Gregory N.
Keynote Speaker, Coach, Consultant, Author - "I Develop Self-aware Leaders" at Gregory P. Nelson, Inc.
Leadership
Education: Walla Walla University BA - Doctorate in Personal And Organizational Effectiveness (Fuller Seminary)
Grass Valley, CA, USA
Biography
Dr. Greg Nelson is an international professional speaker, coach, professional musician, and author of the book, "The Strategic Stop: Taking Back Your Life in a World Obsessed with Busyness." He is recognized as an expert on developing self-aware leaders. His speeches are innovatively illustrated with music that inspire, uplift, and empower audiences. He has an earned doctorate in personal and organizational effectiveness and has worked with high-profile organizations such as Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Fitbit, Amazon, Walmart, Lyft, American Express, Sutter Health, and Golden Gate University. He has delivered thousands of talks in his former career as a pastor and then as a full-time corporate keynote speaker and coach, to both small audiences and those in the thousands. He loves sailing, music, pickleball, and hiking and most of all loves doing these activities with his wife Shasta who is herself an international professional speaker with three published books on the topics of friendship in the workplace and healthy relationships.
Passion
I'm a motivational speaker - I love inspiring people with increasing their self-awareness and discovering their passion, purpose, and greatest potential.
I love talking about how genuine self-awareness in leaders results in emotional intelligence, healthy relationships, and higher levels of creative collaboration that leads to more engagement.
Music has always been a deep part of my life beginning in childhood until now. I'm a trained pianist as well as a singer/songwriter. I have witnessed again and again how music can touch people's hearts as a supplement to the spoken word.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
I always get paid for speaking
Topics
Best Story
When I was a young child my mom would often dress my older brother and me in matching clothes. This one time, mom had put us both in sweaters. But I really wanted to wear a jacket. So I put that on and marched outside where the family was waiting for my dad to take a movie of us. My mom saw what I had on and immediately came over and scolded me and then went on to try to take off my jacket and put on a sweater. I did my best to struggle and refuse (as only a young child can do). But unfortunately, my mom (obviously) was stronger than I and soon had my jacket off and my sweater on. The look on my face was crystal clear - I felt totally diminished; I had lost my "battle"; my voice didn't count. I know my mom wasn't trying to degrade me. She was a very loving mother. But I remembered this scene completely and immediately when I was doing some journaling as an adult about where some of my limiting beliefs came from. I realized that that scene many years ago began a belief - I simply don't have the power on my own to make things happen - I am not capable - I don't have agency. I have to rely on those with more authority or power than I have, etc. I use this story of mine to illustrate how, via self-awareness, so many of our limiting beliefs get started. And then I go into how it is that we can overcome these beliefs that are not only not serving us, but they're damaging our sense of self and possibility. We need to develop more empowering beliefs about ourselves. Then we can enjoy confidence and belief in ourselves that empower us, motivate us, and bring us meaningful success.
Origin Story
As far back as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a public speaker and help people achieve their highest potential in life. My dad was a pastor and I used to watch him speak in churches. I'm sure that role modeling had an effect on me. So I became a pastor, too, when I graduated from university. I absolutely loved speaking every weekend and to various audiences around the world. And then when I decided to shift from pastoring to developing my own business of speaking, coaching, and consulting, I was able to speak to audiences in various corporations, associations, and nonprofts all over the world. I am fully living out that purpose I felt so keenly as a child.
Example talks
Strategic Stops: How to Thrive in a Nonstop Culture
Do you ever feel exhausted in your work and life? This constant clamor of our 24/7 nonstop culture has been labeled by the World Health Organization a “modern plague.” Why? Because we are literally killing ourselves with one To Do list after another. How? We are neglecting some of the most significant human experiences vital to producing a life of well-being and fulfillment.
OUTCOME: If you want to discover the secrets to successful human living in all its aspects, this session will give you the keys which center around the experience of Strategic Stops. Learn how to prioritize your life and work in ways that empower you to thrive.
AUDIENCE: This presentation is for leaders, employees, organizations, and people who are feeling that there must be more to the way of life they've been experiencing. In today's stressful and exhausting culture, we will learn some of the most important practices that return us to Human Beings and not just Human Doings.
Do You Want Successful Performance? Here Is the Key
“Self-awareness is the single biggest predictor of performance in the workplace and the strongest driver of leadership and personal excellence” (Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves). Dr. Greg shows you Why and How self-awareness has so much significance. This is a game-changer for leadership success.
OUTCOME: Get the tools you need to increase your self-awareness that will also increase your relational saavy, your healthy trust from others, and a higher performance in your work.
AUDIENCE: Though directed specifically for leaders, this talk can also speak deeply to others who might not have an official leadership position. After all, in our personal as well as professional lives we are "leaders" to other people. So how can we be the best kind of leaders possible? This is where the importance of being self-aware hits the bulls-eye.
Four Keys to Motivating and Inspiring Yourself and Others
These four keys are the secret to motivation and resilience: competency, autonomy / agency, connectedness, and psychological safety. When these motivators are highly considered in your life and the life of the people around you, creative innovation and collaboration skyrocket. And productivity increases.
OUTCOME: Learn the four most important motivating characteristics, along with strategies for each of them, to ensuring that everyone is motivated to be fully engaged to thrive and fully energized to succeed.
AUDIENCE: Both leaders and team members in the workplace will especially be inspired since today's workplace is more and more challenging; and leaders aren't quite sure what their priorities should be when it comes to their teams. But also team members need to know what is important to motivate their peers and themselves. I have also used this talk to speak to people outside of the workplace. These four motivations are important for all kinds of people in a world that is becoming more and more difficult to successfully navigate the stress, anxiety, and emotional drain for so many people.
The Depth of Your Character Impacts the Depth of Your Organization
Your character of integrity, openness, and kindness deeply influences the culture of your organization. The more you develop a deeper and weightier character (what I call "ballast", taken from my sailing world as well as my music world), the more your culture produces engagement, trust, and a clear sense of purpose. All the positive metrics are increased as a result when leaders develop a deeper character and pass it on to the people around them.
OUTCOME: Learn the character tools for how your leadership can result in a positive and productive environment. You will be inspired and motivated by the stories of sailing and the innovative illustrations of my music as you learn what it is that guides you to go deeper in your life.
AUDIENCE: Though this talk is primarily for leaders in the workplace, people who don't have an official leadership title or role can highly benefit, too. Our influence on others - both in the workplace and outside the workplace - can either be empowering or disempowering, uplifting or diminishing. We are influencing others every day. So what does it take to be a positive influence in our companies, workplaces, and beyond? This talk will nail down the answer to that question.