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Sara Canaday

Tagline: Leadership Development

Keynote Topics

Defy Conventional Wisdom for Breakthrough Performance

As the very nature of business rapidly changes, its leaders must be open to change too. Unconventional methods are no longer reserved for processes and procedures alone.

To gain competitive ground, leaders have to disrupt the existing ways they think, act and lead.

The Details

  • As a Leader, How Could you Expand Your Impact If … ?
  • You were willing to sit still, while everyone else was in motion.
  • You were willing to ditch your dependence on what you’ve always done.
  • You were willing to be informed by data, but not driven by it.

Based on her groundbreaking business book, “Leadership Unchained: Defy Conventional Wisdom for Breakthrough Performance”, Sara reveals the conscious practices separating innovative leaders from their counterparts.

Using a dynamic combination of insights, examples and research, she outlines the new signature habits that will catapult “by the book” leaders into modern thinkers.

Current and future leaders will be captivated by Sara’s clear roadmap for defying conventional wisdom and adopting unconventional habits for business success in the 21st Century.

The relentless pace of business today is taking a serious toll on all of us. We might strive to be purpose-driven, impactful and innovative, but we are often hijacked by never-ending to-do lists and constant crisis management.

To better manage today’s complexities and make the shift from motion to meaning, we need a new set of strategies.

The Details

In this presentation, Sara will share a powerful and compelling wake-up call that will arm leaders with the practices they need to take back control of their time and their business impact. Blending insights, humor and actionable strategies, Sara takes audience members on a journey to:

Gain a fresh perspective about conventional “get-ahead” strategies
Adopt new ways of working that add meaning to their performance
Seize unexpected opportunities by shedding the chains of “business as usual”

UNDERSTAND HOW YOUR PROFESSIONAL REPUTATION IMPACTS YOUR CAREER SUCCESS
 
IN-PERSON | VIRTUAL

You’ve got the experience. You’ve got the diplomas. You know your stuff. So how can you significantly speed up your career momentum? Is there a secret to reaching your business goals faster? The most successful professionals have learned how to match their intentions with their actions and elevate their capacity to influence and impact. Expert Sara Canaday will show you exactly how to do that.

In this program, Sara shares real-world stories that illustrate the hidden gaps between what we see versus what those around us see.

Blending insights, humor, and actionable strategies, Sara takes you on a journey to:

  • Gain a fresh perspective about your professional reputation
  • Identify what makes your approaches attractive (or annoying!)
  • Better manage the experiences you create when interacting with others
  • Make strong and lasting impressions by matching your intent with your impact
  • Rapidly elicit opportunities to be noticed, hired, respected and promoted

EVALUATE YOUR IMPACT, DEMONSTRATE YOUR VALUE
 
VIRTUAL
Your leadership brand is the synthesis of several key components, including visuals, messaging, demeanor, interpersonal skills and more. When these pieces come together, they create the whole picture that the rest of the world recognizes as You.

Whether you are moving up the corporate ladder, making your value known in your current role or looking to expand your impact, boosting your brand is the key to remaining viable and competitive.

By deliberately managing and improving your brand, you can dramatically elevate your ability to impact and influence. To interact and collaborate. To coach and mentor. All of it comes back to making intentional choices about your leadership brand

Videos

Rated 5 out of 5

(6 reviews)

Talent Highlights

  • One of Sara Canaday’s notable strengths as a leadership speaker is her ability to distill complex leadership concepts into practical wisdom.

  • Her insights on topics such as leadership agility, executive presence, and personal branding provide leaders with actionable takeaways that can be applied immediately.

  • By combining real-world examples, research-driven strategies, and engaging storytelling, Sara ensures that her audiences leave her presentations with valuable insights they can implement in their leadership roles.

  • Sara’s work extends well beyond the stage, reaching deep into the heart of organizations.

  • She has been instrumental in guiding companies toward a culture of effective leadership, where leadership development becomes an integral part of their success strategy. 

Travels From:

  • Austin, TX

Fee Range:

  • Fees: $10,000-$20,000

Sara Canaday, Leadership Development Expert, Speaker and Author and is a recognized expert and author in leadership and career management who helps arm professionals with the strategies and practices they need to succeed in today’s complex and competitive business climate.

She partners with Fortune 500 companies who are committed to helping their employees strengthen their leadership skills, improve business relationships, and enhance their performance.

Sara’s professional career spans 20 years and includes sales, leadership, and executive roles. She served as principal consultant for Empowerment Enterprises before beginning her own consultancy in 2009.

Sara is a member of the National Speakers Association and the Founder and past President of the Austin Chapter. Sara has been featured in a number of publications and broadcasts, most notably Forbes, CNBC, Psychology Today, WSJ, and the American Management Association’s Leadership Wired. Sara is also the author of two popular business books, You – According to Them: Uncovering the blind spots that impact your reputation and your career and Leadership Unchained: Defy Conventional Wisdom for Breakthrough Performance.

Sara Canaday began her journey working full-time while she earned an MBA. As she climbed the ladder of corporate America, she repeatedly observed a surprising phenomenon: the most successful people weren’t necessarily the ones with the highest IQ or best job skills. She recognized instead that career advancement was much more closely linked with how people applied their knowledge and talents — their capacity to collaborate, communicate, and influence others.

