Devon Harris

Made internationally famous by the Disney blockbuster movie, Cool Runnings, Devon Harris was one of the members of Jamaica's first Olympic bobsled team. Competing in three Winter Olympic games over the course of a decade, Harris's unique experiences, perseverance and uplifting attitude have made him a sought-after inspirational speaker.

Born on Christmas Day, 1964 and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, the greatest gift Harris ever received was the belief that a positive attitude and a never-say-die philosophy would carry him farther than a sense of injustice and a heart filled with anger.

A graduate of the prestigious Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in England, Harris received a Queen's Commission in December 1985 and served in the officer corps of the Jamaica Defence Force until December 1992 when he retired as a Captain. Encouraged by his commanding officer, Harris tried out for and was selected as a member of Jamaica's first bobsled team that competed in Calgary, Canada in 1988. The heart and soul of the team, and the triumph over adversity was captured in Cool Runnings. Harris also competed in the 1992 Winter Olympic Games in Albertville, France and the 1998 Games in Nagano, Japan.

Harris has committed to doing whatever it takes to nourish the minds and bodies of the young students in Jamaica and around the world. He is the founder of the Keep On Pushing Foundation, which aims to bring hope to youths in disadvantaged communities by creating practical opportunities for them to explore their full potential. The Keep On Pushing Foundation's initial activities are focused on delivering new desktop computers and a solid breakfast for every elementary school child in Harris's childhood neighbourhood. Additionally, Harris works with Right to Play as an athlete ambassador, supporting Right to Play's efforts to enhance child development and build community capacity.

Harris is the author of the motivational children's book, Yes I Can!, and the soon to be released book Keep on Pushing: Hot Lessons from Cool Runnings. As a speaker, he captivates an audience with his message of persistence, teamwork, inspiration and hope.

• 2. The Power and Magic of Teamwork

  
  This program is suitable as an opening keynote and addresses the powerful role teamwork plays in both your personal and professional life. A high level of team work has been responsible, in part, for a great home environment, miracle drugs, breakthrough technologies, Olympic medals, and conquests of space and sea because these teams have the ability to synergistically harness their members' talents and energy. As the Captain of the Jamaican Bobsled Team and a former Sandhurst-trained Captain in the Jamaica Defence Force, Devon knows what it takes to develop, inspire and direct a winning team and translates the challenges and triumphs of the first Jamaican Bobsled Team into easily applicable lessons for today's managers and tomorrow's leaders.
  
  The audience will learn how:

  
  -A clear vision allows the team to remain motivated, become remarkably efficient and control the direction of change

  -To identify their noble purpose-the far reaching benefits of the mundane things they do daily

  -To transform their organization by growing their capacity to lead

  -Through constant self-evaluation they ensure that they don’t become a victim of their own success

• 3. Out of many, One: An Olympic Athlete's View of Diversity in the Workplace

  A fresh look at how diversity in the workplace is not just a legal mandate or corporate ethic - it is fundamentally practical, and brings the best teams to the playing field. Devon brings a creative and inspiring look at how at work, as in the Olympics, what really matters is performance, attitude and teamwork. With humor and understanding that comes from living what he believes, Devon delivers a compelling message to groups of all sizes about how to be more bottom-line successful by embracing and applying the innate strengths of a diversity philosophy. This program is suitable for an opening keynote or closing presentation. The audience will learn how:

  -A clear personal vision will supercede the associations and assumptions that society makes about you

  -Attracting the best talent regardless of labels and creating an environment for them to perform at peak levels will allow the team to soar

  -Differences when maintained and valued instead of discarded create a more fulfilling, powerful experience

• 7. Company Spokesperson or Product/Service Personality

  With more than twenty years of experience working with every form of media, Devon makes the ideal spokesperson for your company, product or service. The ease and grace with which he handles himself during live camera interviews, his affable personality, the incredible name recognition and public appeal of the Jamaican Bobsled Team and his captivating people skills makes him a valuable asset to any marketing campaign.

• 6. Master of Ceremonies

  As an accomplished speaker with a naturally effusive stage personality, Devon can add a professional flair to your meeting by serving as your Master of Ceremonies. In this role, Devon will allow you to relax and let your hair down as he:
  
  -Establishes a consistent tone for your meeting

  -Ensures continuity and manages timelines

  -Fills in those awkward dead spots that can occur between sessions

  -Introduces your speakers and sessions graciously and professionally

  -And simply makes everything flow better and more fun for everyone!!

  *Using Devon as your Master of Ceremonies is particularly effective when he is also one of your meeting presenters.

  
  
  

• 5. Half-Day Seminar - Get In, Sit Down

  This half day seminar is suitable for all levels. Through open discussions and team building exercises, participants will be entertained, educated and motivated. They will emerge with a renewed sense of purpose and thorough understanding of the techniques which they can draw upon in their work environment. They will be equipped with the essential tools necessary for them to truly function as an Olympic caliber team.

• 4. The Power and Magic of Teamwork

  Suitable for an opening keynote or closing presentation, Devon brings his entertaining and effective message of how to "keep on pushing," how persistence is a key catalyst in any success formula. Devon's presentation blends the need for every part of an organization to have the ability to persist, but not without good doses of wisdom, preparation, talent, teamwork, humor, passion, hard work and smart planning. Devon illustrates his presentation with his improbable story of a road that took him from the violent ghettos of Kingston, Jamaica; to Sandhurst; to the Olympics; to the hit Disney film Cool Runnings.

  With humor and compassion and real-life how-to guidance, Devon inspires the audience to "keep on pushing" - his distinctive phrase when asked how he gets that bobsled down that run.
  
