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Mary Kelly

Mary Kelly

Ph.D., CSP, CDR, US Navy Ret., CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame

In-Person Fee Range:
$15,001 - $20,000
Fee Details
Virtual Fee Range:
Inquire for Fee
Traveling from:
Colorado
Commander Mary Kelly Leadership Reel

Mary Kelly

Ph.D., CSP, CDR, US Navy Ret., CPAE Speaker Hall of Fame

In-Person Fee Range:
$15,001 - $20,000
Fee Details
Virtual Fee Range:
Inquire for Fee
Traveling from:
Colorado

Why Book

  • A high-energy keynote speaker, Mary focuses on using research, systems, and her military experience to show professionals how to excel.
  • Mary’s relatable, no-nonsense approach inspires audiences to embrace their roles, surpass their goals, and plan for the future.
  • Mary speaks to 100+ organizations a year, and has worked with organizations such as National Association of REALTORS, HealthOne, U.S. Air Force, LPL Financial, and hundreds more.

Biography

Commander/Dr. Mary Kelly, US Navy (retired) spent 25 years of active duty in the Navy. She was a military professor at the Naval Academy and a civilian professor at the Air Force Academy. She learned lessons in leadership in the first and second gulf wars and during 911. She uses real-world military and industry examples that resonate with participants.

From her days as a naval intelligence officer to her role as one of today’s most influential economists, Commander/Dr. Mary C. Kelly has carved out an unforgettable career in leadership. Former chief of police, professor, realtor and HR Director – Mary has spent over 25 years teaching and training more than 40,000 military and civilian personnel. Mary is now on a mission to spread her message of success with audiences worldwide, sharing with them the secrets to being a true leader in today’s workplace. 

A high-energy keynote speaker, Mary is focused on using research, laughter, and experience to show professionals how to excel. Mary’s relatable, no-nonsense approach inspires audiences to embrace their roles, surpass their goals, and plan for the future. 

Mary is the author of 15 books on business growth, leadership, and today’s economy. She is a speaker, coach, and trainer who has worked with hundreds of organizations and companies across the globe. 

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Programs

Navigating Turbulence: Leadership For Guiding Teams Through Crisis, Challenge, and Change

“Navigating Turbulence” equips leaders with the skills, strategies, and resilience needed to steer their teams through times of crisis, overcome challenges, and embrace change.

  1. Strategic Leadership During Crisis
    • Refine the art of strategic decision-making under pressure.
    • Develop crisis communication skills that inspire confidence and maintain team morale.
    • Understand successful crisis management across various industries.
  2. Build Resilient and Happy Teams During Challenges
    • Recognize the psychological dynamics of resilience and its impact on team performance.
    • Foster a culture of adaptability and innovation within your team.
    • Implement strategies to bolster individual and collective resilience.
    • See what happy workplaces are doing right and adapt those techniques.
  3. Embrace Change Management
    • Master the principles of effective change leadership.
    • Use Mary’s toolkit for leading teams through organizational transitions.
    • Gain insights into how to manage resistance.

Using the acronym, P.I.V.O.T. leaders reinvigorate their teams with a sense of purpose; they are prepared to inspire and influence others every day, they assess volatile situations in the right way, they see opportunities when others see only problems, and make sure their teams have the tools, techniques, training, and tactics they need to succeed.

This program is for executives, managers, and leaders across industries committed to enhancing their leadership skills and guiding their teams through the complexities of crisis, challenge, and change.

Included in this program is Mary’s vault of materials, which includes:

  • The Leader’s Blind Spot Assessment ($197 value)
  • The 12-Month Business Success and Accountability Planner ($49.95)
  • 2024 Succession Planning Trends White Paper
  • 15 Curated 5-Minute Solutions
  • Generate Ideas. Focus on Solutions. Be Productive. (book)
  • Resiliency: 7 Skills to Bounce Back During Tough Times (book)
  • Dealing With Uncertainty Crisis, and Change (book)
  • How to Manage Difficult People (book)
  • How to Manage Difficult People (workbook)
  • Successful Leader’s Checklist (workbook)
P.I.V.O.T.: How to Lead Teams through Crisis, Challenge, and Change

Do your people understand the six stages of a crisis?

Do your leaders recognize the stage their people are in and do they react appropriately?

Are your leaders leading, or just hoping for the right outcomes?

  • Understand the six stages of any change, challenge, or crisis.
  • Implement the five ways to P.I.V.O.T. through the crisis.
  • Use the seven leadership reminders to lead out of a crisis.

In order to successfully lead people through and out of a crisis, first, we have to understand the 6 stages of the crisis. Based on her Navy experiences during the first and second Gulf Wars and 9-11, Commander Mary Kelly articulates the reactions of people in various stages of change, challenge, or crisis.

As effective leaders, we have to be able to help our people P.I.V.O.T. through the crisis, by renewing their sense of purpose, influencing and inspiring others to take the right action, assessing the volatility levels, seeing the opportunities, providing the right tools, techniques, and technology that allow people to succeed. Then we can apply Mary’s seven leadership reminders, using the acronym C.L.A.M.P.E.R. so that we are providing the right response to the right people at the right time to achieve the right outcomes.

