Speaking

Unwritten Rules

Every organization runs on a set of rules no one wrote down — invisible forces that determine what gets prioritized, who gets promoted, and whether change actually happens. These rules evolved alongside humans over thousands of years, which means they're far more powerful than anything in your policies, procedures, or strategic plans.

Most leaders try to drive change by rewriting the formal rules. It doesn't work, because the unwritten rules always win. In this talk, I show audiences how to surface the unwritten rules that govern their organization, and how to use them — rather than fight them — to navigate politics, lead more effectively, and drive real innovation.

Here are 30-second videos about unwritten rules in various fields.

I also speak on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, innovation strategy, arts leadership, and the future of the internet — each through the lens of the hidden structural forces that determine why organizations succeed or get stuck. Topics are tailored to the audience and context.

Select Speaking Venues

Harvard Graduate School of Design, Stanford d.school, Facebook, Microsoft, AT&T, Coca-Cola, MetLife, US General Services Administration, University of Southern California, World Government Summit (Dubai), International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (Kuala Lumpur), Wilton Park (West Sussex, England), CoreNet Summit Europe (Madrid), TEDx Lake Forest College, Business Innovation Factory, and 40+ other institutions, companies, associations, and conferences.

What People Say

Esther Lee, Global CMO, MetLife: "Jeff's talk on unwritten rules was as insightful and thought-provoking as it was entertaining and engaging for my global marketing organization. It has inspired us to think more deeply about how we can successfully drive cultural change to better prepare us for success in the future."

Robert Jordan, Founder & CEO, InterimExecs: "Jeff gets to the heart, soul and guts of what it takes to make organizational change stick, by first taking us through the many clever and cute ideas that sound good – but don't actually work. He had our audience of corporate executives riveted and wanting a lot more of Jeff."

Yarrow Kraner, Founder & CEO, Hatch Global: "Jeff has a rare combination of gifts that weaves years of experience, razor-sharp intelligence, empathy, and the ability to provoke and instigate so that passive listeners are ready to take action."

Raman Chadha, Founder & Managing Partner, The Junto Institute: "We keep inviting Jeff back because he has an extraordinary talent for engaging an audience. He masterfully combines intellect with humor, thinking with doing, advocacy with contrarianism, and ideas with stories."

Scott Curran, Professor, Chicago Kent College of Law: "Jeff regularly ranks as the students' favorite guest lecturer every year."