Michael J. Gelb

Michael J. Gelb's Key Accomplishments Include . . .
Michael Gelb is the author of the international best-seller How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci: Seven Steps to Genius Every Day and Innovate Like Edison: The Success System of America's Greatest Inventor co-authored with Sarah Miller Caldicott, the great grand niece of Thomas Edison. Michael Gelb is also the winner (along with Senator John Glenn) of the Brain Trust "Brain of the Year" Award for 1999. Previous winners include Gene Rodenberry, Stephen Hawking and Garry Kasparov.

More About Michael Gelb . . .
Michael Gelb is the world's leading authority on the application of genius thinking to personal and organizational development. In his captivating keynotes, Michael Gelb, an internationally renowned author, speaker and consultant, expounds on the principles and practices described in his best-selling books to help you solve your most important business challenges. Michael Gelb teaches you to be more creative, cultivate a more innovative culture, manage change intelligently and craft your vision, mission, values and strategy...and make them real.

A professional speaker since 1978, Michael Gelb's unique, creative approach makes his keynote presentations the highlight of every conference or event he attends. His custom workshops and seminars, organizational development and consulting projects, and team-building activities help organizations around the world, including British Petroleum, DuPont, IBM, Nike, Microsoft, and The Young Presidents Organization, achieve their key objectives.

One of the world's foremost authorities on Creative Thinking and Accelerated Learning, Michael Gelb is also a 4th Degree Black Belt in Aikido. An expert juggler, who performed with the Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan, Michael Gelb introduced the idea of teaching juggling as a means to promote accelerated learning and team-building.

• How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci
  

  Audience: Leaders, managers, professionals, people working in teams (special adaptations for trainers, engineers, financial services, marketers and salespeople) Competencies: Creativity, accelerated-learning, leadership Program formats: Keynote speech, half-day to two-day workshop Thinking creatively, learning faster and leading change, these abilities are at a premium in a highly competitive global business environment. What if you could call on history's greatest genius, Leonardo da Vinci, to be your personal mentor in cultivating these highly prized elements of human capital? Anatomist, architect, botanist, city planner, chef, humorist, engineer, equestrian, inventor, geographer, geologist, military scientist, musician, painter, philosopher and raconteur, Leonardo da Vinci (1452 - 1519) helped bring the Western world out of the Middle Ages and into the Renaissance. Now, as we move from the Bureaucratic/Industrial Age into the Information/Imagination Age, his approach to optimizing human potential is more relevant than ever. The da Vinci principles are: Curiosita' - An insatiable quest for knowledge and continuous improvement Dimostrazione - Learning from experience Sensazione - Sharpening the senses Sfumato - Managing ambiguity and change Arte/Scienza - Whole-brain thinking Corporalita' - Body-mind fitness Connessione - Systems thinking. This dynamic, highly-interactive program brings da Vinci's genius to life through fascinating biographical and historical information, setting the stage for an introduction to seven principles for thinking "a la Leonardo." Participants are then guided to apply the principles, through a proven series of practical exercises, to your organization's greatest challenges. Participants will learn how to: Cultivate creativity every day Balance analysis with imagination Sustain continuous learning Embrace ambiguity and uncertainty Apply "systems thinking" to problem solving Nurture creativity and innovation in the workplace. Leonardo invented the parachute before anyone could fly! Imagine what your organization could accomplish with that kind of innovative thinking.

• Innovate Like Edison
  

  Audience: Leaders, managers, professionals, people working on innovation teams Objectives: Cultivate individual innovation literacy and an organizational culture that supports innovation. Program formats: keynote to three-day workshop Leonardo was probably the most creative person who ever lived but Thomas Edison is history's greatest practical innovator. Beyond his invention of the phonograph, motion pictures and a system to light the world, Thomas Edison invented the rigorous, disciplined process of innovation In addition to creating the world's first Industrial Research and Development laboratory, Edison was also a master at promoting a culture of innovation. Moreover, he understood that the principles of personal success and organizational innovation go hand-in-hand. Personal success and fulfillment requires you to learn how to think like an innovator; and, for your organization to be successful, innovation is now more important than ever. This program introduces Edison's Five Competencies of Innovation. They are: Solution-Centered Mindset Kaleidoscopic Thinking Full-Spectrum Engagement Master Mind Collaboration Super-Value Creation Each competency will be brought to life with specific, practical "take-home" applications. This program is readily adaptable to specific organizational challenges. It can also be combined with "How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci" to focus on optimizing creativity AND innovation.

