David Irvine

David Irvine is an internationally sought after speaker, bestselling author, and mentor whose work has contributed to the building of accountable, vital and engaged organizations across North America. The co-founder of the Newport Institute for Authentic Living, David's vision is to build authentic organizational cultures that unleash greatness.

With more than thirty years of experience as an entrepreneur, professional speaker, psychotherapist, and advisor to executives, David has developed a unique personal and practical approach to transforming leaders. Every year, thousands of people attend David's inspiring and thought-provoking programs on cultural alignment, authentic leadership, and accountability.

David presents in a wide range of venues, from huge conventions to small retreats. He has worked with CEOs and senior executives, all levels of management, front-line service providers, salespeople, educators, and health care professionals. His approach is down-to-earth, simple and powerful. He connects and interacts, he listens before he talks. David clarifies complex issues and offers pragmatic solutions. He brings an authentic experience that will renew and rekindle the vitality of your organization, your work, and yourself.

His five best-selling books are Bridges of Trust: Making Accountability Authentic (2009); Authentic Leadership: It's About PRESENCE, Not Position (co-authored with Jim Reger); Becoming Real: Journey to Authenticity; Simple Living in a Complex World: A Guide To Balancing Life's Achievements; and Accountability: Getting A Grip On Results (co-authored with Bruce Klatt and Shaun Murphy). 

David is also a formerly nationally ranked distance runner and trained with the US Olympic team. David lives with his wife and three children in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains near Calgary, Alberta.

• 7. Specialized Programs

  David has created a number of programs specific to unique sectors. With his years of experience in the field, he has been able to develop these programs to combine best practices with the particular attributes of the sector. This unique blend of keynotes and workshops both enlighten and educate.
  
  

  ·Authentic Leadership in Education
  ·Working With The Ones You Love: The Human Side of Business Families
  ·Authentic Parenting: Raising Accountable Young People
  ·The Gift of Depression: A Change of Mind – From Stigma to Significance
  

• 6. Simple Living In a Complex World: The Power Of Personal Balance

  Simple living is a profound sense of connection... complexity made simpler, change made manageable, challenge made inspirational, and life made more meaningful.
  
  As leaders, you spend every day putting out fires. Then one day you look inside yourself and notice your fire is out. What happened? In the hurry to make a living, you have neglected to make a life.
  
  Calling on his experience as a psychotherapist, David Irvine offers inspiration and guidance on one of the most pressing issues leaders face: closing the gap between professional achievement and personal satisfaction. Be inspired to go beyond traditional and superficial ideas about stress management and work/life balance, to proven, practical, and in depth principles and strategies to help you find balance, meaning, and significance in your work and life.
  
  Take this opportunity to step out of the fray, engage important questions, gain perspective, insight, colleagueship, and renewal as a leader - in ways that meet the changing landscape of today's workplace and our wider society. David will inspire you to uncover that place in your soul where hidden possibilities reside, a place of simple, balanced living.
  
  Below are seven options to choose from to build your own customized session on Simple Living and Personal Balance. (David will take your 1 -3 preferences to build your specialized learning experience):
  
  

  ·Work-Life Balance: Shift your thinking and change your beliefs about personal renewal.
  ·Align your personal and professional values.
  ·Discover your most vital resource in a demanding profession: your authentic self.
  ·Learn practical insights and strategies for staying balanced in your work and life.
  ·Living on the edge of others' pain: how to stay balanced when helping without getting "sucked in".
  ·Learn how to have greater mental health and wellbeing through living an undivided life.
  ·Build a community for holding yourself accountable to stay on track.
  

• 5. Embracing Change: The Power Of Possibility

  To survive, your culture has to change. Once you have made a decision to be a leader, to shift from self-interest to service, you become the agent of change. But where is your road map? Where are your tools?
  
  There are eight stages of change. The first is chaos; the eighth is possibility. Once you lead yourself and others to the point where possibility is embraced, transforming fear into confidence, you have done your job. When you have mastered the art of embracing change, you will not only build a strong, vital organization. You will build a strong, vital life.
  
