Mindset Keynote Speaker
Organisers look for a mindset keynote speaker when they need people to think differently about change, ownership and risk at work. Erik Kruger is an international keynote speaker whose work focuses on how leaders shape the way their teams think, work and respond to change. He treats mindset as a set of everyday thinking habits that a team can see and change. Organisations that have booked him include PepsiCo, Toyota and Microsoft.
Fujifilm · Africell · Cipla · Momentum · Liberty
As featured in CNBC · GQ · Inc. · Entrepreneur · TEDx
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How leaders change the way their teams think, and what they do next
Most leadership teams can describe the mindset they want, such as openness to change and real ownership. The gap tends to sit in the everyday thinking behind decisions: what people assume when a new idea comes up, or what they protect when results dip. It also shows in the questions that never get asked in meetings.
Erik’s mindset keynotes make that thinking easier to see and talk about. He helps leaders spot the assumptions their teams are working from, including the ones that come from signals leaders send without meaning to. The audience leaves with shared language for the way they want to think and one action each to start with.
His first book, Acta Non Verba, is about putting ideas into action, and the same thinking runs through his keynotes. How Leaders Evolve, framed as Death by GPS, helps people question the routes they follow out of habit. Power Moves, which has growth mindset as one of its themes, asks each person to choose one bold action with a clear before and after.
Erik wants each person to leave with a clearer view of how they think at work and one action that puts the new thinking into practice.
Four mindset problems organisers bring to a keynote speaker
Mindset briefs usually come back to one or more of these. The keynote leans into whichever of them is most present in your organisation.
Growth mindset language the daily habits have not caught up with
Many teams know the growth mindset vocabulary. Day to day, people may still be rewarded for the safe answer, and mistakes may be handled in ways that make everyone more careful. Erik helps leaders look at what their teams see and hear each week, so the habits start to match the words.
Experience that has turned into autopilot
Experienced people are valuable because they have seen a lot. The same experience can lead to quick assumptions about how things work, what customers want or which ideas will fail. Erik uses How Leaders Evolve to help people notice when they are following an old route out of habit, and to ask better questions before they decide.
Waiting for certainty before anyone moves
When the picture is unclear, many teams wait for more information, another meeting or one more sign-off before they act. Some caution is sensible, but too much of it leaves good ideas stuck. Erik helps people separate the decisions that need more data from the ones that need someone to go first, and Power Moves gives each person one bold action to start with.
Leaders asking for a shift they have not made themselves
Leaders often ask their teams for more ownership, curiosity or openness to change. Teams watch how their leaders think and respond when things get difficult, and they tend to copy it. Erik starts with the leaders in the room, so the shift they ask of their teams is one they are making too.
Keynotes that change how a room thinks about its work
Erik shapes each keynote after a briefing call about your people, your goals and the kind of thinking you want to see more of. Mindset briefs usually start from one of these three themes.
How Leaders Evolve
How Leaders Evolve, known as Death by GPS, is about following directions without looking up at the road. In a mindset keynote, it helps people spot the assumptions they have stopped questioning, about their market, their customers or their own role, and decide which ones to update. Adaptability sits at the centre of it.
Power Moves
Power Moves centres on single bold actions that create a clear before and after. Growth mindset is one of its core themes, and the keynote makes it practical: each person chooses one move, such as a conversation they have been putting off, a skill to build or an idea to test, and commits to it in the room.
From a new way of thinking to new habits
When the keynote is the starting point, the half-day Leadership Lab takes leaders through mastering personal change and then leading change for others. Erik’s Transformational Leadership Journeys carry the work over several months, so the new way of thinking becomes part of how the team runs.
Events that suit a mindset keynote
A mindset keynote works well when an organisation needs people to approach the year ahead differently: a strategy launch, a company kick-off, a leadership summit after a change in direction, or a programme for new and emerging leaders.
It can open the event and set the question for the day, close it by turning the main ideas into personal commitments, or come just before a working session where the leadership team agrees what the new thinking means for them.
Keynotes, labs and leadership journeys
A keynote for the wider audience can be followed by the half-day Leadership Lab for senior leaders, who can then continue into Transformational Leadership Journeys. If your brief is closer to another theme, see Erik’s keynote pages on resilience, leadership and change management, the Speaking page for every topic, and where he speaks if your event is in another country.
