Lisa Bodell

CEO, FutureThink & Bestselling Author, Why Simple Wins

Lisa Bodell

CEO, FutureThink & Bestselling Author, Why Simple Wins

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Biography

When the most important work isn’t getting done, it’s not the people that need to be fixed – it’s the work. Lisa Bodell, a global leader on simplification, collaboration, and innovation, helps organizations transform performance by reimagining the work. By trading complexity for simplicity, organizations find new ways to unleash creativity and spark the energy so essential to innovate and compete. It also lifts morale, increases engagement, and improves employee well-being and retention. Lisa is the author of two groundbreaking books, Why Simple Wins and Kill the Company. She ranks on the “Top 50 Speakers Worldwide” list and captivates audiences with her insights, energy, and humor. Lisa inspires them to question the status quo and make small changes that have profound impact – giving them time and energy to focus on the work that matters most.

After earning her business degree from University of Michigan, Lisa launched her career at Leo Burnett in Chicago, where she discovered a gift for uniting strategically-driven ideas with forward-thinking themes. She went on to build two successful businesses before moving to New York and focusing on the simplification and innovation space with FutureThink. Founded in 2003, FutureThink works with leading brands worldwide and has become one of the largest sources for simplification and innovation research, tools, and training in the world.

Lisa brings a compelling perspective to the sought-after topics of simplification and innovation to thousands of people each year. A thought leader and serial entrepreneur, her transformational message has inspired executives at top-ranked organizations such as Google, SAP, Citigroup, and the Department of National Intelligence to lead change in their organizations.

Lisa has contributed her expertise to a wide variety of media. She is a monthly contributor to Forbes and has frequently appeared in other media including: Fast Company, WIRED, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and CNN. She has also been featured in many major books such as Warren Berger’s A More Beautiful Question, Adam Grant’s Originals, and AfterShock, the 50-year celebration based on futurist Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock.

Lisa has taught innovation at both American University and Fordham University and has a TED popular talk on the topic. She serves on the board of advisors of several organizations, including the Global Agenda Council for the World Economic Forum, the United States National Security Agency, the Association of Professional Futurists, and Novartis.

Speaker Videos

The Benefits of Simplicity

How Complexity Happens

How Simplicity Leads to a Better Workplace Culture and Improved Mental Health

When and Where Do You Do Your Best Thinking (Interactive Exercise)

How Pfizer Killed 'Stupid Rules' and Adopted a Culture of Simplicity

Complexity Cripples Competitiveness

Kill Stupid Rules

See Fewer Videos

Speech Topics

Unleash the Power of Simplification

People are drowning in the work of doing work and it’s sabotaging organizations. Our days are continually hijacked by the unplanned and unnecessary – unproductive meetings, outdated rules, irrelevant reports, and endless emails that dampen morale, creates feelings of futility, and can be detrimental to mental health. In this presentation, Lisa Bodell shows audiences a new way to unleash energy, collaboration, and innovation by embracing a mindset of simplification. This is not about getting organized or efficient – it’s about how small changes to make things simple can have a profound impact. Lisa’s insights, storytelling and interactive exercises make the case: adopting simplicity as an operating principle is the surest path to organizational transformation.

“Our systems are designed for a world that’s manageable and predictable. That world is gone. It’s time to look with fresh eyes at how we work. When we simplify, we unleash energy and creativity that is being lost by adhering to the status quo.”

You will learn:

Why simplification is not just a method but a mindset and a habit – a key to resilience and adaptability and improved mental capacity and focus
How to spot and eliminate organizational and individual busywork that’s outlived its time.
Phone-based interactive polling and dynamic interactivity helps audiences discover surprising insights about what keeps them from doing their best work.
Why subtraction is more important than addition. There’s only so much time
How killing stupid rules enables organizations and teams move faster and with more focus

Leading Simplicity – A Roadmap

Embracing simplicity as an operational mindset will unleash the power of people and create a sustainable competitive advantage. But building a culture of simplicity requires advocates and leaders who send a message that simplicity is a strategic priority and that it’s OK to challenge the status quo. In this presentation, Lisa Bodell delivers real-world insights leaders can use to inspire their teams, ignite disruptive thinking, build speed and agility, and turn problems into possibilities. With energy, humor, and revealing interactive exercises, Lisa shows how simplicity is the catalyst that accelerates innovation, collaboration, engagement, and growth. Building simplicity into organizational DNA creates a sustainable competitive advantage because it’s the absolute foundation of resilience in the face of never-ending change.

“We’ve got to give people permission to challenge how they work. People know what’s driving them crazy. Simplification changes everything and unleashes them to focus on transformative work.”

You will learn:

Why culture comes down to the work people do every day. If you get the work right, you get the culture right.
How to make it normal to challenge the norm, creating space for change and true innovation to happen.
Drive an agenda that makes simplification a seamless part of your operating system; placing equal importance on eliminating work as adding it.
When people aren’t drowning in the work of doing work there’s more engagement, less frustration, increased well-being, and improved retention.
Set the groundwork for enduring change and improved problem-solving by reducing stress and giving teams the space to think and do the “work of work,” not just busy work.

