Rick Hansen

What Surfing Taught Me About Leadership

What keeps us engaged in the work we do and inspired and motivated by the leaders we follow? If you think it’s things like the incentive of rewards or the advancement of a career, you’re not alone – but, according to recent research that’s not the case. Unprecedented data shows that disengagement and indifference in the workplace around the world are at an all-time high, and the reason is that leaders don’t know how to inspire their teams to see and realize their potential. In this talk, he shares a surprising answer to the crisis. He uses the concept of surfing as a tool to unleash the potential in those we lead and in turn watch our people and our organizations flourish.

Speaker Bio:

Rick Hansen spent 10 years as an English teacher and university professor and nearly 2 decades in executive leadership. Originally from Southern CA, he is an avid surfer who is focused on teaching leaders how to motivate and inspire the teams they lead. He is fascinated by and passionate about leadership and the positive impact leaders could and should have on people.

With a diverse industry background in domestic and global markets, he’s an organizational leader that understands how to move the business forward where motivation and inspiration become the competitive edge. Whether it’s the companies he’s owned or transformed, he uses surfing as a metaphor to inform how he leads his teams and the businesses he runs.

Of his work, one CEO of a multimillion-dollar global organization said, “He’s built, motivated, and led this team to be the most dynamic unit in the company’s 30-year history in morale and overall potential.”

He’s a published author (Leadership and the Art of Surfing) and adjunct professor in Organizational Development and Theory. He’s competed in over 50 triathlons, 2 marathons, 10 half marathons, 10 centuries, a Kona Ironman Qualifier, a Boston Marathon Qualifier, and is a proud husband and father.