Who Comes Next? Leadership Succession Planning Made Easy

We have all seen the news where the head of a very visible corporation suddenly becomes sick, or worse, dies, throwing the organization into chaos. We need to have contingency plans in place for a sudden senior-level departure, but we also need a long-term, strategic plan that includes the routine and scheduled departure of team members. Whether due to promotion, retirement, or other factors, the reality is, people leave organizations. One day you will, too.

Every organization needs to plan for leadership succession, but few leaders know how to start the process. This program, based on the award-winning book, Who Comes Next? Leadership Succession Planning Made Easy simplifies the succession planning process and gives you the framework and the tools you need to build and implement your leadership succession planning. Whether you are part of a small family business or a Fortune 500 company, you need to start planning out for who comes next.

Specifically, this program identifies:

  • How to start a customized succession plan ready for immediate incorporation and implementation
  • Proven methodologies for building your leadership bench so top talent can step into increased roles and responsibilities
  • Powerful techniques to build long, loyal, and highly-engaged leaders
  • Secrets to aligning your succession plan to your strategic objectives
  • Innovative strategies to get you out of the “urgent” phase, and into a culture of continuous leadership development
Why Leaders Fail and the 7 Prescriptions for Success

In this compelling keynote program, Mary dives into the essential principles of leadership that are often misunderstood, revealing why even the most talented leaders sometimes falter. Drawing from her highly acclaimed book, “Why Leaders Fail and the 7 Prescriptions for Success,” Mary shares her unique, research-driven approach to leadership that combines her vast experience in economics, military service, and corporate leadership development.

Mary takes participants on a journey through the common pitfalls that can undermine even the most well-intentioned leaders. Mary explores the real reasons why leaders fail—not due to a lack of skills or knowledge, but because of subtle, often-overlooked behaviors and habits that can derail success. From poor communication to failure to inspire, these insights are actionable, eye-opening, and immediately applicable to any leadership role.

Key Takeaways:

Mary outlines seven practical, proven strategies that every leader can implement to elevate their effectiveness, foster a positive workplace culture, and drive organizational success. These include:

  • Vision: Leaders need to provide a clear and compelling vision that aligns the team and drives collective effort.
  • Trust: Building trust is essential for fostering a collaborative environment and creating a foundation for success.
  • Teamwork: Effective leaders cultivate teamwork by encouraging open communication and leveraging diverse strengths within the group.
  • Empathy: Understanding and connecting with team members on a personal level enhances morale and strengthens relationships.
  • Fairness: Consistently fair treatment instills respect and accountability, which are crucial for long-term team stability.
  • Humility: Humble leaders are open to feedback and admit their mistakes, which fosters a culture of continuous improvement.
  • Decision-Making: Leaders must be decisive and consider both short-term and long-term impacts, ensuring their choices benefit the entire organization.
  • Identifying and Avoiding Leadership Pitfalls: Mary delves into the top reasons why leaders fail and how to proactively recognize and mitigate these issues before they escalate.
  • Actionable Strategies for Immediate Improvement: Participants will leave with specific, actionable strategies they can implement right away to improve their leadership impact and inspire their teams.

This keynote is ideal for leaders at all levels—from emerging leaders to seasoned executives—who want to refine their skills, avoid common mistakes, and achieve lasting success. Mary Kelly’s practical insights will leave audiences with a new perspective on leadership, providing them with the tools and confidence to lead with purpose, resilience, and integrity.

Engaging, insightful, and packed with real-world examples, “Why Leaders Fail and the 7 Prescriptions for Success” offers a transformative experience that empowers leaders to rise above challenges and drive meaningful change in their organizations.

Futurenomics: The Economic Snapshot You Need to See Today

Leaders develop stronger strategies, better decisions, and achieve faster results when they understand economic forces. Changes in interest rates, imports, investments, housing trends, trade, and tariffs…do today’s news headlines have your stomach in knots?

What do the changes in the current economy mean for your business?

What do they mean for your own career?

What do they mean for your family?

Join Dr. Mary Kelly, one of the world’s most influential economists, as she exposes the true meaning of the current economic situation and what this means for your organization’s future.

  • Learn to operate and make decisions from facts and data, not emotions
  • Understand what the changes in international trade mean for your industry
  • Gain a valuable understanding of today’s economy to improve profits and safeguard your businesses’ bottom line
  • Prepare your team for what is to come in 2025 and beyond
Master Your World: Unleashing Leaders’ Productivity for Maximum Profits, Peak Efficiency, and Superior Communication

In the dynamic landscape of leadership, mastering time, resources, and energy is the key to success. How can leaders enhance their productivity and efficiency in today’s fast-paced environment? How do we cultivate management and leadership skills across all organizational levels? How can leaders address the challenges of diminishing productivity and waning employee engagement?

The Master Your World program offers practical strategies, effective tactics, and innovative solutions tailored to dilemmas faced by leaders today.