Unleashing Innovation

In most organizations, the very structures put in place to help them grow all too often hold them back. As structures languish unchecked, people become overwhelmed with outdated processes, policies, reports, committees and meetings that frustrate them and hijack their workdays. Is it any wonder innovation becomes a challenge? In this presentation, simplicity expert Lisa Bodell shows how to increase the capacity for innovation by banishing unnecessary complexity. Making work simpler is the key to unshackling people to spend time and energy on their most important work. Lisa helps shift the organizational mindset – engaging everyone in the process of questioning the status quo. The tools and insights she provides help solve problems that stand in the way of breakthrough innovation.

“Getting the work right liberates people to apply their time and imagination in ways that drive performance and innovation.”

You will learn:

How to make work simpler and reignite critical aptitudes such as curiosity, inquiry, and creative problem-solving.
How companies are killing stupid rules to eliminate hurdles and focus people on work that leads to breakthrough innovation.
Practical yet provocative techniques for reinvention and innovation with current products and services.
Real-life examples of how even the smallest changes can have big impact.
Discover what is hijacking people’s time through Lisa’s interactive audience polling.

Testimonials

"You rocked it! One of the best conversations of the conference"

- SAP

"Thank you for a masterful presentation today. Everyone LOVED it. Your presence on stage was fantastic even with a virtual audience."

- Dynata

"Lisa Bodell was the absolute perfect closing keynote for my company’s annual conference which was being hosted virtually for the first time in its 30+ year history. She is a natural on-camera, which is super challenging to pull off in a virtual environment. Lisa did a great job delivering an interactive program that kept the audience engaged from start to finish."

- P&I

"We anticipated such a great experience for the team and well, it was just much better than that!"

- Fidelity

"Lisa Bodell is a first-class change agent in the corporate world. She points out the often obvious, but totally ingrained, things that are stifling our companies, then goes on to share her plan for how we can start our own ‘innovation revolution.'"

- Author of MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There

"Lisa captivated the audience with insightful and well-articulated thoughts about technologies and trends that could transform our industry. Her examples were credible, thought provoking, and, in a very short time, she energized people to be more proactive about shaping our future business environment."

- Vice President for Worldwide Innovation, Pfizer

"Lisa is one of the most outstanding presenters I have ever seen. She passionately delivers articulate messages that engage the audience and encourage action on the part of the listener. Something tells me that many of her insights will become essential elements of our culture."

- CEO, NYSE Euronext

"Over the years, I’ve tried many innovation ‘gurus’ to educate my leadership team. Lisa is the real thing – she’s an expert that also knows how to use both presentation and learning principles to hold an audience’s attention."

- Director of Learning & Development, Bausch & Lomb

"Lisa’s presentations have transformed the way our leaders think of innovation. Lisa provides a mix of practical, easy-to-use tools and inspiration which has helped to create a new mindset around how to innovate in all parts of our company."

- Merck

"Lisa’s presentation was the absolute favorite of our 3– day offsite! I now have a totally new way of looking at simplification and innovation. I would recommend her and her team to anyone planning an event in a heartbeat."

- Delta Airlines

"Lisa is everything you look for in a keynote speaker – she’s insightful, engaging, and energetic. She was the top-rated speaker at our Google events and inspired the entire audience to start a simplification revolution."

- Google

"Lisa made my leadership team think in new ways and helped us develop winning business ideas right in the room. My team now embraces innovation rather than fearing it."

- Managing Director, Citigroup Corporate Investment Bank

"Lisa's message around change and simplification is incredibly relevant and compelling. Her talk is thought-provoking, challenging, and necessary given today's complex and ever-changing business environment."

- Accenture

“Lisa blew us away. Inspiring and practical. People were up off their feet, laughing and thinking. Cell phones were constantly going up to take pictures of her presentation. She exceeded all expectations.”

- Chief Learning Officer at AXA Equitable

“Over the years, I’ve tried many ‘gurus’ to educate our leaders. Lisa is the real thing – she’s inspiring, motivating, practical, and memorable. She ignites the possibility with the audience. She was the top-rated speaker at our executive events.”

- AT&T

"Lisa made my leadership team think in new ways and helped us develop winning business ideas right in the room. My team now embraces change and innovation rather than fearing it."

- Citi

"Thought-provoking, challenging, and inspiring. She has the uncanny ability to relate high–level, dense subject matter to the everyday."

- Kraft

"LISA IS THE BEST SPEAKER EVER. High energy, FUNNY, and super engaging with a hybrid audience in person and online. We loved her message."

- Dell

"Lisa is one of the most outstanding presenters I have ever seen. She passionately delivers well–articulated messages that engage the audience and encourage action. Her insights will become essential elements of our culture."

- NYSE Euronext

"Even virtually, Lisa delivers her message with passion, humor, and more importantly, simplicity. Her expertise on simplification and execution minimalism in the workplace was very evident, especially as it pertained to optimizing the overall employer-employee experience. Engaging and highly effective."

- EmpiRx Health

"Lisa blew us away. Inspiring and practical. People were up off their feet, laughing and thinking. Cell phones were constantly going up to take pictures of her presentation. She exceeded all expectations."

- Allstate

"I want to rewatch her keynote every Monday morning."

- Adobe