Erin Hatzikostas

Authenticity as a business strategy in the age of AI

We're entering a new era, one where how you do things matters more than what you do. AI is leveling the innovation playing field while making companies feel less human, and employees are burnt out from workplace BS. Turnaround CEO Erin Hatzikostas cracked the code on how to grow a business while also making employees happier, and her strategy was authenticity.

Authenticity isn't the fluffy “be yourself” definition that lights you up and then lets you down; it's about exposing who you are, when people least expect it, in the service of others. Through stories, surprising data, and real-world examples drawn from her time as a CEO, her best-selling books, and original research, Erin shows how authenticity becomes your secret weapon for building a business and a culture people are proud to work for.

Audience takeaways

• Feel more enabled to be authentic at work, which makes people happier and more engaged
• Understand the proprietary research on authenticity's impact, including counterintuitive findings
• Use humility and storytelling to create greater trust and connection with peers and customers
• Apply her framework for change, the Six Principles of Strategic Authenticity (H.U.M.A.N.S.)

A deliberate, bottom-line approach to culture

You love the idea that culture eats strategy for breakfast, but actually doing something about it can feel like steering a cruise ship with a pool noodle. When Erin Hatzikostas took over a struggling company, she felt the same, until she leaned into a deliberate, strategic, bottom-line-boosting approach to authenticity that transformed her company's culture, skyrocketed trust, and tripled earnings. After years of research, two best-selling books, and a lot of real-world testing, Erin has cracked the code on making authentic cultures and leaders as simple, tangible, and satisfying as floating on a pool noodle. This is not another buzzword-filled culture talk; it's a game plan.

Audience takeaways

• Unpack the real baggage holding you and your people back at work
• Redefine authenticity as something you do for others, not - Understand the data and ROI behind being more authentic at work
• See real, customized examples of the difference between inauthentic and authentic
• Get a simple framework with immediate, no-BS actions to build a culture people want to be part of

You love the idea that “culture eats strategy for breakfast,” but when it comes to actually doing something about it, it feels like you’re trying to steer a cruise ship with a pool noodle. There are a million directions you could go, but it feels daunting, complicated, and overwhelming.

When former CEO Erin Hatzikostas took over a struggling company, she felt the same way—until she stumbled upon the strategy she’d unknowingly been using her entire career: authenticity. And not the fluffy, feel-good kind, but a deliberate, strategic, bottom-line-boosting approach that transformed her company’s culture, skyrocketed trust, and tripled earnings.

Now, after years of research, two best-selling books, and a whole lot of real-world testing, Erin has cracked the code on how to make creating authentic cultures and leaders as simple, tangible, and satisfying as floating on a pool noodle.

In this high energy talk, Erin will help you:

• Unpack the real baggage holding you and your people back at work
• Redefine authenticity in a way that helps you see that you’re not doing it for you; you’re doing it for others
• Understand the data and ROI (Ridiculously Obvious Idea) behind being more authentic at work
• See real, customized examples of the difference between what is inauthentic and authentic, including things like your LinkedIn profile or your company’s value proposition
• Hand you a simple framework with immediate, no-BS actions to build a culture people actually want to be part of

This isn’t another feel-good, buzzword-filled culture talk. This is a game plan. One that will transform your sea of confusion into an ocean of opportunities.

A simple formula to go from unnoticed to unmatched

In today's entrepreneurial world, it often feels like people are firing confetti cannons of advice at your face: a million gurus, playbooks, and books telling you how to grow. It should be exhilarating, but instead it's overwhelming. That's how Erin Hatzikostas felt when she started her business, until she discovered the creative shortcut that has helped her and countless others go from unnoticed to unmatched, without comparison cramps, copying calluses, or perfection pain.

Audience takeaways

• Define The 50% Rule and how it overcomes everyday barriers to success
• Understand the science behind why the rule motivates you and others
• See how it helps you innovate quickly and cheaply, and stand out
• Hear inspiring stories of celebrities, companies, and everyday people who used it
• Work through The 50% Rule JIGSAW Puzzle, a six-part framework

A turnaround CEO's unorthodox playbook for big-time business growth

When business-growth pressure heats up, most leaders default to fancy strategies, mile-long project plans, or hard-nosed demands to do more with less. But what if that crusty old playbook for change is not only exhausting, but also less effective? In this keynote, former CEO Erin Hatzikostas helps leaders reframe how they lead big change. Through personal stories, she walks through the authentic, highly effective moves she made to turn around a struggling company, growing bottom-line earnings from $17M to $50M in just three years, without grit-and-grind leadership, fancy PowerPoints, or burning people out. From a gutsy financial decision that created breathing room, to declaring culture the company's number-one differentiator, to holding uncomfortable but essential meetings, she pulls back the curtain on what actually works when the stakes are high.

Who it's for

• Leaders and executives driving a turnaround or big change
• Teams under pressure to grow the bottom line
• Cultures that want results without grind-and-burnout leadership

Audience takeaways

• Increase efficiency by finding money to fund change, without simply slashing budgets
• Build a more collaborative, productive team through fewer, better, slightly uncomfortable meetings that move change forward
• Improve culture by treating it as a core business initiative, not a side project
• Make smarter, braver calls on who is on the bus and who isn't
• Influence and win buy-in from key decision-makers, including The First 45, a proven strategy to get to more yeses