesses to future success. One member recently reported that she now feels she can "be the disruptor rather than the disrupted".

I launched the Center of Excellence for Sales Leadership at York University's Schulich Executive Education Centre with the 13-day Masters Certificate Program and the 5 day Executive Sales Management Program. Jim Harris was one of my faculty for both programs. He is exceptional. Jim engages the minds and hearts of participants with his informative content, style and humour. Jim is able to create a complete shift in participants' outlook in just a single session. I always learn something new every session I attend with Jim because it is never canned content. He is exceptional at refreshing and adding current and relevant content to his programs. In all my years in sales I've never met anyone who can create such a shift in such a short time. I would highly recommend him to any executive team looking to shift the outlook, behaviour and outcomes they are seeking from a sales team or sales organization.

"If I were told that my people and I could read only one business book during the next year I would, in a heartbeat, choose Jim Harris' The Learning Paradox. I choose this book because it communicates so very clearly not only the key issues we face, but the solutions we need for survival. This book is priceless"

This is beyond the best presentation I've ever been in, incredible.

This session has been crazy, it's blown my mind in a very good way.

I loved the presentation. The presentation was fantastic. First, you connected with the audience. So you created an open atmosphere to make people think differently. Secondly, you challenged the way we look at things and the way we have a vision for where we're going as a company as a people, and I loved it. And thirdly, you made me look really good because you were so awesome. So thank you so much, Jim. It was fabulous.

I thought the session was excellent. It really exceeded my expectation, challenged our thinking and I think it really resonated with the broader team in terms of what we're going through but also what we need to be thinking about for the future.

Amazing day, it's been a pleasure and really an honor to work with you. It's been mind changing mind shifting, the discussion around disruption activated the whole crowd, from our CEO on down, I think you've captivated the audience. And we all got engaged in a way I really didn't anticipate. So exceeded expectations, no question, the energy, the fact that everybody wanted to grab the mic and speak to us during the first panel session was really beyond what our expectations were. Thrilled to be having this kind of a conversation. It's not always an easy conversation, but thrilled to be having this kind of a conversation at the very top senior ranks of our company. It's a very, very important conversation for us to be having. Thank you. It's absolutely critical that this conversation is happening at a senior level. It's about getting out ahead of what we see coming and the change that's coming and I think everybody's talking about it now. Because change is coming very, very quickly. And honestly, I don't know if any companies fully prepared for the change that we're going to be experiencing.

It was truly inspirational. You've stretched folks to think differently and move in different directions, and it was enlightening. That was the whole focus of our time spent together, which is why we asked you to come in to push us in a different direction. And I think this is going to start the momentum. Change is happening so quickly, if we don't stay in front of it, we're not going to grow, succeed, and attract new talent. If we don't change and evolve and innovate we'll be out of business in short order because someone else will.

It's been fantastic working with Jim Harris for more than a decade. Jim always delivers exceptional value for both his clients and business partners. Many years ago I recommended Jim to an important client – the largest Human Resources conference in the UK. He did a marvelous job delighting delegates. His presentations are not only entertaining but thought provoking – challenging participants to think in new ways. In attendance was the Director of the UK Cabinet Office's Top Management Program for the senior civil servants, leading business executives and non profit organizations. The program was begun by the Government to bring cutting edge business practices into the senior civil service. After the first time working with Jim with rave reviews from the participants they made him a regular faculty member on the program. Jim continues to add value both for his clients and partners. Jim worked extensively with them expanding Celebrity Speaker's relationship with TMP to a point where we had four consultants working on the program. In the end it was a regular annual contract for us that came out of Jim's initiative. Jim is equally comfortable working with the most senior executives, civil servants and front line staff or middle managers.

Jim's session on the UK Government's Top Management Programme was one of the most highly rated and I continued to work with him for a few years. What was particularly noteworthy was the accessibility and relevance of his material. Jim's friendly, open style is critical in encouraging participants to take the material on board and shift their thinking.

I look at Jim as almost like everyone's uncle, that comes from the future, comes back and talks about what's going on in the future. And what you need to pay attention to, to get there and actually be relevant to study, still be here and participating on where the world's going with technology and in your business. So you haven't had a chance to see Jim, take a moment and join one of these conferences or get on his social media page. And you'll learn a lot about what's going on in the future to move your business forward. We talk a lot about with the people in our organization that, you know, historical success will be your greatest downfall. And if you're not paying attention to what's happening, and what's disrupting, you know, the future, you won't be around. And so I think every organization, every industry is going to be disrupted. And if you're not focusing on this yet, you should be because it's coming for you.

I would just like to give a huge shout out to Jim Harris. When I first heard him speak at a hydro utility conference, I was really impressed with the information that he provided to help us get ready for the unpredictable. Help us to be agile and help us to identify those things that we can see coming so that we're prepared. I then worked with our city staff to bring him in to talk to city managers, councillors and a range of staff. And they were just as impressed as I was. They rated his talk a 10 out of 10. And I know it inspired a lot of thinking about innovation and being agile in an ever-changing world. So I want to say a huge thank you to Jim for his contribution to our learnings here at the City of Burlington and I would highly recommend him as a speaker for others.

