Simple things, done well everyday, over time...lead to sublime results.
James Laughlin isn’t just another leadership speaker — he’s the #1 best-selling author of Habits of High Performers, a seven-time world champion, and a trusted advisor to leaders and teams at the highest level. From corporate boardrooms to Antarctica, James has equipped and inspired people in some of the most challenging environments on earth.
As a sought-after keynote speaker, James has transformed not only elite athletes and billion-dollar CEOs but entire teams — empowering every team member to embrace personal mastery, adaptability, and high-performance habits. His proprietary frameworks are designed to cut through complexity and give people the clarity and tools to achieve extraordinary results.
What sets James apart is his lived experience of winning against the odds. From leading an underdog team of Kiwi musicians to a history-making world championship, to serving as the mental skills coach for Canterbury Rugby, he brings a pragmatic, proven approach that resonates across industries and cultures.
Beyond the stage, James hosts the #1-ranked Lead on Purpose podcast, where he draws insights from global icons — from Fortune 500 CEOs to world leaders. His message is clear: high performance isn’t reserved for a few — with the right mindset and tools, every person can elevate their game and contribute to sublime results.
Talking Points
Habits of High Performers: How to Break Free from Mediocrity
Success does not come from hacks or quick fixes, it comes from habits. In this keynote, James shares the proven habits from his number one bestselling book Habits of High Performers. With inspiring stories and actionable science, he shows how anyone can apply these habits to drive long term results in business and life.Habits of High Performers: How to Break Free from Mediocrity
Key Takeaways:
- Clarity on the specific habits that separate high performers from everyone else
- A framework to cut through “busy being busy” and focus on what really matters
- Practical strategies that teams can implement immediately to improve results
Format: Available as a one hour keynote, 2 hour workshop or half day workshop.
The 7 Laws of Leadership: Why Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership
From the boardroom to the sports field, great leadership is the ultimate competitive advantage. James introduces seven timeless laws of leadership, clarity, communication, empathy, decision, example, growth, and possibility, and shares how leaders can apply them to inspire trust, align teams, and accelerate performance.The 7 Laws of Leadership: Why Everything Rises and Falls on Leadership
Key Takeaways:
- A practical framework for consistent and high impact leadership
- Real world stories from leaders of countries, Fortune 100 companies, and world champion teams
- Tools to increase team trust, cohesion, and discretionary effort
Format: Available as a one hour keynote or half day workshop.
Antarctica, All Blacks, and the Art of Culture: Lessons from Extreme Teams
What do the All Blacks and Antarctica’s Scott Base have in common? Both require extraordinary cultures to thrive in high stakes environments. Drawing from his work with world champion sports teams, military groups, and Antarctic expeditions, James reveals the principles behind cultures that survive and win under pressure.Antarctica, All Blacks, and the Art of Culture: Lessons from Extreme Teams
Key Takeaways:
- Insights into building connection and belonging in any team
- How to create a charter of behaviours that drives accountability and results
- Lessons in resilience, adaptability, and collaboration from extreme environments
Format: Available as a one hour keynote, 2 hour workshop or half day workshop.
Beyond the Algorithm: The Human Edge in an AI Driven World
Artificial intelligence delivers speed, scale, and precision. But the true competitive advantage lies in what AI cannot replicate: distinctly human qualities. In this keynote, James explores how emotional intelligence, trust, influence, and humanity set leaders and teams apart in an age where technology is everywhere. Drawing on world class examples, he shows how vulnerability, empathy, and curiosity become the difference that makes the difference.Beyond the Algorithm: The Human Edge in an AI Driven World
Key Takeaways:
- Why emotional intelligence, trust, and influence matter more than ever in an AI driven world
- Practical ways to strengthen soft skills that are now the hardest skills
- How to stand out by being more human in leadership, teamwork, and customer connection
Format: Available as a one hour keynote or a 90 minute interactive workshop
Possibilitarian Thinking: Leading with Focus in a Distracted World
In an age of constant noise and disruption, the leaders who thrive are the ones who think beyond limitations. James unpacks his principle of possibilitarian thinking, a mindset that shifts teams from problem spotting to possibility creating, and shows how it fuels innovation, resilience, and sustainable success.Possibilitarian Thinking: Leading with Focus in a Distracted World
Key Takeaways:
- A mindset reset: how to turn obstacles into opportunities
- Practical ways to sharpen focus and cut through distraction
- Frameworks to unlock creativity and performance under pressure
Format: Available as a one hour keynote, 2 hour workshop or half day workshop.
The High-Performance Leadership Workshop
James Laughlin's HPL™ programme is a transformative journey embraced by thousands, including the Army, professional sports teams and corporate teams. This full-day workshop is dedicated to unlocking personal mastery and cultivating leadership from within, guiding participants through the Seven Pillars of High Performance: Vision, Desire, Belief, Self-Discipline, Habits, Self-Evaluation, and Growth.
