Purpose keeps teams going through change
Passion gets you started. Purpose gets you through. Restructures, acquisitions, new strategy, uncertainty: the keynote shows teams why purpose, not pressure, is what keeps people going.
Check availabilityAbout the keynoteRestructure, acquisition, new strategy, or just too much uncertainty? Is your team running on fumes, waiting to see what happens next?
Lisa Blair OAM works with organisations that need their people to keep going when it's hard. She's the fastest person, and the first woman, to sail solo, non-stop and unassisted around Antarctica, and she knows from 1,000 miles out that resilience doesn't come from willpower. It comes from knowing why it matters.
How the keynote lands for you
On a solo voyage there's no one to delegate to and no one to blame. Lisa had to make every call herself, at 3am, in a storm, with the doubters' voices in her head. What kept her going wasn't certainty. It was knowing exactly why she was out there, and having brought her people into every plan, risk and reason so they could steer her back when she couldn't see straight.
For leaders and teams in change, the keynote shows how a shared purpose turns uncertainty into something people can move through together, and why the leaders who share their thinking early are the ones their teams carry through the storm.
Ideal for: Executive teams, managers, conferences, offsites and organisations going through change.
The moments that matter most here
1,000 miles from land
On day 72 of that first attempt, her mast came crashing down in the night and began cutting the boat in half. Hypothermic, alone, frozen at the bow, she could have set off her beacon. She didn't. It wasn't the boat and it wasn't willpower: it was Sally and her short showers, and every other promise wrapped around that hull.
Purpose got her hand back on the rail.
The phone call home
Months later, swept off the deck in a winter storm, she called her mum to quit. Her mum didn't argue; she helped Lisa see it differently, because Lisa had brought her into every plan, every risk, every reason.
When you share your purpose, your people can steer you back.
Going back
She finished as the first woman to sail solo around Antarctica, and came home feeling she'd failed. Five years later she went back and became the fastest person ever to do it solo, non-stop and unassisted.
Purpose is what's worth going back for.
The business case for purpose
Teams don't break because they're weak. They break when they lose sight of why it matters. People with a strong sense of purpose are far less likely to burn out: 11% report regular burnout, compared with 52% of people with weak purpose (Gallup and Stand Together). In a five-year study of more than 5,000 employees, people with passion and purpose performed in the 80th percentile, against the 20th for passion alone (Morten Hansen, Great at Work). And customers notice: half of UK consumers would switch to a brand with stronger sustainability credentials (Fox + Hare).
Lisa doesn't hand your people a model. She takes them onto the boat, and leaves every one of them with their own answer to the question that carried her around Antarctica: what are you sailing for?
From the people who booked her
"Lisa is a captivating presenter. She delivered a real-life story of courage and resilience that left us inspired with the power of persistence to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals."
Steve Harris, CEO, The Brand Agency
"Lisa shares all the same values as Bremont. She is extremely passionate and has a sense of human achievement which is off the charts. Our clients love to hear her story, she is very engaging, and I highly recommend her for all your events."
Leon Mervis, Managing Director, Bremont Watches AU
"What an incredible launch event today. Lisa was amazing and had the team buzzing. Talk about an engaging storyteller."
QBE Insurance
Other audiences
Questions organisers ask
Is this keynote suitable for organisations going through change?
Yes. It's often booked for restructures, acquisitions and new strategies, because it shows how purpose and a shared 'why' keep teams together when certainty runs out.
Does Lisa have leadership experience beyond solo sailing?
Yes. She was a watch leader on the yacht that won the 2011-12 Clipper Round the World Yacht Race, led the first female team in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race in 16 years, and leads the Arctic Impact Project with research and industry partners.
Purpose builds resilience. Let's bring it to your people.
Tell us your date, location and audience, and Lisa will come back to you personally with availability and fees. Speaker bureaus and agencies are welcome.
Check availabilityCall 0431 302 088