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John Foley

Speaker

Boise, Idaho, USA

Keynote Speaker, Blue Angel Lead Solo Pilot, Stanford Fellow, Bestselling Author and ‘Gratitude Guru’

Need some Top Gun style inspiration and motivation? John Foley flew in the original Top Gun movie and is now a leadership keynote speaker who inspires audiences with his energy and his commitment to serving others, while also providing a unique leadership framework that makes trust, teamwork and high performance possible for anyone in any organization. His exciting, rare journey inspires awe, triggering keynote audiences to take action and rethink what they believe is possible.  He’ll make you feel ‘Glad to be Here!’

Keynote Speeches

High Performance

High Performance is a mindset, a process and a state of being that accelerates everyday achievement. Individuals and teams that embrace High Performance begin a journey toward excellence and elevated execution that has the power to carry them beyond their dreams. John Foley will take your team to the next level with this unique, high-voltage Keynote experience that will go beyond all expectations and leave a lasting drive for reaching high performance at all levels.

 

Leadership

Teams become elite because of leadership, a commitment to excellence and a proven process. As companies transform their DNA and pivot their business to compete in the new digital paradigm, the ability to develop transformational leadership and enable workforce evolution is a critical competitive advantage. The potential of elite performance lives within every individual, every team and every organization. It takes intentional leadership to enable that potential and turn it into focused action.

 

Teamwork

John challenges today’s leaders to inspire collaboration and elevate trust among teams. Teamwork is the collective potential of individuals harnessed to create an exponential outcome of a unit. Effective teamwork requires many variables including trust, communication, a belief in a purpose greater than self, and a common goal. A CenterPoint is a single reference point or a shared goal that holds the collective focus of a team. The concept of CenterPoint can be used to create unified, powerful action in any organization. A well and clearly communicated CenterPoint helps individuals maintain a vision of goals and objectives. For teams, an effective CenterPoint keeps actions focused on priorities while inspiring collaboration, which leads to faster outcomes, innovation and elevated trust. Identifying and aligning your teams on a CenterPoint keeps action directed toward desired outcomes while still allowing teams to be adaptable.

Trust

How would your teams perform if there was complete inherent trust in each other and the organization? Implicit contracts are all around us. They bind our world together, and they are part of the natural fabric of any business. Research shows that vocalizing contracts, and establishing them in a formal agreement can lead to increased productivity because both employees and managers recognize the risk inherent in breaking trust contracts. Acknowledging and improving these agreements can have substantial positive effects. Because contracts permeate the entire organization, turning your attention to them has the ability to elevate both trust in individuals and teams. Contracts present an opportunity to build trust. Trust is well known as a necessary component—if not the most important variable—of successful teams.

Audience reviews:

  • Never before in the history of our event has anyone ignited the audience the way John did. Learning from John how gratitude, trust and the pursuit of perfection help the best of the best become even better was a truly powerful experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

    - Head of Consulting, C2 Management
  • John combined captivating stories about the Blue Angels with his leadership and business savvy, delivering a first-class performance that both educated and enlightened. Truly inspiring and first class!

    - CEO, Tiger Paw Software
  • John has a way of connecting with the audience that's meaningful and his message resonates! He's inspiring, humble and connects with all participants on many different levels. John's framework will help any company or team achieve even greater results without question.

    - Chief Sales & Marketing Officers, Wyndham Vacation Ownership
  • John is the single best speaker I have ever heard in person. He delivers a dynamic and compelling keynote and masterfully converts the principles of the Blues that translate to your business.

    - Co-Founder, Global Sports Summit
  • John lit up the crowd. Energetic, funny, and inspiring…..but more important than that- relevant. This is a content driven speech. Lots of “Thunder & Lightning.

    - President, Beeline

Speaker Biography

What if the legendary Blue Angels Culture of Excellence could be replicated and scaled?

Since 2015, John Foley has been recognized as one of the top 10 most in demand speakers. John has spoken to some of the highest performing organizations in the world such as, Google, Microsoft, Intel, Cisco, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Goodyear, Chevron, Lowe’s, Marriott, Hilton, NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NCAA, Penske Racing, Sprint, Motorola, Merrill Lynch, Mass Mutual, AMC Theatre, Norton Lifelock, Capital Group, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, GE, American Hospital Association, Mayo, Merck, Palo Alto Networks, Sunovion, Gillette, McDonalds, Stanford Business School, Global Sports Summit, and numerous CEO Summits to name a few.

He is the former lead solo pilot of the Blue Angels, Bestselling Author of Fearless Success, an expert in the How of High Performance teams and ‘The Guru of Gratitude.’ As a Blue Angel, John consistently performed in an extreme, high-stakes environment, flying at speeds of more than 500 miles per hour in formations as close as 18 inches apart. To survive in those circumstances he relied on a culture of high trust, leadership and teamwork. John employs the intense realities of his aviation career as a metaphor to inspire – breath life into – teams to reach for their highest potential and sustain excellence under dynamic change. John’s presentations are highlighted by:

  • An energizing delivery that inspires High Performance with a grateful mindset.
  • Awe inspiring storytelling and electrifying video of the legendary Blue Angels in action.
  • A contagious attitude of gratitude that he calls Glad To Be Here®.
  • A unique approach that equips others to take the same journey toward excellence, teamwork and transformation.

In 2011 John founded the Glad To Be Here Foundation. John donates 10% of his speaking fees to charities through the foundation. The program has donated over $2 million to 380+ charities and impacted thousands of lives globally including sponsoring 47 children in 47 countries. It’s part of his mission to connect a shared ‘purpose larger than self’ with every organization.