Leadership keynote speaker · Raleigh, NC:Elite discipline. Corporate strategy.

Classroom intelligence gets you in the door. Emotional intelligence carries you further with people. And the lessons you only learn by living them? Mike calls that his PhD in the school of hard knocks.

Plenty of people will tell you what you want to hear. Over thousands of conversations with executives and candidates, Mike learned that who you really are always surfaces — so lead with it.

Mike once advised a client to rescind an offer to his own candidate — walking away from a high five-figure fee — because protecting the relationship mattered more. One action can build trust for years or burn it down in a day. Over his career he has turned down more than $100,000 in placement fees rather than make a hire he didn't believe in.

Whether it's your work, your family or your craft, figure out what lights you up. The more energy you put in, the more you get back — and the money usually follows.

Four times in his career Mike carried 50+ consultants at once while juggling 100+ open jobs a month. You may be dog tired, but when the opportunity lands you summon the energy at a moment's notice, and keep showing up through the battle of attrition.

Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway's famous “no man,” held that 99 of 100 opportunities aren't good. Be wary, be discerning, be agile — and when the right one comes, give it everything. Mike turned down a general manager role three times before recognizing his: running his own company.