Because of this revelation early on, Sara developed an uncanny ability to pinpoint the pivotal attributes that could make or break a career, and she was able to convey that information in a compassionately candid way. Colleagues, subordinates, and superiors alike frequently approached Sara for her advice on overcoming career hurdles and developing strategies to increase their personal market value.

Despite reaching an executive position in operations with a major company, Sara realized that helping others to maximize their career potential was truly her life’s work.

Today, Sara Canaday is happily fulfilling that commitment as a keynote speaker, author, and executive coach.  These venues have given her the opportunity to mentor and support thousands of people in diverse situations, inspiring many of them to move from insight to action with dramatic career results.

Sara Canaday | Leadership Development

EXPERTISE

Drawing from 15 years of corporate experience, Sara is a recognized expert in leadership development with bottom-line impact. That means she gets results. Tangible, dramatic, measurable results. How?

Sara Canaday helps companies’ leaders and high-potential employees integrate the elusive leadership skills that research now proves are critical for corporations to succeed. Her most-requested presentation topics include strategic personal branding, next-level leadership, emotional intelligence, professional blind spots, and leadership presence.

As a keynote speaker, award winning author, and executive coach, Sara has a unique gift for connecting and communicating with her audiences to propel them from light-bulb-moment insight to strategic change.

Moving far beyond the business-school basics, she helps people identify the barriers that are preventing them from taking their careers—and their companies—to the next level. Better yet, Sara Canaday provides them with specific strategies to remove those barriers and achieve success on a much higher level.

Sara Canaday is recognized as a pioneering thought leader in her industry and throughout the corporate world. Her primary areas of expertise include:

Professional Blind Spots

Sara Canaday is known for her uncanny ability to help people uncover the hidden obstacles that are limiting their job performance and their careers. No matter how smart they are, some people just don’t recognize the subtle behaviors or unconscious habits that are holding them back.

Strategic Personal Branding

While some people might think about “personal branding” as a soft, somewhat-vague concept, Sara shifts that notion and turns it completely upside down.

Applying a unique and quantifiable process, Sara Canaday helps professionals across the country analyze, measure and refine their brands in a way that increases their own personal market value (as well as the bottom-line benefits they bring to their employers).

Next-Level Leadership

Companies nationwide have discovered that Sara Canaday is an extremely valuable resource as they work to groom their high-potential employees for leadership positions and optimal success.

Emotional Intelligence

During her years in corporate America, Sara Canaday repeatedly saw that awe-inspiring resumes and superior intelligence weren’t the best predictors of career success. Instead, the people who advanced most rapidly demonstrated exceptional emotional intelligence (EQ) – the ability to communicate, collaborate and connect with others.

Throughout her career, Sara has made significant strides in helping individuals and organizations unlock their leadership potential. As we conclude our exploration of Sara Canaday’s impactful work as a leadership speaker, we find a profound commitment to enhancing leadership skills, fostering organizational growth, and creating a lasting legacy of leadership excellence.

A Vision for Leadership Transformation

Sara Canaday’s journey as a leadership speaker is a testament to her unwavering vision for transforming leadership paradigms. With a solid foundation in corporate leadership and years of experience working with a diverse range of organizations, Sara understands the intricacies and challenges of modern leadership. Her keynote speeches reflect this depth of knowledge, offering pragmatic insights and actionable strategies that empower leaders to excel in today’s complex business landscape.

Unlocking Leadership Potential

At the core of Sara’s message lies the belief that leadership is a journey of continuous growth and self-awareness. Through her speaking engagements, she guides audiences toward discovering their unique leadership strengths and areas for improvement. Sara emphasizes the importance of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and adaptability as key components of effective leadership. Her presentations equip leaders with the tools needed to navigate change, inspire their teams, and drive organizational success.

Practical Wisdom for the Modern Leader

One of Sara Canaday’s notable strengths as a leadership speaker is her ability to distill complex leadership concepts into practical wisdom. Her insights on topics such as leadership agility, executive presence, and personal branding provide leaders with actionable takeaways that can be applied immediately. By combining real-world examples, research-driven strategies, and engaging storytelling, Sara ensures that her audiences leave her presentations with valuable insights they can implement in their leadership roles.

Impact on Organizations

Sara’s work extends well beyond the stage, reaching deep into the heart of organizations. She has been instrumental in guiding companies toward a culture of effective leadership, where leadership development becomes an integral part of their success strategy. Her contributions to executive coaching, leadership training programs, and talent development initiatives have left a lasting imprint on organizations, enabling them to thrive in a competitive business environment.

A Legacy of Leadership Excellence

As we reflect on Sara Canaday’s role as a leadership speaker, we find an unwavering commitment to building a legacy of leadership excellence. Her dedication to helping individuals and organizations achieve their leadership goals has left a lasting impact in the corporate world and beyond. Sara’s insights continue to shape the way leaders think, act, and inspire others, contributing to a brighter and more effective future for leadership.

Sara Canaday’s journey as a leadership speaker is a story of transformation, empowerment, and lasting impact. Through her visionary approach, practical wisdom, and commitment to unlocking leadership potential, she has become a trusted guide for leaders at all levels.

Her contributions to leadership development have left a mark on organizations and individuals alike, leaving them better equipped to navigate the complexities of leadership in the 21st century. As we look ahead, we can anticipate that Sara’s influence will continue to shape the landscape of leadership for years to come, inspiring leaders to reach new heights of excellence.

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