Tom is available for keynote presentations and workshops. See below for just a few of his most popular titles. He will gladly customize a speech or workshop for your audience.

Karma Doesn’t Need My Help: Leadership Lessons That Bring Success and Peace.

Leadership is rarely calm. Peace, as a leader, is even more rare. Pressure, conflict, and constant change can test even the most seasoned professionals. In today’s climate of layoffs, disruption, and uncertainty, aleader’s state of mind can make—or break—a team. Stress, anxiety, and negative emotions don’t just live inside you; they leak out and shape the culture around you. But lasting success—and personal peace—come from mastering yourself first. In this keynote, Dr. Tom McDougal shares 11 timeless lessons for leading with composure, humility, and intention. Drawing on decades in executive leadership, he explores howemotionally aware leaders build trust, create stability, and make better decisions—no matter what challenges they face. In an era of disruption and uncertainty, these principles offer a steady foundation for leading with confidence, credibility, and calm.

What I Wish I Knew at 27: Advice for Young Leaders Stepping Into Big Roles.

Stepping into leadership early in your career is both exhilarating and overwhelming. At just 27 years old, Tom McDougal became a hospital CEO. Suddenly he was responsible for decisions, conflicts, and crises that most leaders don’t face until decades later. In this keynote, he shares the lessons he wishes he had known then: why trying to “know it all” backfires, how humility builds credibility with seasoned team members, and why emotional intelligence is the difference-maker for young leaders in high-stakes roles. Through candidstories and practical advice, McDougal offers a roadmap for rising leaders to avoid common pitfalls, earn trust, and succeed in the spotlight without burning out.

Escaping the Hydra: Why Leaders Should Stop Solving Every Problem.

The Hydra of Greek mythology grew two new heads every time one was cut off—a fitting metaphor for the leader who insists on solving every issue themselves. The more you fix, the more problems seem to multiply. In this keynote, Dr. Tom McDougal shares why the “heroic problem-solver” mindset actually weakens teams, creates dependency, and fuels leader burnout. Drawing from decades of executive experience, he shows how the most effective leaders break free from the Hydra’s grip by empowering their people to think, decide, and act for themselves.

Leading Under Pressure: How Great Leaders Manage Stress Before It Harms Their Team and Organization.

Stress is inevitable in leadership due to pressure to perform, politics, inflation, funding cuts, strategicrelationships, and turnover—but it does not have to result in hating your job, burnout, panic, and poordecision-making. In this keynote, Dr. Tom McDougal draws on decades of executive experience to showleaders how to manage their own stress while keeping teams steady during turbulence. The result can besuccess and joy in leadership. Through real-world stories and practical strategies, he reveals how leaderscan reset quickly between high-stakes moments, project calm even under fire, and model resilience inways that ripple across the organization.