  Choose from the following options to build your own customized session for Embracing and Leading Change. (David will take your 1-3 preferences to build your specialized learning experience):
  
  

  ·Discover the keys to personal and organizational leadership in uncertain times.
  ·Learn the difference between change, transition, and transformation, along with the accompanying benefits and risks of each, and discover how to know what is best for your culture.
  ·Lead yourself and others through the eight stages of transformation from "attachment to the familiar" through "chaos" to "possibility".
  ·Learn to balance stability with flexibility.
  ·Utilize chaos and uncertainty to inspire trust, innovation, and strong community.
  ·Use ownership and accountability to counteract the conventional belief that change has to happen from the top down.
  ·Discover how to counter confusion, resistance and fear with accountability, trust, and confidence.
  ·Learn how to create a clear vision and rationale to use as a compass with your organization during times of change.
  ·Strengthen your authentic self – your most vital resource in times of change.
  ·Learn a practical strategy to respond effectively to the people-related aspects in your current change management initiative.
  ·Develop a "rebuilding strategy" for leading your organization from fear and resistance into new possibilities.
  

• 4. The High Performance Organization: The Power Of Alignment

  Every day, you walk in the door to your work. You bring your body with you. But do you bring all your talent? Your highest aspirations? Your creativity? Your passion? In a high-performance organization everyone arrives at work energized, ready to operate at their full potential. They have a personal commitment to the organization.
  
  Performance is driven by the powerful dynamic of values – our deep-rooted beliefs about what is important, worthwhile, right and wrong. When values are in conflict, organizations falter. When values align, they prosper – and so do the people within them. David Irvine shows you how to align three sets of values.
  
  Take this rare opportunity to learn from one of Canada's most respected voices on leadership and personal development. In this inspirational and thought-provoking session, David provides a practical perspective with accompanying processes and tools to achieve values alignment that will unleash the potential of your organization.
  
  Choose from the following options to build your own customized session for Building a High Performance Organization. (David will take your 1 - 3 preferences to build your specialized learning experience):
  
  

  ·Learn the fundamentals of creating a Values-Aligned Culture that will attract, retain, and inspire greatness, and how to achieve it.
  ·Find out how to build a culture that engenders trust, loyalty, open communication, engagement, and renewed commitment in order to produce results that are needed.
  ·Increase productivity, reduce staff turnover, and improve recruitment through the power of alignment.
  ·Build an engaged culture that reduces absence and inspires a renewed sense of purpose and enterprise.
  ·Accountable Collaboration: discover a new approach to team building through authentic, accountable connection.
  ·Get the basics of effective conflict management: transform destructive differences into productive partnerships.
  ·Learn how to build an accountable mind-set throughout your organization.
  ·Discover the principles and practices of effective mentoring and coaching: what's the difference? Why do some mentoring and coaching programs succeed while others fail?
  ·Get beneath the surface of non-performance to the real issues: how to have the courageous conversations that will inspire a renewed commitment.
  ·Discover the key elements of an effective performance management process that will engage people and get a grip on results that matter.
  

• 3. Bridges Of Trust: Making Accountability Authentic

  Trust, the most important issue facing the world today, lies at the foundation of every relationship. Trust is the keystone of success in work and in life. It's the new global currency. It crosses cultures and generations.
  
  Building and restoring trust is our number one challenge today. The bridge of trust is built on accountability: the ability to be counted on. Accountability traditionally rouses emotions of fear, blame, and intimidation. For many, accountability is a hammer to punish people. David Irvine offers a fresh and powerful view of accountability that builds trust, respect, integrity, unleashes human potential, closes the gap between intention and performance, banishes blame and fear, and gets a grip on results that matter.
  
  Based on David's inspiring new book, "Bridges of Trust," accountability is not a "program" to be "installed" throughout an organization or a "flavour of the month" management fad. Accountability is a sustainable leadership philosophy that lies at the foundation of both labour and life and promises four vital results:

  ·Clarity - about your role, direction, and promises;
  ·Communication - at a new depth, with the right focus;
  ·Alignment – of values, purpose, passion, and agreements; and
  ·Energy – to build sustained engagement.
  