• Discover Your Genius
  

  Audience: Leaders, managers, professionals, and employees working in teams Competencies: Manage change, cultivate emotional intelligence, promote "learning organization" Program formats: Keynote speech, half-day to two-day workshop In this compelling, multi-media presentation you will have the opportunity to get to know ten of the most amazing people who have ever lived. Each of these extraordinary individuals embodies a special "Genius" characteristic that you will be invited to integrate into your daily life and apply to your most important organizational challenges. Each genius will be introduced through specially commissioned original watercolor portraits and a brief biography illustrating the role of the key principle in his or her life and work. You will then explore how that principle can and does relate to you and your organization. The full Genius "Dream Team" includes: Plato (circa 428 - 348 BC): "Deepening your love of wisdom" Filippo Brunelleschi (1377 - 1446): "Expanding your perspective" Christopher Columbus (1451 - 1506): "Going perpendicular: Strengthening your optimism, vision and courage" Nicholas Copernicus (1473 - 1543): "Re-organizing your vision of the world" Queen Elizabeth I (1533 - 1603): "Wielding your power with balance and effectiveness" William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616): "Cultivating your emotional intelligence Thomas Jefferson (1743 - 1826): "Celebrating your freedom in the pursuit of happiness" Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882): "Developing your power of observation and cultivating an open mind" Mahatma Gandhi (1869 - 1948): "Applying the principles of spiritual genius to harmonize spirit, mind and body" Albert Einstein (1875 - 1955): "Unleashing your imagination and ‘combinatory play’" The "Genius Modules" are easily customized to focus on your most important concerns. A recent program for a global construction management group, for example, emphasized the life of Filippo Brunelleschi, the world's first design-builder; while a program for a computer sales force emphasized Columbus' optimism and Shakespeare's "Emotional Intelligence."

• Lessons From The Art Of Juggling
• Samurai Chess: Mastering Strategic Thinking Through the Martial Art of the Mind
  

  Audience: Anyone concerned with improving strategic thinking or negotiation skills Competencies: Strategic thinking, negotiation skills Program formats: Three hour lecture with demonstration to two-day workshop This unique and unforgettable program is based on the best selling book by Michael J. Gelb and Grandmaster Raymond Keene, O.B.E.(14 times British Champion and Chess columnist of the London Times and International Herald Tribune). The program begins with an overview of the history of chess and the development of the Samurai tradition. Drawing from this historical context, participants will be introduced to the seven Samurai principles of strategy and their relationship to chess, business, and life. The program highlight is a simultaneous chess display (against up to 100 participants) by Grandmaster Keene. Grandmaster Keene will then review, by memory, any participant's game, and offer an analysis in terms of the Samurai principles. The program concludes with an in-depth discussion of the implications of these strategic principles for the development of intellectual capital in your organization. Note: A pre-program session will be held for anyone unfamiliar with the basic rules and strategies of chess so that everyone will benefit.

• Executive Renaissance Training

"Our organization hired Michael because of his novel approach and unique programs inspiring innovation, creativity and leadership. We designed a 3-year program that resulted in substantially and permanently changing the culture of our 300+ person department; from executives to union employees. There were measurable, significant increases in employee satisfaction, team effectiveness and communications. Michael's programs are for business executives/leaders who truly want to leverage the creative and innovative talent in their department, division or company to improve productivity and employee retention."

--- Liz Faison, Project Director, Merck

"Michael Gelb is to the development of human potential what Buddy Guy is to the blues guitar, simply the best there is."

---Eddie Oliver
Sr. Partner KPMG

"You are our secret weapon in our never-ending quest to create an innovative culture."

--- Marv Damsma
Director of Trust Investments
British Petroleum

"We are at least twice as productive as before. We plan, document and communicate with greater efficiency. Our organization's productivity improvement has been phenomenal."

---Dr. Thomas Jenkins
DuPont

"THANK YOU for an incredible day yesterday!! Everyone I spoke to last night loved the session and felt that the time spent with you was of great personal value. I came away with new ideas on how I'll live a more DaVincian life starting today! Thank you many, many times for altering your schedule to be here with us."

--- Ted Maclean, General Manager Northeast Enterprise & Partner Group, Microsoft