  The audience will learn how:
  
  -Investing some time to clarify both your personal and team vision will give them the edge and keep them motivated

  -To embrace change

  -To demonstrate faith in their teammates abilities and create a more synergistic environment

  -To persist. Be relentless in finding the solutions to their challenges

• 1. Hot Lessons from Cool Runnings - Coaching for Personal and Professional Success

  Suitable for an opening keynote or closing presentation, this motivational program draws from the powerful experiences of the real life Jamaican Bobsled Team as immortalized in the Disney blockbuster movie Cool Runnings. This dynamic presentation is as poignant as it is light hearted. The audience will leave
  laughing, inspired and with a better understanding of what it takes to achieve the impossible.

  The audience will learn how:

  -To defeat fear by taking action

  -To improve personal effectiveness and performance through visualization

  -To create a healthy self-image

  -To reframe failure

• We truly enjoyed having Devon as the speaker for our event. His warmth and passion really engaged the audience members. Most importantly, he was able to tie his expertise (athletics and sportsmanship) to what's important to our audience. His "take-away" message was inspiring and made everyone feel good. As a bonus, he was very generous with his time after the event and stayed to autograph DVDs and spend time chatting with people.
  Association of Medical Publications
• Devon exceeded all of our expectations. He had the audience in tears and laughter almost at the same time. His ability to compare his story with a pattern for conducting our lives was outstanding. He received one of the few standing ovations we have ever given a speaker.
  National Propane Gas Association
• I want to personally thank you for your polished and incredibly motivating presentation at our annual meeting. People were mesmerized by your stories and your flawless delivery. I was totally captivated by your ability to deliver a message that was so vivid I felt like I was living your life. The way that you wove our organization's mission and challenges into your presentation was uncanny and the large crowd that gathered for your autograph was an indication of the impact you had on our audience.
  Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics
• Thank you so much for making our meeting a memorable event. When Devon started to speak the room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop! The audience was hanging on to every word he said. Everyone was so inspired and challenged by Devon's story. When he finished his speech Devon remained at the podium and answered questions for another 30 minutes. By this time it was 11pm, but that didn't deter the crowd from standing in line to get their pictures taken with him. In looking over our participant surveys, Devon's presentation was consistently rated as the highlight of our meeting.
  American Express
• Mr. Harris delivered an exceptional speech to our group of approximately 200 employees which was both motivational and inspirational in nature. While his recent background is that of an athlete on the world stage, his speech transcended athletics and spoke to the broader issues of hard work and perseverance that make all things possible. The challenges of his early life gave great credibility to his messages. The feedback from the attendees was highly positive.
  SpectraLink Corporation
• Devon Harris was a motivational dynamo! He researched our company and incorporated some of our acronyms and business practices into his keynote address. We found the story of his life moving and uplifting. His humor kept us laughing throughout his speech.
  GCI Communications Corp.
• We were so impressed with Devon's ability to motivate our staff and incorporate our company goals within his inspiring presentation that we booked him to return the following year. Devon's a gold medal winner in our books!
  Tel America
• Devon's program was one of the highest rated presentations from this year's conference. Devon has an incredible story to tell and our attendees really enjoyed it. He was a pleasure to work with and spent a great deal of time after the event speaking to our customers and signing autographs. I would highly recommend him to speak before any crowd!
  IBM Software Group
• Devon's inspirational story of personal triumph and testament on the values of leadership were a perfect fit for our organization. His professionalism, positive attitude and friendliness served us well.
  Boy Scouts of America
• We had the pleasure of working with Devon Harris as a guest speaker for our annual meeting of the top-50 executives in our company. Devon's keynote address provided the ultimate emotional and motivational send-off for our team members. He did his homework on our company and made sure that through his speech, he connected with our people. Devon's story about overcoming adversity and achieving the nearly impossible inspired all of us to dream big!
  American Golf Corporation
• You are one AMAZING individual. Your story of personal achievement and accomplishment sets you miles apart from any other so-called 'inspirational' speaker because you truly lived the experience and, through your presentation, we travel that road with you. Working with you was a breeze – your grasp of our company, our culture and our business, and the ease in which you worked with the production group and emcee, all resulted in accolades, not just for you, but for me as well. You are generous in spirit and in heart and the time you gave us off-stage was immeasurable. Just about every attendee has a 'Devon' story – you managed to leave them begging for more.
  Citi Commercial Business Group

• 
  December 2010

  Keep on Pushing

  Keep on Pushing documents Devon Harris's literal and metaphorical journey from the barely above sea level ghetto of Olympic Gardens, Kingston, Jamaica to the grand peaks of the Winter Olympics. When you learn how Devon overcame incredible obstacles, you will see that YOU also have the potential to achieve virtually anything... as long as you adhere to Devon's proven tenets for success.
  Yes, this book is for aspiring Olympic athletes AND... stay at home mom's who want to start their own businesses, entrepreneurs who want to elevate their enterprises, students who want to turn C's into A's, teachers who desire to inspire those students. In fact, Keep On Pushing is for anyone and everyone who wants to, needs to, overcome obstacles and convert challenges into accomplishments!

  
  
• 
  January 2006

  Yes I Can

  Yes I Can is the story of the creation of the Jamaican bobsled team and their quest for gold at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. With dogged determination and an unwavering belief in themselves and in each other, Devon Harris, Michael White, Dudley Stokes and Chris Stokes achieved the impossible by qualifying as members of their nation's first Winter Olympic Team. Yes, I Can teaches children and youth to dream big dreams, believe in themselves and to persevere despite inevitable obstacles.