Speaker

Audiences don't need to be told that empathy matters. They need to be shown how to make it a part of their everyday lives.

I work with leaders responsible for culture, identity, and results. My work sits at the intersection of leadership development, organizational design, and brand strategy, offering guidance at moments of consequence.

The Talks

Constellation Thinking

Why the North Star is the wrong metaphor

Organizations are told to find their North Star and follow it. But a single fixed point flattens everything else into noise. The leaders navigating growth well are reading a whole constellation: many points, in relationship, shifting.

Participants learn: Ways to see competing priorities as an evolving system, methods for holding direction amidst change, language for aligning ambition with purpose, and momentum without false certainty.

Based on Constellation Thinking (Authors Equity, 2027)

The Braided Business

Creating cohesion amidst complexity

Volatility, rapid change, and heightened scrutiny are the operating conditions of today's leaders, not the exception. Cohesion under those conditions takes real effort, but when done correctly it becomes a strategic advantage.

Participants learn: Ways to navigate polarized conversations with rigor, approaches to integrating teams with emerging tech, and methods for building trust while accelerating execution.

Applied Empathy

Empathy is a discipline not a disposition

Empathy gets treated as a personality trait, something you either have or don't. It isn't. It's a practice with a structure, and it can be taught, measured, and deployed against the hardest problems an organization encounters.

Participants learn: Methods to reduce friction without lowering standards, archetypes that dimensionalize the practice of empathy, perspectives on self-development through understanding, and practices that scale from individuals to teams

Based on Applied Empathy (Simon & Schuster, 2018)

These programs are designed to be delivered in a variety of ways. From keynotes and workshops to full-day trainings and ongoing programs, the goal is to give people the knowledge and tools they need.

Keynote. 
Half-day and full-day workshops. 
Executive offsite facilitation. 
Fireside and moderated conversation. 
Multi-session immersions for teams.

Michael has spoken at Adobe's 99U, BrandWeek, SXSW, The TED Conference, and corporate events around the world, and has taught at Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, the Esalen Institute, and the United States Military Academy at West Point.

His work has been featured in Ad Age, Adweek, BrandWeek, Business Insider, Fast Company, Forbes, GQ, PBS NewsHour, The New York Times, and WIRED.

"Over and over the resounding feedback was, the keynote was amazing. Many folks reached out for the link to hold watch parties later and share with clients. He was by far the best keynote I've ever worked with."

— Learning & Development Team Leader, Fortune 500 Management Consultancy
“Meaningful change happens when people come together with open arms, minds and hearts. Honed through his experience working with a range of companies, Michael Ventura provides great insights and tools for how you too can make meaningful change happen.”

— Beth Comstock, Former Vice Chair of General Electric and Author of Imagine it Forward
"Michael Ventura was the first call for help I placed after joining the ACLU. He has an ability to help me think big with care and compassion. And he can also hone in on details and practices that ensure successful implementation of those big plans. He has been a great co-creator and coach for me and my team."

— Rebecca Lowell Edwards, Chief Communications Officer, ACLU
"Empathy has been the most underrated characteristic of the biggest winners in society. Michael has a depth and an execution with this skill that I admire tremendously."

— Gary Vaynerchuk, Entrepreneur and New York Times Bestselling Author