The High-Performance Leadership Workshop
The Success Planning Method Workshop
James Laughlin's Success Planning Method workshop offers a comprehensive approach to goal setting and achievement, providing participants with a robust framework to identify their personal North Star and mission. Tailored to empower individuals and senior leadership teams alike, this program is designed to clarify long-term visions, streamline annual objectives, and enhance day-to-day task management through effective planning strategies.
The Success Planning Method Workshop
Topics
Video
James Laughlin | Showreel
Join James Laughlin as he shares his journey of overcoming stage nerves and embracing high performance habits to connect deeply with audiences. In this video, James highlights the power of speaking from the heart and encourages adopting a positive "possibilitarian" mindset. Drawing from personal challenges, he defines high performance leadership as achieving sustained success while maintaining well-being and positive relationships. With engaging storytelling and practical insights, James inspires leaders to focus on simple, effective daily actions and maintain high energy and audience engagement. Don't miss this chance to learn from James's unique approach to leadership and personal growth!-James Laughlin emphasises the importance of high performance habits to overcome nerves and deliver impactful speeches, aiming to connect deeply with his audience.-He advocates for speaking from the heart, ensuring memorable experiences for the audience by addressing them genuinely and passionately.-James contrasts the mindset of a "miniscan" (focused on negativity) with a "possibilitarian" (focused on possibilities), encouraging the latter for positive outcomes.-Personal experiences, including overcoming challenges like separation and a struggle with alcohol, inform his definition of high performance leadership: sustained success while maintaining positive relationships and well-being.-He highlights the power of storytelling in leadership, focusing on simple, well-executed daily actions for long-term success, and maintaining high energy and audience engagement throughout his presentations.Audio
James was an utter professional and his engagement with our people really felt like it was on a deeper level. James gave us the mental tools as an organisation that can equip us to be the be ... keep reading New Zealand Army
James delivered a powerful and engaging session with our NZ team last week. The feedback from our team was great and I had so many personal takeaways and reminders on a range of fronts. I left inspired and energized and now look forward to putting the learnings into place. James put a lot of care and attention to ensure he hit the brief and he is a real professional. Thanks James, you're a great guy to match the amazing content!
James recently spoke at our annual Livestock Conference. He was an engaging, energetic speaker who bought some really great insights for our team.
Everyone really enjoyed listening to James speak, he was a huge hit!
I invited James to speak at the Local Government New Zealand gathering of Mayors, Councillors, and Chief Executives from across the South Island. James mixed his remarkable personal achievements and experiences with his interactions with inspirational leaders from across the globe to take us on a journey that inspired and challenged us. His message of vision preceding victory was the topic of reflection of attendees at the kai that followed. If you are looking for somebody to inspire your team with new perspectives, James is your man.
We’ve had some outstanding and dynamic speakers over the years, but none like James, with many of our people stating he was the best speaker we have engaged to date. Hire him, you will not be disappointed!
We had an exceptional day with 70 CEO’s from YPO around focusing on the power of connection and peak performance. James did an outstanding job and we all really got immense value.”
Inspirational and captivating
James’ delivery style was engaging from the get-go and his depth of knowledge meant the team took plenty of relevant improvement initiatives away. James exceeded expectations
James is such a polished professional and really did take the time to immerse himself as part of the team. He listened intently, he used story telling as a way of solidifying the theories he presented, he made the session engaging and memorable. He was available to join a pre-work conversation to align on our overall objectives for the 4 day meeting, and provide us with guidance on how we can lead up to his presentation and workshop, as well as how we can follow on from this. He has an easy going, relaxed and informal style which we really liked. He made it easy to like him which made it easy for the team to want to interact. I can thoroughly recommend James for any event.
If you want a well crafted keynote on leadership in life and business, James would be an outstanding go to option to deliver this. He immediately connected with our audience and got people thinking about what they would be doing differently going forward to become a better leader and better human being. We would recommend James unreservedly.
James was fantastic! He was professional and the quality of his session with our team exceeded our expectations. His dynamic and often-humorous style together with his ability to share real-life leadership examples, was inspiring. Several team members mentioned that James was the "best speaker we have ever had". We look forward to working with James again, highly recommend!
Absolutely a privilege to have James Laughlin speak at our company's conference. The team was all buzzing afterward. We highly recommend James.
When we were looking for a Keynote Speaker, we wanted a speaker who could engage with our network on multiple levels while delivering key messages. James absolutely fulfilled what we were looking for and more. James was an absolute highlight at our conference.
Our experience with James was really positive. He met in person with senior members of our team to ensure his content fit with our theme and resonated with our audience. James took the time to learn about our business by watching and reading background material we provided him with, even learning our values and tying his content back to these. Our audience took a lot away from his session and we saw evidence of this in a workshop session later in the day, where breakout groups were directly quoting his terms and referencing his theories and ideas in their presentations. We feel like we got a great return on our investment in James' session and we felt that he was engaged and interested in our people and what we do as a business.