Based on Commander Mary Kelly’s best-selling book, Master Your World, this program provides insights and techniques that work in today’s evolving workplace.

Recognizing that leadership is the linchpin of success, this program emphasizes the pivotal role leaders play in influencing every employee, team member, and stakeholder.

Key Takeaways:

  • Realize how your leadership style is perceived by those around you by using the Leader’s Blind Spot Assessment
  • Gain insights into how leadership vision shapes a productive and constructive team
  • Increase the positive impact loyalty and relationships make on your bottom line
  • Identify the crucial elements employees say they are not getting from their supervisors and leaders to prevent attrition
  • Foster a culture of dynamic communication that saves time and yields results by using Mary’s D.I.C.E. email system
  • Implement the 12 Months of Business Success and Accountability to form stronger strategies for better decisions and faster results
  • Access Mary’s 5-minute Leadership Success Series, which provides practical plans for effective feedback, enhanced employee engagement, and streamlined communication to optimize time and produce impactful results.
A.R.M.E.D.: How To Attract, Recruit/Retain, Mentor/Manage, Evolve, and Develop Your Current and Future Leaders

More than 45% of today’s workforce are millennials. Ten thousand boomers are retiring each day. There are three million vacant job opportunities in the US.

Companies are in a race to secure the right talent that will ensure their business survives the shifting workforce. Team leaders are navigating the new ways of the workplace…. remote work, less direct communication, employee loneliness, and dissatisfaction. It’s a brave new world and you’ve got to be A.R.M.E.D.

In one of Mary’s most popular keynotes, you’ll learn to:

  • Attract the right customers and people to your organization
  • Recruit/Retain the right talent to serve customers and create experiences
  • Mentor/Manage current and emerging leaders to full potential
  • Evolve forward-thinking leadership as the corporate culture
  • Develop teams and talent for future success
15 Ways to Grow Your Business in 2025 and Beyond In Every Economy

The economy is constantly changing, and external shocks affect our business. Tax increases, inflation, regulatory changes, supply chain disruptions, cyber hacking and increased competition, changes how we run our businesses. Great leaders need to respond to the current economic environment, market shifts, and customers’ needs.

Audiences use the 12 Months of Business Growth Resource Manual (included) to build and grow different aspects of business in every economy.

In this fast-paced, executive level session, audiences will:

  • Formulate a concise and effective business plan
  • Manage and optimize the strengths and weaknesses of your team
  • Embrace people’s differences, perspectives, and diversity of thought
  • Take action to better engage and motivate others
  • Optimize your business relationships to ensure your career is viable and thriving

Audience members get access to some of Mary’s most popular 5-Minute Business and Leadership Success Plans to fix problems instead of blame, take advantage of diverse opinions and ideas, coalesce teams, align your vision and mission, and get people focused on the strategic vision. Based on the books, Better in 52 Weeks and 15 Ways to Grow Your Business in Every Economy.

Mary Kelly Reviews

“In a world where we are given infinite choices for how to receive information, I would choose Mary’s style 10 out of 10 times!”

— Women’s Financial Summit

“When I first heard Mary speak, I knew five minutes into her keynote that our attendees were hooked. Leaning forward in their seats, eyes focused, and smiling, they were surprised and delighted by her presentation and couldn’t get enough of her.

Mary fits into my favorite category of speaker – she’s both educational and entertaining. She delivers relevant and practical information with an engaging and humorous style. And a bonus for meeting planners, Mary does her homework, always knows her audience, and is a dream to work with.”

— Communications and Programs, Texas Municipal Director

“I can unequivocally state that in my 20+ years of knowing Mary, she is truly one of the most engaging, interesting, and optimistic persons I know. Her motivation, intellect, and ability to communicate with such a wide breadth of individuals on such varied topics is amazing. Her understanding of human nature and how to connect to people is inspiring. I can without hesitation support her on any endeavor and know when she gets involved with something it is going to be accomplished with flying colors.”

— Director, FTI Consulting

“Dr. Mary Kelly is an amazingly effective leadership expert. Her educational background along with the practical skills she has acquired truly allows her to walk her talk. I literally watched her transform lives. She is inspirational, motivational, and full of immediately practical business ideas. Her passion for learning and relationship skills make her a dream to work with. If you are serious about improving your leadership skills she is the one you want. I can’t wait to hear Mary speak again!”

— Crime Prevention Practitioner and Saftey & Security Consultant, Safety Awareness Firearms Education S.A.F.E.

“Mary conducted a 3 hour leadership workshop/presentation for our state (police department) conference. She is a true professional who brings with her a wealth of knowledge and experience. Her presentation was well received and extremely valuable.”

— Chief of Police, Coppell Police Department

“Mary is an outstanding professional speaker. As a leadership expert, she helps people and businesses become wildly successful. Every group that experiences her talk agrees that she is amazing! (I) highly recommend Mary for your next conference, retreat, or business training.”

— CFP Morally Responsible Investing

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

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NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below

NEED MORE IDEAS?

We are here to help.
Speak with our experienced Program Consultants.

Call us or Live Chat Below