  
  
  In this thought-provoking and engaging session, David will share his proven and practical approach to accountability that builds a culture of greatness.
  
  Choose from the following options to build your own customized Accountability session. (David will take your 1-3 preferences to build your specialized learning experience):
  
  

  ·The Accountability Approach: close the gap between intention and performance.
  ·The Accountable Mindset: replace fear and blame with trust and ownership.
  ·Make Integrity Real: the power of self-respect in building a respectful culture.
  ·Get a Grip on Results: the power of Authentic Accountability Agreements.
  ·Accountable, Authentic Performance Management: inspire and sustain focused commitment and engagement.
  ·Succeed at Succession: the power of agreements in intergenerational success.
  

• 2. Authentic Leadership At Every Level: Building Cultures That Attract, Retain, And Unleash Greatness

  "Leadership is not a title. Leadership is something you earn by the choices you make and the actions you take. It's about PRESENCE, not position."
  
  Now more than ever, power, purpose, and privilege do not reside at the top of an organization. They potentially live at every level. We know that great cultures – organizations that exhibit such qualities as employee engagement, credibility, sustained commitment, camaraderie, and pride – can be created at every level. Regardless of your title, leadership is a decision to discover and express your unique talents in the service of others.
  
  Take this opportunity to gain new perspective on the responsibility and opportunity of every employee to build an engaged, energized, and renewed culture from one of Canada's most respected voices on leadership and personal development. You will leave with a new view of who you are as a leader and what you and your organization can become.
  
  Choose from the following options to build your own customized Authentic Leadership session.
  
  (David will take your 1-3 preferences to build your specialized learning experience):
  
  

  ·Learn the difference between a boss and a leader, and the true source of leadership power: your authentic presence.
  ·Discover how to take ownership for creating a great culture around you, regardless of your position.
  ·Learn what real employee engagement is, and how to achieve a renewed sense of passion and purpose in your life and work.
  ·Amplify your effectiveness through two vital capacities: authenticity and accountability.
  ·Discover the power of excellence: unleashing your potential.
  ·Learn how to restore trust in your culture through the power of authentic accountability.
  ·Discover a renewed approach to accountability that will transform fear, entitlement, and blame into ownership, commitment, and courage.
  ·Knowing that healthy organizations start with healthy people, what does it mean to be a healthy, balanced, focused employee?
  

• 1. Becoming Real: The Power Of Authentic Presence

  There is one thing all great leaders have in common. They are authentic. Great leaders – regardless of their position - make the effort to know what is real about themselves. They understand what motivates them, and what their priorities and personal values are.
  
  A life aligned with your authentic self is life with greater balance, inner peace, vitality, meaning, and overall wellbeing. Leadership that is authentic reaches unimaginable potential.
  
  We all intuitively know that life is more than your job, your to-do list, or the inbox of your email. Life is ultimately about living to your fullest potential and being all you can be in the service of others. A truly rewarding and fulfilling life is about discovering your authentic power – the alignment of what you do with who you are. When you discover this power, you will not only find the key to real leadership that will lead the next generation; you will find the key to life. Come prepared for an inspirational and thought-provoking session where David will share his profoundly human viewpoint on authenticity as the foundation of great leadership.
  
  Choose from the following options to build your own customized session for authentic living and leading.
  
  (David will take your 1 - 3 preferences to build your specialized learning experience):
  
  

  ·Discover greater balance inner peace, vitality, wellbeing, and meaning through living an undivided life, a life in alignment with your values.
  ·Align your life with your life's purposes.
  ·Realize the power of being trustworthy by making integrity real.
  ·Discover your true identity – your worth away from your work.
  ·Build a community for holding yourself accountable to stay on track.
  

