Leadership
The Read™
Why Good Leaders Solve the Wrong Problem
- People Manager Development
- Creating Psychological Safety
- Understanding Team Dynamics
- Improving Decision Quality
- Diagnosing the Room
- Using Coaching & Feedback
- Making Intentional Moves
Speaker resources & event support
Bios, program overviews, stage introductions, testimonials, and production requirements for your event.
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High-resolution photos
Keynote program selection guide
All programs can be delivered in keynote, workshop, or executive session formats.
Resilience & Growth
The Goldline Effect™
How to Explore Without Losing Yourself
- Personal Growth & Development
- Finding Your Center
- Sustainable High Performance
- Life Balance & Wellbeing
- Confident Decision Making
- Exploration & Discovery
- Resilience & Adaptability
Innovation & Change
The Cave™
How to Move Forward Without the Full Picture
- Leading Through Uncertainty
- Innovation & Exploration
- Strategic Decision Making
- Smart Risk-Taking
- Leading Change
- Experimentation & Learning
- Shared Responsibility
Teamwork
The Unified Team™
How Teams Stay Aligned When the Pressure Rises
- Team Resilience
- Shared Awareness & Decision-Making
- Leadership Under Complexity
- Trust Under Pressure
- Protocol-Driven Performance
- High-Stakes Teamwork
- Operational Clarity
Approved bios
Short bio
Jeremiah Gardner helps people catch a misread before it becomes a mistake. A former Chief Innovation Officer, technical cave diver, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Lean Brand, he has advised organizations including Nike, Disney, GE, and Roche. His keynotes give audiences three questions to ask before they act: What do I see? What is driving it? What does this moment need? His next book, The Read (2027), introduces Diagnostic Leadership. He has delivered more than 100 keynotes in over 20 countries.
Long bio
Jeremiah Gardner helps people catch a misread before it becomes a mistake. A former Chief Innovation Officer, technical cave diver, and author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Lean Brand, he gives audiences a practical way to see what’s actually happening before they act.
We act on our read of a situation. Most of the time, it’s right. When it isn’t, we usually find out late. The plan was built on the wrong assumption. The team spent months on the wrong problem. Everyone left the meeting having heard something different.
Most leadership development focuses on what to do next: coaching, feedback, resolving conflict. Gardner focuses on the step that comes first. Get the read wrong, and even a skilled response solves the wrong problem.
He came to this work from two directions. Over two decades of leading innovation and advising organizations including Nike, Disney, GE, Roche, and ING, he watched capable leaders commit to confident diagnoses that turned out to be wrong. As a technical cave diver and instructor, he works where a wrong read can cost you the way out, and where divers train to catch one before they act on it.
His keynotes give everyone in the room the same three questions: What do I see? What is driving it? What does this moment need? Audiences leave with a shared practice they can use with their own teams the next day.
His next book, The Read (February 2027), introduces Diagnostic Leadership. He is co-founder of DeadReckon, which helps leaders and teams put it into practice, and has delivered more than 100 keynotes in over 20 countries.
Stage introductions
Short intro (30 seconds)
Think about the last time you were sure you understood what was going on, and you were wrong.
Our next speaker studies that moment. He’s advised organizations like Nike, Disney, and GE, and he’s the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Lean Brand and the forthcoming The Read. He’s also a technical cave diver. In a cave, a wrong read can cost you the way out.
Please welcome JEREMIAH GARDNER.
Long intro (60 seconds)
Think about the last time you were sure you understood what was going on, and you were wrong.
You acted on your read, and the read was off.
Our next speaker has spent two decades studying that moment, in the C-suite advising organizations like Nike, Disney, GE, and Roche, and underwater as a technical cave diver, where a wrong read can cost you the way out.
His argument is simple, and a little uncomfortable: Your team may not be broken. Your read may be.
He’s the author of the Wall Street Journal bestseller The Lean Brand and the forthcoming The Read.
Please welcome JEREMIAH GARDNER.
AV rider
Computer and video
Jeremiah provides his own current Apple MacBook with four Thunderbolt 3 ports. Presentations use a 16:9 display ratio at 3840 × 2160.
Slide advancer
Provide a DSAN Perfect Cue system or equivalent for Jeremiah’s direct slide control, connected to his laptop via USB-C.
Audio
An audio connection is required. Standard 3.5mm analog audio, USB-C, or HDMI can be used.
Computer location
The computer can remain with the AV crew; it does not need to be on stage.
Microphone
A wireless lavalier or countryman microphone connected to a professional audio system is required.
Confidence monitor
At least one confidence monitor is strongly preferred, if possible.
Soundcheck
An AV check is required no fewer than 30 minutes before taking the stage.
Internet
No internet access is needed for the presentation. Videos, audio, and content are embedded on Jeremiah’s laptop.
Stage setup
No podium is preferred. If one must be present, push it back so Jeremiah can walk in front of it unencumbered.
Water
Have a bottle of water available on stage.
What sets Jeremiah apart is his ability to connect with people on a deep level. His keynote led our team to insights and solutions we hadn’t considered before.
Let’s explore if we’re a fit
Reach Jeremiah’s team at booking@jeremiahgardner.com.
Field Notes
A clearer way to see what’s next.
Practical notes on leadership, decision-making, and navigating uncertainty. Start with a fresh perspective for your next hard decision. Read a sample.