Powerful Stories.
Practical Takeaways.
I'm an expert on workplace errors who loves leading fast-paced, interactive, practical keynotes for groups like yours.
I show your audience how pilots, firefighters, paratroopers, and other high-reliability experts manage the risk of errors, and how your teams can do the same.
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Not sure which keynote is right for your audience?
Start with my most popular keynote below.
Watch an uncut, 5-minute
keynote video clip
From my initial reach out to learn more about his topical sessions to the follow through of our event, I have nothing but good things to say about my interactions with Jake.
He was professional and organized, prompt with his communication and deliverables and engaged my audience in an intentional and thought provoking way.
He made my job easy AND our audience really enjoyed his sessions.
That's what we call a win.
Molly Nolan
Marketing & Program Manager at Nolan Consulting Group, Inc.
Seven Practical Steps:
What the World's Most Reliable Teams Do Differently
Objectives:
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Summarize the 7 core steps and the principle for each one
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Show 3+ specific examples of measurable, real-world results from companies who used the Learning Based approach
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Identify one simple way you can apply each of the seven steps with your team immediately
Description:
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Why can't we eliminate errors?
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Why don't employees follow $&#^% procedures?
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What do the safest and most reliable teams in the world do differently?
In this fast-paced, interactive keynote, you'll get honest answers—and seven practical steps to help you improve reliability, safety, and trust together. Through powerful stories and practical takeaways from wildland firefighters, pilots, paratroopers, and other high-reliability teams, you’ll discover how to:
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Take a Learning-Based Approach
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Build Psychological Safety
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Lead After Action Reviews
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Transform Investigations
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Apply Classic Defenses
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Improve Systems
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Build Resilience​​
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Audience Reviews:
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"I liked your presentation more than the NFL QB."
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"Fast paced, good content. Great job connecting to the audience."
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"Engaging, interactive and fun! Great speaker who holds the attention of the audience”
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"Outstanding presentation that is extremely valuable and applicable to organizational leaders, as well as every day life”
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"Best presentation at the lab so far”
Watch 90-second intro video
"We got more practical ideas from Jake than from any other keynote we can remember.
After dinner, we talked about Jake's presentation for more than TWO HOURS!
That led to REAL change when we returned to the plant."
Maintenance & Reliability Leader at the Xcelerate 2019 conference
Choose a Keynote for a Specific Need
Click the tabs to explore four additional keynotes
How to Build Trust & Expertise
With After Action Reviews (AARs)
Description:
When I was a 19 year old firefighter, something happened that changed my life forever. I experienced my first After Action Review (AAR).
Safety-driven teams in the military, emergency fire & rescue services, and other high-hazard industries have used these non-punitive, semi-structured, post job debriefs for over 40 years.
They help save lives, build trust, and share priceless, unwritten expertise. Research shows that they can increase team effectiveness by up to 25%.
In this fast-paced keynote, your audience will learn how to lead effective AARs and will actually DO a brief, real-world AAR during the presentation!
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Audience Reviews:
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"Fantastic presentation, I will absolutely be utilizing the ideas shared.”
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"This was the session that I had no idea I needed. Thanks. Jake.”
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“Jake takes one of the most powerful tools in military leadership philosophy and explains its scope / application / benefits for nearly all organizations.”
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"Jake’s keynote was great. He did more than just present his topic on After Action Reviews, and engaged the audience to engage in their own breakout groups and practice their own After Action Reviews.”
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"You MUST go to hear this guy!”
Watch 45-second intro video
Objectives:
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Ask the five key questions to lead an After Action Review (AAR)
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Avoid the single worst mistake that kills most AARs
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Apply six (6) best practices distilled from 20+ years of experience
Watch the AAR exercise I get my audiences to do
The biggest mistake I used to make when leading AARs
Watch an uncut 5-minute keynote opening on AARs
"We engaged Jake as a keynote speaker for our company-wide safety conference.

Our leaders, from field foreman through executives, were unanimously impressed.
Since Jake’s presentation, our project managers and field foreman have told me that they are starting to experiment with many of the practical ideas that Jake taught us."
Fred Barlow, Vice President & Chief Safety Officer, Reliance Electric, Inc.
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"Excellent and straightforward guidance to start a team down the path to a true learning organization... Thanks Jake!"
Murray Elliott, President & CEO
Energy Safety Canada
"We have brought in many speakers over the years to address HOP, Psychological Safety, and serious and fatal injury prevention.
Jake's style and delivery stand out. Not only does he deliver great content, but he is very engaging and uses technology and audience interaction to keep the audience's attention from beginning to end.
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And perhaps most importantly, he provides practical and actionable information that the audience can take and use immediately."
Lisa Brooks, Director
North America NSC Networks