For leadership offsites
A keynote speaker for leadership offsites and executive retreats
Jeremiah Gardner speaks at leadership offsites, executive retreats, and senior leadership meetings. His work helps leadership teams see what's really happening in their organization before they decide what to do about it. Two programs are built for this room. The Read™ is about diagnosing the real problem. The Unified Team™ is about staying aligned under pressure. Both can open the offsite as a keynote or run as an executive session on your team's actual situations.
What an offsite needs from a speaker
Most offsites are built to decide something. Strategy for next year. A reorganization. Why last year's priorities stalled.
The risk isn't a lack of ideas. It's that a leadership team agrees quickly on a diagnosis that isn't quite right, then spends two days solving it well. The quiet nods in the room look like alignment. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they're the sound of people who've stopped raising concerns.
A good offsite speaker doesn't just energize the room. They change how the team looks at its own problems, so the rest of the agenda works better.
Programs that fit
The Read™: Why Good Leaders Solve the Wrong Problem. Best as the opening session. It gives your leaders three questions they can bring into every session that follows: What do I see? What is driving it? What does this moment need?
The Unified Team™: How Teams Stay Aligned When the Pressure Rises. Best when the team is about to execute something hard together. It covers the protocols elite dive teams use, including pre-briefs, confirmed decisions, and shared awareness, and shows how a leadership team can apply them to its own commitments.
The Cave™: How to Move Forward Without the Full Picture. Best when the offsite is about a big bet, such as a new market, a transformation, or a strategy built on things nobody can know yet.
How it fits your agenda
- Opening keynote (45–75 minutes). Sets a shared language for the rest of the offsite.
- Executive session (half day to full day, up to 12 leaders). Jeremiah works with your leadership team on a real situation it's facing, using the program's framework.
- Keynote plus workshop. A morning keynote followed by a working session the same day.
Before the event, Jeremiah's team meets with you to understand the agenda, the decisions on the table, and what you want leaders to leave with. The session is tailored to that.
Why leadership teams book Jeremiah
Jeremiah has led innovation from the C-suite and spent two decades advising organizations including Roche, ING, Nike, and GE through transformation. He has delivered more than 100 keynotes in over 20 countries. He's also a technical cave diver and dive instructor, which gives his frameworks stories that leaders remember long after the offsite ends.
"Jeremiah has a way of shifting your perspective. By helping us see through our customers' eyes, he guided us through a process that was both enlightening and incredibly valuable."
Formats and logistics
Keynote. 45–75 minutes. Works for audiences from 50 to 2,000+.
Workshop. Half day (3–4 hours) or full day (6–8 hours) for 20–100 participants. Participants work through the frameworks with worksheets they keep.
Executive session. A half-day to full-day working session for a leadership team of up to 12, built around the team's real situations rather than general examples.
Breakout. 30–45 minutes for conference tracks and parallel sessions.
Virtual. Every program can be delivered live on Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or your platform, with interactive elements built in.
Tailoring. Each program is tailored to your audience, industry, and event theme. Before the event, Jeremiah's team meets with you to align on goals and key messages.
Booking window. Ideally two to three months ahead. Peak conference season fills early. Planning on short notice? Send a short-notice inquiry.
Production. Jeremiah brings his own laptop with all video and audio embedded, so no internet connection is needed. He needs a wireless lavalier or countryman mic and an AV check at least 30 minutes before the session. Full AV rider.
Books for attendees. Bulk event copies of The Read are available.
Travel. Based in San Diego, California. Keynotes, workshops, and executive sessions worldwide.
Frequently asked questions
- Which program is best for a leadership offsite?
For most offsites, The Read. It works well as an opener because it improves how leaders diagnose problems for the rest of the agenda. If the offsite is mainly about executing a plan together, choose The Unified Team. If it's about a major bet under uncertainty, choose The Cave.
- Can Jeremiah facilitate a working session, not just give a keynote?
Yes. Every program can run as an executive session built around your team's real situations.
- How many people is an executive session designed for?
Up to 12. Executive sessions run from a half day to a full day, with a group small enough that every leader contributes.
- Will Jeremiah sign our NDA?
Yes. Jeremiah and his team sign standard NDAs and comply with their terms. What you share during preparation stays confidential, and the session is tailored to your goals through a prep conversation before the event.
- Can Jeremiah join a retreat outside the US?
Yes. He has delivered keynotes in more than 20 countries and works worldwide.
Let's talk about your offsite
Share your agenda and what you want your leaders to leave with.
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.