- Company kick-offs and annual conferences
- Leadership summits and management conferences
- Strategy launches that ask people to work differently
- Programmes for new and emerging leaders
- Executive offsites for senior teams
- Association and industry conferences
Erik’s team handles timings, staging and the run of show with your event agency, venue and AV crew.
Why organisers book Erik for a mindset keynote
Clients who book him again
PepsiCo followed Erik’s keynote with a tailored leadership programme and brought him back the following year. Toyota’s leadership conference invited him to return, the Entrepreneurs’ Organization keeps booking him across chapters globally, and Microsoft, LinkedIn, YPO and Emirates NBD have hosted his keynotes.
Thinking that leads to action
Two of Erik’s books shape how he talks about mindset. Acta Non Verba is about living a life of action, and Dangerous asks readers to be the threat to their threats. His keynotes draw on stories and clear frameworks from eight years of working with leaders and teams, and every idea is tied to something people can do.
Support after the keynote
If the keynote is the start of a longer shift, Erik stays involved through the Leadership Lab, a Team Operating System session or Transformational Leadership Journeys. Leaders then practise the new thinking with their teams over the months that follow.
Who you’re booking
Erik Kruger is an international keynote speaker, multi best-selling author and award-winning podcaster, named in the Global Gurus Top 30 for leadership in 2026. After eight years with leaders and teams, his core finding is simple: the ceiling of any team is the ceiling of the leader running it. He holds a Master’s degree in Executive Coaching, has written three books including Dangerous, and has contributed to six others. He co-hosts The Expansive with John Sanei, named Podcast of the Year in 2024, with more than 300,000 downloads across 60 countries, and the Modern Leader newsletter reaches 11,000 subscribers.
What clients say about working with Erik
Erik’s keynote captivated our audience so completely that we invited him to create and lead a tailored leadership program for our organization. The transformation was so profound that we eagerly brought him back to repeat the experience the following year.
Our client loved Erik so much that he has been invited back to the conference again. His talk sparked meaningful conversations, challenged conventional thinking, and left the audience with tools they could immediately apply. A true standout on any stage.
You nailed it this morning! Feedback has been next level! Our CEO asked for the recording so he can watch your talk again with his kids. Well done.
How to book Erik as a mindset keynote speaker
Send the brief
Send the date, venue, audience size and where the keynote sits in your programme. Tell Erik’s team what kind of thinking you want to see more of, and what tends to get in the way today.
Agree the outcome and the fee
A briefing call agrees what the keynote should change and anything Erik should know beforehand, such as a recent restructure or a new strategy. A written proposal then confirms the fee, format and travel.
Erik delivers on the day
Erik builds the keynote around your people and your goals, runs through the timings with your production team and delivers it live.
Questions organisers ask about booking a mindset keynote speaker
Is Erik available as a mindset keynote speaker?
Yes. Erik is available internationally as a mindset keynote speaker for company conferences, leadership summits, kick-offs and executive offsites. Send the date and his team will confirm whether he is free.
How long is Erik’s keynote?
Erik’s keynotes run 45 minutes, timed to your agenda. For leadership teams, the keynote can be followed by the half-day Leadership Lab or lead into a Transformational Leadership Journey. The Speaking page lists every topic.
In which language does Erik deliver his keynotes?
English only. Erik delivers every keynote in English, which suits international audiences and multinational teams. The briefing call covers who will be in the room, so his examples fit your people.
Does Erik speak about growth mindset?
Yes. Growth mindset is one of the core themes of Erik’s Power Moves keynote. As a growth mindset speaker, he focuses on the habits behind it: how leaders respond to mistakes, which questions get asked in meetings, and the one bold action each person commits to in the room.
Is a mindset keynote the same as a motivational talk?
They overlap. Erik’s keynotes leave people energised, which is what most organisers want from a mindset motivational speaker. Each talk also gives people a clearer view of how they think about their work and one action they can take the following week.
What does a mindset keynote speaker cost?
A mindset keynote fee depends on the format, the level of tailoring and travel. Send a short outline of your event and Erik’s team will reply with a written proposal that sets out the fee clearly.
Planning events in more than one country? See all the places Erik speaks.
Bring a mindset keynote to your next event
Share the date, the audience and the kind of thinking you want to see more of. Erik’s team will reply with availability and a written proposal.