Michael K. Simpson doesn’t deliver lectures — he changes rooms.

With 30 years of experience coaching C-suite executives, senior military officials, and global teams across 40+ countries, Michael brings rare credibility to the stage. As a Fellow at Harvard’s Institute of Coaching, a faculty member at Columbia University’s Executive Coaching Program, and former Managing Director of Global Executive Coaching at FranklinCovey, he has spent decades at the intersection of leadership science and real-world performance.

His keynotes translate that expertise into practical, immediately actionable insights — delivered with the candor, energy, and humor that have made him a sought-after speaker for Fortune 100 companies, government agencies, and leadership summits worldwide.

Michael has presented keynote addresses and leadership retreats to hundreds’ of audiences and thousands of leaders throughout the world, addressing the day’s most relevant business issues and topics at business forums, corporate retreats and kick-offs, board of director meetings, annual strategic planning events, association meetings, university department forums, and luncheons.

Michael has provided keynote speeches, executive leadership development work sessions, 1-Day to 5-Days offsite leadership retreats, leader and manager coaches training, and coach certification courses with diverse teams, organizations, and audiences from the following countries: United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Barbados, West Indies, Aruba, Panama, Venezuela, Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Iceland, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, China, Macao, Japan, Korea, India, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia, Brunei, Borneo, Singapore, and Indonesia.

Whether he’s addressing a boardroom or a ballroom of 1,000, Michael connects with every audience through real stories, research-backed frameworks, and the kind of honest challenge that sticks long after the event ends. His bestselling leadership and coaching books are a vital reinforcement and application resource.

1. Powerful Leadership Through Coaching book: Principles and Practices to Build Great Coaching Skills (includes Michael’s book).

• “Powerful Leadership Through Coaching: Principles and Practices to Build Great Coaching Skills” This keynote is directly named after the book and focuses on building great coaching skills — it even includes a copy of the book for attendees.
• “Unlocking Potential: The Keys to Unlocking Potential as a Great Leader as Coach” This speech centers on how leaders can function as coaches to unlock the potential of their people and comes with Michael’s accompanying book.
• “How to Be an Effective Coach Using the Simpson 3Ds Coaching Model” This session dives into Michael’s signature framework: (1) Diagnose the agenda, (2) Design what is most important, and (3) Deliver on commitments, actions, and results.
• “The Leader and Manager as Coach” This keynote directly addresses one of the book’s core premises — that every leader and manager can and should operate as an effective coach in their organization.
• “Developing the 4 Dimensions of All Great Leaders” This speech covers the four essential leadership dimensions: (1) Stakeholder Trust, (2) Vision and Strategy, (3) Goal Execution, and (4) Coaching Talent — all of which are deeply woven throughout the book.

2. Unlocking Potential book: 7 Coaching Skills That Transform Individuals, Teams, and Organizations. The Keys to Unleashing the Potential of a Great Leader as Coach. (includes Michael’s book).

1. “The Foundation of Great Coaching: Building Trust That Transforms.”Trust is the foundational competency and skill of all great coaching — without it, individuals will suspect you, question your agenda, slow you down, and possibly reject you as a coach. This keynote would anchor every leader’s coaching journey by showing how trust is built, maintained, and leveraged for peak performance.

2. “Breakthrough Results: How to Challenge Inaccurate Mindsets and Unlock Hidden Potential.”

• Individuals with limiting and faulty core beliefs about one’s identity and belief system. How do we understand our mindset and how to overcome the negative judgement – that they are not capable, nor coachable — a coach’s role involves helping to challenge these limited beliefs and to foster growth. This speech will empower leaders to identify and dismantle the invisible ceiling, false barriers, and inaccurate stories that hold them and their people back.

3. “Move the Middle: The Coaching Strategy That Multiplies People, Teams, and Organizational Results.”

• This skill is especially powerful because all too often, emphasis is put on performance improvements of high-level top 20% performers — but focusing on the middle 60% to 70% can yield much more effective results. This keynote would challenge conventional thinking about where coaching energy should be directed.

4. “Seek Strategic Clarity: Coaching People Towards a Clear Vision, Strategy, and Goal Execution.”

• Coaching should involve helping individuals set clear, measurable personal goals that align with the broader vision of the organization. This keynote would give leaders a practical framework for setting vision, strategy, and goal-clarity coaching conversations.

5. “Feedback That Fuels Growth: How to Give Effective Feedback That Drives Real Change.”

• Giving effective feedback is one of the seven hallmarks that sets a good organization apart from a great one. This keynote would equip leaders with specific tools and language to deliver honest, growth-oriented coaching conversations that motivate rather than discourage.