An absolutely stellar keynote address for us at our Havas' new global leadership meeting. Jim and I did a few prep sessions leading into it. We were all very excited. In the end, it turned out to be better than expected. We get wrapped up in our industry, in our vertical advertising, marketing, and then the industry that we serve, health and wellness. What Jim brought was a completely different vantage point of view of what's going on in the broader environment, help us understand how we need to be thinking differently about our business and how we need to be thinking about a whole different level, which really was very thought provoking for the audience, and everybody got involved in the discussion. It started the meeting with an absolutely amazing energy level. And I couldn't be more thankful and pleased. People started really speaking from the heart about 'this is what we need to be doing. This is how we need to be working differently.

Jim just blew the doors off my superb TEC 217 group

We've had a longstanding relationship with Jim Harris here at National Speakers Bureau notably in representing his Learning Paradox and Blindsided presentations with corporate and association clients. He's strategic and results-focused, with insightful business savvy customized to each group, and his approach to working with partners is 'win-win'.

Your presentation initiated a shift in strategic thinking within our plant management groups. Clearly, the elements of leadership which competitive industry ought to improve on or “beat ourselves” are key to building a shared vision of the future. The focus on value creation – for the company, employees and shareholders – highlights the need for leadership. Unquestionably our management teams enjoyed the enthusiasm of your presentation, as well as embracing the need to “change the way we do our business,” to seek that next level of competitive improvements. Our management team members genuinely felt that you’ve highlighted the first step on the path to improvement and shared commitment. Recognition of opportunities to lead through your insights has begged action on shared planning. We congratulate you on the learning you pass on in your presentation. Your ability to tune in your audience with “team thought provokers,” and your reference to industry examples of current leadership success stories energizes your presentation.

To gain or regain our employees’ loyalty we must grow their independence! This is the win-win corporate paradox. It is difficult for leaders to embrace, but embrace it we must. Read the learning Paradox

In my business, I have the opportunity to read or listening to a wide variety of top-notch speakers and authors. After reading your work . . . I can honestly say that you are one of the best I have ever had the pleasure to be introduced to . . . Your style is informative and topical yet presented in an easy-to-understand way. The paradigms you present have real world application to a broad base of organizations.

THANK YOU for a simply fantastic keynote presentation at our Annual Conference. Weeks after your presentation I am still hearing my colleagues referring to the talk you gave. I am delighted that your grand finale presentation wrapped up the event on such a positive note. Jim, the obvious extra efforts you put into preparing your keynote presentation for us are very much appreciated. Your investment of time and energy in talking and listening to the other two keynote speakers paid huge dividends in that your presentation linked our theme and the other major presentations together. Not only was your talk informative, and entertaining, it had added value because you took the time to learn about our organization, our values and the critical issues we are facing. You left our audience positively pumped and with a sense that they had participated in something very worthwhile.

Your excellent pre-conference researched helped mold your understanding of our group, and they were certainly impressed by your approachability and affability.

Congratulations on completely captivating your audience! Your session got an outstanding response! Thanks for a *superb* job. It was well noted that you took the time to get to know the crowd. They loved you, Jim, as I’m sure you could tell by the crush of attention following the session. You won this year’s ‘most fun speaker to work with’ vote.

While Jim Harris brings energy and enthusiasm to everything he does, he is downright passionate about corporate excellence and how to achieve it. He questions the sacred cows and challenges the status quo with wit and insight. He inspires people to ‘just try it’. We’ve had the pleasure of working with Jim and we recommend you do the same.

Your workshop was the most highly rated by our partners and managers

In an age of perpetual change, it’s no longer just the big who devour the small, but rather the quick who eat the slow. Your book really hits the mark. The ability to continuously learn and adapt will be the only sustainable competitive advantage.

You are an extremely charismatic presenter who totally involves your audience. You allow participants to internalize your points and understand completely through the use of meaningful real world anecdotes. We found the presentation comprehensive, in-depth and quite well paced. Thanks for your sensitive and dynamic approach to others’ learning and enrichment.

It is not often that we find a person that is knowledgeable in his subject area but is a dynamite speaker as well. Jim excelled in both categories. He had a tough crowd as well as having to speak on the morning of the last day of the symposium. Jim held the audience for three hours with seemingly no effort. Jim’s content was excellent. Our association has difficulty in finding speakers that can relate to our delegates’ finance and government sides but Jim tailored his presentation so that it would relate to their professional lives. He is very well read and draws upon countless sources of information for his presentation. I would highly recommend him.

What’s particularly noteworthy is that you went beyond the standard ‘shelf talk’ and were able to link your ideas to the interests and experiences of the audience. The overwhelming favorable reviews give me reason to invite you back.

