Lisa Bodell

We’re no longer managing change at work – we’re coping with chaos. There’s too much – of everything. With people overwhelmed by complexity and the path forward anything but clear, the answer is to not try and control chaos, the solution is to embrace simple. In this presentation, Lisa Bodell shows organizations why simplicity is no longer a “nice to have” – it’s the strategy to eliminate noise, regain focus, and unleash the capacity to create the future.

Lisa’s passion for simplicity is personal. Raised in a home filled with instability and unpredictability, she learned early how to survive chaos. That skill propelled her corporate success – but it also led to burnout. It wasn’t until she realized she didn’t need to manage chaos – she needed to eliminate it – that everything changed.

Backed by more than 25 years of global experience and compelling case studies from organizations like Netflix, AT&T, and Pfizer, Lisa shares the practical tools and mindset shifts that help organizations simplify how work gets done – without sacrificing results. Through humor, interactive polling technology, and unforgettable storytelling, Lisa challenges leaders to stop reacting to the chaos around them and get clear about shaping the work– and culture – they truly want.

Audience Takeaways:

• Clear methods to prioritize simplicity and create clarity during chaotic times
• Practical tools like “Kill a Stupid Rule” help people focus on what matters most
• Real-world examples of how simplification drives more speed and innovation
• A call to action: stop fixing people to do more work – start fixing work to better fit people
• Lisa’s personal story inspires new ways to work with less stress and more engagement

We’re in a moment where the leadership playbook isn’t outdated – it’s unusable.

Organizations have built systems so complex and contradictory that even the best leaders are burning out. We hire people to be bold, then drown them in process. We demand fast decisions but require consensus. We celebrate courage –only when it’s comfortable. This isn’t leadership; it’s performance art.

Today’s leaders aren’t failing from change, but from nonsense: culture theater, conflicting expectations, and endless handholding disguised as empathy. They’re asked to be strategic visionaries, human-centered motivators, financial stewards, and execution machines – without making anyone uncomfortable.

In this presentation, Lisa Bodell delivers new rules for a full-system leadership reboot – where leaders cut through complexity, simplify what’s broken, and reclaim the authority to lead. The era of performative leadership is over. The future belongs to the bold – those willing to speak hard truths and make real decisions.

It’s time to burn down the models that no longer work – and finally let leaders lead.

Audience Takeaways:

• Inspires leaders to lead with clarity, boldness, and simplicity
• Understand why leadership feels impossible – and how to fix it
• Real-world stories of leaders who simplified, clarified, and took back control
• How clarity, focus, and boundaries lead to higher performance and engagement
• Practical shifts that drive productivity gains and execution speed
• Tactical tools to cut through noise and lead with focus
• The permission to stop performing and start actually leading