• Over the past five years, David Irvine has worked with our firm on several occasions, both as a keynote speaker and session presenter, to develop the leadership and management capacity of our senior team members. David provides significant knowledge in the area of accountable leadership and his presentation skills have been met with respect and admiration with our senior team. David is a knowledgeable, committed writer and presenter with the ability to help others begin the process of enhancing their leadership style.
  Daryl Ritchie, CEO, Meyers Norris Penny
• ...David's attention to detail ensures that he can facilitate a positive and realistic outcome when working with people – it has been the key to his credibility.
  H. Sanford Riley, President and CEO, Investors Group
• David, you contributed to nursing leadership in our province... thanks again for such a wonderful sharing and challenging us to find our centers and reflect on what leadership means for not only others or our profession but importantly within ourselves and our families.
  Donna Brunskill, Executive Director, Saskatchewan Registered Nurses Association
• I found your presentation to be entertaining, stimulating and provocative... and you can quote me.
  Wayne McFarlane, Human Capital Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• "... morale has increased ten-fold. We are having fun in the workplace again... I have a renewed understanding of my position to help us be the best we can be.
  Alan Christie, Wildrose Territory Manager, United Grain Growers
• David's presentation challenged everyone to look at things differently and focus on our values. David shared his personal insights and experiences on how to create a balance between one's work life and personal life. His presentation stimulated a lot of thinking among our staff of how we can do things differently to achieve a better balance.
  Peter Kruselnicki, Deputy Provincial Treasurer, Province of Alberta
• Those who attended the workshop unanimously agreed that it was one of the most worthwhile professional and personal development sessions they had ever participated in. They appreciated your candour, clarity and meaningful personal examples.
  Sherry Ferronato, Executive Director, Big Sisters and Big Brothers of Calgary and Area
• I have never heard management staff at the hospital laugh as much as they did in the day with you. I know that the fun and learning will translate into better care for kids.
  Hume Martin, Executive Director, Alberta Children's Hospital
• ...humorous, dynamic, enlightening, practical, down-to-earth, inspiring... I was personally touched by your honesty and sincere desire to help...
  John Charrette, Regional Director, Public Service Commission

• 
  January 2009

  Bridges of Trust

  Best selling authors and consultants, David Irvine and Jim Reger, contend that the bridge of trust is built on accountability: the ability to be counted on. In order to inspire trust, you have to be a trustworthy person. When the going gets tough, it is accountable people who are called on to get the job done.  To be all you can be, to reach your full potential, accountability has to be authentic. It has to be aligned with your values, your highest aspirations, and your passion. As you will learn in this book, authenticity takes accountability to a whole new level. Authenticity transforms our innate drive to contribute into the ability to make a difference.

  
  
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  February 2007

  Simple Living In A Complex World: A Guide to Balancing Life's Achievements

  At its heart, this book is about rediscovering the joys of simple living in a world that has become complex, stressful and rushed. We react to the demands of a busy life, and not to our needs and imagination. A masterful storyteller, David Irvine uses illustrations from real life to offer us a blueprint for how we can be more fulfilled.

  
  
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  January 2006

  The Authentic Leader

  Drawing on the wisdom and experience of thirty-seven authentic leaders — from CEOs to community leaders to parents — The Authentic Leader gets to the heart of what it means to amplify your impact in the world by being more authentic.  If you are committed to evolving your soul and the souls of those you serve, this book will inspire and guide you to find and amplify your voice, while inspiring and guiding others to find theirs. In the process, you will discover meaning, significance, and deep satisfaction in your life.

  
  
• 
  December 2003

  Becoming Real: Journey to Authenticity

  Challenging the conventional definitions of corporate success, Irvine claims that genuine, effective leadership does not come from position, but from presence – from the soul rather than the role. Irvine shares his personal quest for authenticity in lively anecdotes, and provides a compelling case for the benefits of shedding façade, pretence and the need for prestige.

  
  
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  September 1998

  Accountability: Getting a Grip on Results

  In this book authors Klatt, Murphy, and Irvine define the nature of the accountability crisis affecting organizations, and in a very practical form provide both the inspiration and the template for building, Accountability Agreements within any organization, regardless of size or purpose.