Topics

Larry Ackerman speaks on a wide range of topics concerning the impact of identity on organizations and individuals.

Topics for Organizations

Identity Is Destiny: Leadership and the Roots of Value Creation
This talk is based on Larry Ackerman’s first book by the same title. The idea that business and life – companies and human beings – operate by different rules and standards for success has been the unspoken dictum of management practitioners for decades. It is a belief dating back to the start of the industrial revolution. The result of following this dictum has been to hobble great organizations, leaving them to suffer profound losses in productivity and reputation, and unable to navigate the tides of change. Based upon his first book by the same name, Mr. Ackerman shows how identity – specifically, the Laws of Identity – govern the lives and fortunes of people and organizations equally, and how ignoring these natural laws puts even the most successful organizations in peril.

Leading through Identity: Re-Framing the Rules of Value Creation
After thousands of interviews with managers and rank-and-file employees over more than two decades, Mr. Ackerman realized that what people sought in a leader was a great human being, not simply a great business person. Great business people – people who understood markets, economics and strategy – were plentiful; but great human beings – those who could sense and address people’s personal needs, fears, hopes and aspirations - were rare commodities. They displayed strength as well as vulnerability. They were demanding, but also compassionate. They inspired achievement and personal loyalty. They were visibly, unmistakably human. This talk focuses on the remarkable influence that accrues to people who have the courage to live through their identities. Call it “self-awareness,” “integrity,” “serenity” or “grace.” Those who have it are regarded as natural leaders. They are the men and women people want to follow.

Branding for Integrity: How Identity-Based Branding Leads to Long Term Success
We live in an age when integrity – adhering to a code of conduct that demands ethical behavior – has become a management requirement. But “integrity” is a far deeper notion than executives realize, with hard-hitting implications for how they define, present and operate their organizations. Mr. Ackerman reveals the three core meanings of integrity and how they form a foundation for building a corporate brand that will foster constructive change and stand the test of time.

How Can Operations Be Excellent, If You Don’t Know Who You Are?  Living the Logic of Identity-Based Management
Over the past decade, companies have paid ever-greater attention to gaining the benefits that come from being operationally excellent. Through Lean, Six Sigma and other processes designed to improve efficiency and productivity, organizations have stripped out cost, improved product quality and decreased time-to-market. But, is that enough? In this talk, Mr. Ackerman describes the five implications identity-based management holds for ensuring that operations are strategically, not just economically, “excellent.”

Topics for Individuals

The Identity Code: The 8 Essential Questions for Finding Your Purpose and Place in the World
For all the outside turbulence we must contend with – job pressures, relationship challenges, an unending barrage of 24/7 media – it is often nothing compared to the turbulence we feel inside ourselves. Most of us walk around, silently asking ourselves seemingly unanswerable questions, such as Who am I? What makes me special? and Where am I going? This talk is dedicated to helping people understand that there are in fact answers to every one of these universal questions – and that each of us is capable of arriving at those answers – and the life path they imply – on our own.

Bring Your Identity to Work: Connecting Who You Are with What You Do
We all grow up being told we can be whatever we want to be in life, as long as we work hard and stay the course. Larry Ackerman asserts that this belief is a debilitating myth that leads to frustration, despair and unhappy lives. In this talk, he describes how to assess your current job and career path in light of who you are at the core of your being. Mr. Ackerman describes how you can take the steps necessary for aligning them in ways that will give you
the sense of satisfaction you deserve. Larry’s message: you can’t be anything you want, but you have more potential than you know.

Parenting through Identity: Honoring the Individual Inside your Child
For all the literature devoted to being a good parent, there is still no “one way”to get it absolutely right. That is because all children are unique beings, with hearts and minds of their own. According to Larry Ackerman, one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is permission to be themselves. In this talk, he describes how to help children discover who they are and make their identities a cornerstone for healthy living.