Comments were consistently favorable – in fact your median rating for your workshops was 10/10. Participants appreciated your ability to elicit audience involvement, your presentation style and the practical nature of the material presented. Although we worked you hard all day, your energy and enthusiasm didn’t flag. Thank you for being such a pleasure to work with. You advised us all of your requirements in advance, you arrived early and you pleasantly accommodated any request we made of you.

You were rated the most effective presenter amongst a group of over 25 speakers. Congratulations! Your sessions were insightful, informative and inspirational.

The verdict is in. . . Jim Harris has been acclaimed as a resounding success by all of our respondents. In summary, Jim delivered for us, with gusto!!

As if the enthusiastic response of our audience wasn’t enough, the results of our post conference survey are conclusive: you were a major hit! In fact, the response of 2,000 delegates closely paralleled my own assessment: the content was on target, the presentation superlative. You are at the top of our list as a speaker for future events

Thank you for kicking off Connaught’s Executive Teambuilding workshop in such an inspiring way. You wove together up-to-date business case information, inspiring thoughts from significant past and present business leaders and your own personal thoughts on leadership in teamwork in such an entertaining and thought provoking manner.

The content was applicable to everyone’s professional and personal lives. Your immense popularity was indicative of the audience’s positive response to it, as were the results of our Symposium survey. We can unequivocally recommend Jim Harris as a speaker.

Every day the future keeps coming at us whether we like it or not. The Learning Paradox provides individuals and organizations with keys to unlocking the right attitude and the mechanism for developing the necessary skills to go out and meet the future with confidence.

The Learning Paradox because it communicates so very clearly the key issues we face and the solutions we need for survival. It’s priceless.

In The Learning Paradox, Harris offers a strikingly insightful and coherent organizational learning strategy for businesses in this rapidly changing world.

The Learning Paradox is a rich, in depth exploration of the major issues facing today’s organizations. But it’s more than that – it’s filled with stories and examples that evoke curiosity, laughter, and true learning. Long after I put the book down, I found myself thinking about many of the lessons Jim Harris describes so well.

I highly recommend you read The Learning Paradox – it had the same impact on me that Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock did in 1971.

I read The Learning Paradox years ago when I was the executive director of the College and University Personnel Association. I thought it was a great book that an enlightened leader would want to give to all of his or her staff.

We were thrilled to have Jim on our mobile marketing and social media panel - the combination of his astute insights, overwhelming knowledge of business practices and real-world examples proved to be of tremendous value to marketing professionals. He stays well ahead of the curve and I would recommend him as a valuable resource for any company plotting their media strategy.

Jim can leverage his knowledge and contacts within the environmental community both in Canada and worldwide. He successfully helped me shape a business value message that was specifically relevant to organizations in Financial Services. Not only has Jim written a white paper, which called out 3 key priorities for FS organizations, to reduce costs, be compliant and generate revenue if possible but he also supported that white paper by appearing in a video on regulatory implications on FS organizations as part of the IBM sponsored ECOTECH web site.

"We feel honoured to have Jim as one of our most consistent and innovative writers that we have had at Backbone magazine. He constantly comes up with forward thinking and intriguing stories for our readers. His books have also been a great source of business inspiration and forecasts. I always look forward to his latest column and our brain storming meetings. Not only are his insights enlightening for our readers but I find them valuable within my own business as an owner and publisher."

Jim is a confident and thought provoking keynote speaker with a clear message -- change or get blindsided! Jim's engaging delivery provides research, statistics and great visuals to drive this home in an entertaining way. Most importantly, Jim is committed to understanding the client's needs and conducts extensive research and interviews to ensure the message he delivers is completely tailored to the event objectives. Jim customization to our needs made all the difference in the world!

I've worked with Jim for over 15 years, and all those years I've never known a better idea popper than Jim. His mind never stops searching or working, and he's always coming up with dazzling, profitable and hopeful proposals that can make things work better for his friends and clients.

Jim was one of our key note speakers at People Planet Profit - Leadership Prioritized seminar. He inspired and informed with humor, wisdom, practical tools, and a deep authenticity. Wow! Audience members are still talking about his presentation and how they can take action themselves. In follow up I was told by one of the seminar attendees that they were listening to Jim's audio book "Blindsided" (which he bought at the seminar) and drove 20 km past his destination as he was so enthralled in the book. If you are looking for a key note speaker or seminar leader be sure to talk to Jim. It was one of the best things we have done.

Jim's session was one of the most highly rated and I am certain that we will work with him in the future. What was particularly noteworthy was the accessibility and relevance of his material. Jim's friendly, open style is critical in encouraging participants to take the material on board and shift their thinking.

"In the fast-paced global business environment, the possibility of being blindsided by a competitor or new market entrant is very real, even for businesses that appear most secure. Jim Harris offers real-life examples that will cause the reader to stop, think and question whether he or she is doing everything in his or her power to avoid being blindsided. A must-read for all senior executives:

"In The Learning Paradox, Harris offers a strikingly insightful and coherent organizational learning strategy for businesses in this rapidly changing world"