Matt Havens

How to Lead in the Modern World of Work

It is no secret that we are busier, more stressed, and often paralyzed in our ability to make decisions quickly. The result is a workplace struggling with inaction, fatigue, burnout, and some of the highest levels of mental health concerns we’ve ever seen. With no course correction, these concerns are only going to get worse. While the reaction some leaders have is to over-engineer the solutions and pile on more, the truth is the best leaders understand their role is to harness the power of simplicity to reduce the noise and create space where ideas and true priorities thrive.

In this transformational keynote, Matt Havens shares research-backed ideas and practical, real-life solutions from his time in Fortune 50 boardrooms, leading teams, and speaking on hundreds of stages globally for companies like CISCO, State Farm, and RE/MAX.

Attendees will learn how to decode complexity both in and outside the workplace by adopting and implementing Matt’s Simplicity framework. Filled with realistic and actionable steps leaders can take to build more presence, more capacity, and more engagement in their teams, this framework is exactly what leaders don’t yet know they’re looking for to lead in the new world of work. Audience members will walk away with a better understanding of what’s holding their teams back from their true potential and will be positioned to build a culture full of purpose, productivity and accountability. Leadership has never been simple, but simplicity is clear and intentional and exactly what teams need to be their best in the future of work.

What audiences come away with:

• Clarity and understanding of what drives human behavior and how we harness the best qualities in our teams.
• A framework of how to approach every challenge with simplicity and reduce complexity.
• Tactics for moving from analysis paralysis to action.
• Real and applicable steps to build a thriving culture in the workplace.

How to Attract and Retain Talent of All Ages

We’re being told for the first time in history, there are five separate and distinct generations in the workforce, all with different traits, characteristics, and needs. In a world busier and more polarized than ever, it’s not a surprise leaders and organizations are struggling to communicate, collaborate, and reinvent across the generational divide. The traditional solutions complicate the issue by leading us to believe a new group of people is born every 10 years with new motivations and new ways of working. The answer of creating more differentiation has been the wrong answer for decades and the time to stop is now.

In this engaging, entertaining, and actionable presentation, Matt Havens will bring decades of experience helping organizations navigate generational differences to audiences looking to finally understand how to truly engage each other and how to simplify (not complicate) the solutions.

Attendees will learn how to understand, recognize, and resolve their generational issues by harnessing the power of Simplicity. While most presentations focus on what people want, Matt shares the important distinction of why we approach work in new ways and how leaders can show up for their teams regardless of their ages. Attendees will learn from our experience in music, fashion, technology, industry – all the while utilizing research-backed methodologies for making sense of our unique human experiences. In the end, audiences will walk away with an immediate blueprint for action. Simplicity will create the space where relationships can blossom, communication can flourish, and ideas and people can thrive together.

What audiences come away with:

• Tools for replacing the complicated five-generation model with a workable dichotomy between older, more experienced workers and their younger, less-experienced counterparts.
• An understanding of the key cultural, technological, and social changes that have conspired to create a disconnect between team members from these two groups.
• Practical strategies for reducing complexity and maximizing action capital.
• Methods for navigating and thriving in change across age-diverse groups.
• Tactics for hiring and retaining the best talent, regardless of their age.

How to Drive Personal, Professional and Organization Growth the Human Way™

Running a business, leading teams, or simply working within one can often feel like a never-ending barrage of problems. That’s in part because today’s conventional wisdom usually focuses on what separates us. Management vs. Employees. Me vs. You. It’s no wonder employers are struggling to build a culture of purpose-driven engagement and employees report the highest levels of burnout in history. What we need is a new way to unlock our collective potential in work.

Designed for all audiences, this inspiring and impactful keynote will help focus audiences not on the differences that so many of us seem fixated on, but on the profound similarities we all share as people. We need to understand, honor, and harness the qualities that make us human if we want to outperform the competition in creating memorable customer experiences and true workforce engagement.

Blending research-backed insights with real-life practical applications, Matt helps audiences dive deep into how we can approach work together. Audiences will leave with a renewed appreciation for the value of human connection, how to foster it more intentionally in their lives, and why it’s more important than ever to change the conversation from being about Us vs. Them to WE.

What audiences come away with:

• Understand and embrace the collective human experience and how it impacts not only our behavior, but the behavior of employees and customers.
• How to implement a people-first approach to leadership that will drive engagement and resolve the seemingly endless “work/life balance” debate.
• How to create an environment where people can be their best version of themselves.
• How to create a place where fear and failure are not only acceptable, but celebrated as opportunities for true growth.
• How to balance short-term needs against long-term goals in a way that reduces personal stress and improves strategic decision-making.

How to Navigate Change and Turn Chaos into Clarity

In today’s rapidly evolving marketplace, leaders aren’t challenged by a lack of effort—they’re challenged by the constant disruption that defines our world. With shifting market dynamics, emerging technologies, AI, and the unpredictable pace of change, today’s leaders are navigating uncharted territory. The key isn’t to resist disruption but to own it—leveraging change as a catalyst for strategic growth rather than a setback. Yet, with urgency often overwhelming importance, leaders can struggle to make decisions that align with long-term goals.

In this high-energy, insight-packed keynote, business leadership expert Matt Havens introduces audiences to The Priority Principle™—a forward-thinking framework designed to help leaders reclaim clarity amid disruption, refocus their leadership, and make impactful decisions at critical moments. Drawing from years of experience working with industry leaders and Fortune 25 companies, Matt delivers practical, no-fluff strategies you can count on being as entertaining as they are effective.

Attendees will leave equipped with the mindset and tools to see disruption not as a challenge to overcome, but as an opportunity to shape the future. They’ll gain actionable insights on how to align their teams, embrace innovation, and take proactive steps to lead through uncertainty—ensuring that they remain agile, adaptable, and resilient in a world where change is the only constant.

What audiences come away with:

• A framework for simplifying decision-making and calming the constant disruption facing teams and organizations today.
• Clarity and a strategic focus on the priorities which will drive growth and deliver outsized results.
• Confidence to “do less, better” and proven strategies from business and life which outperform “more, more and more.”
• A renewed mindset to lead through disruption, calm the chaos, and inspire people during uncertain times.